A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO RUGBY UNION 2015 edition Rugby’s history & ethos Safety as a top priority Legend has it that in 1823, during a game of school football in the Rugby is a highly physical Game. town of Rugby, England, a young To enjoy it to its utmost you need man named William Webb Ellis to be physically and mentally picked up the ball and ran towards prepared. You also need to the opposition’s goal line. understand how to play safely. Two centuries later, Rugby Football has evolved into one of the world’s most popular sports, with millions of people playing, watching and enjoying the Game. At the heart of Rugby is a unique ethos which it has retained over the years. Not only is the Game played to the Laws, but within the spirit of the Laws. Through discipline, control and worldrugby.org/rugbyready mutual self-respect, a fellowship and sense of fair play are forged, defining The Rugby Ready programme Rugby as the Game it is. educates, aids and supports players, coaches, match officials From the school playground to the and Unions on the importance of Rugby World Cup final, Rugby Union sufficient preparation for training offers a truly unique and thoroughly and playing in order for Rugby to rewarding experience for all involved be played and enjoyed while in the Game. reducing the risk of serious injury. Images and courtesy Getty of Rugby Museum, World Images Twickenham The web site allows you to read material, watch video, complete The World Rugby Core Values & Playing Charter an on-line self check test and In 2009, member Unions identified generate an awareness Integrity, Passion, Solidarity, certificate. Or contact your Discipline and Respect as the defining national Union for details of face- characteristics of Rugby. These are now to-face courses near you. collectively known as the World Rugby Core Values and are incorporated within Disclaimer the World Rugby Playing Charter, a This Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union product document which aims to ensure that has been developed in the context of the Laws Rugby maintains its unique character applying to accident and injury prevention and medical practice in Ireland and the information both on and off the field of play. and guidelines incorporated on these matters are made available strictly on the basis that World Rugby does not accept any liability to any The Core Values enable participants immediately to understand the character of person or entity for loss, cost or damage the Game and what makes it distinctive as a sport which is played by people of all howsoever arising out of any reliance on and/or use of the information and/or guidelines shapes and sizes. contained in this Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union product. The World Rugby Playing Charter is incorporated within the World Rugby Laws of the Game and can be downloaded from worldrugby.org/laws in a variety of languages. 2 A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union The Game Scoring points Try - 5 points Rugby is a game in which the object is to carry the ball over the opponents’ A try is scored when goal line and force it to the ground to score. the ball is grounded over the opponents’ It’s simple... but complex goal line in the in-goal area. The above description may sound simple - but there is one catch. In order to go forward, the A penalty try can be ball must be passed backwards. The ball can awarded if a player be kicked forwards, but the kicker’s team would have scored mates must be behind the ball at the moment a try but for foul the ball is kicked. play by the opposition. Try signal This apparent contradiction creates a need for fine teamwork and great discipline, as little can be achieved by any one individual player. Only by working as a team can players move the ball forward towards their opponents’ goal line and eventually go on to win the game. Rugby has its unique aspects, but like many other sports it is essentially about the creation and use of space. The winners of a game of Rugby will be the team of players who can get themselves and the ball into space and use that space wisely, Conversion - 2 points while denying the opposing team both possession of the ball and access to space in which to use it. After scoring a try, that team can attempt to add two further points by kicking the ball over The field of play the crossbar and between the posts from a place in line with Dead ball line where the try was scored. 10-22m In-goal In-goal goal goal line Penalty - 3 points Touch-in- Touch-in- Goal line When awarded a penalty after an infringement by the opposition, a team may choose 22-metre line to kick at goal. Touch Drop goal - 3 points 10-metre line 94-100m A drop goal is scored when a Half way line player kicks for goal in open play 10m by dropping the ball onto the 10-metre line Touchline ground and kicking it on the half-volley. 22-metre line 15m Touch 22m 5m 5m Goal line 10-22m In-goal goal line Touch-in- 68-70m Touch-in-goal Dead ball line 3 Open play Kicking If a player chooses not to The term ‘open play’ refers to any phase in the match where the ball is being pass the ball to a team mate passed or kicked between team mates and both teams are contesting for the or run with it, that player may ball. In open play, the team in possession tries to get the ball to players in kick the ball instead. The kick space who can make forward progress towards the opposing goal line. can travel forwards, but any team mates in front of the ball at the moment the ball is Kick off kicked are out of play until Each half of the match is started with either they retire behind the a drop kick from the centre of the half kicker or are played onside by way line. The non-kicking team must a team mate. be 10 metres back from the ball when it is kicked and the kick must travel 10m towards the opposition goal line before hitting the ground. Handling Passing A player may pass (throw the ball) to a team mate who is in a better position to continue the attack, but the pass must not travel towards the opposing team’s goal line. It must Retaining possession of the ball travel either directly across the field, following a kick is a challenge. or back in the direction of the Kicking strategies include: passer’s own goal line. • kicking into space, so that By carrying the ball forwards and team mates have time to run passing backwards, territory is gained. onto the ball before an opponent can get to it • kicking out wide, at an oblique If a forward pass is made, the referee will stop the game and award a scrum (see angle to the field, so that the page 8) with the throw-in going to the team which was not in possession at the wing or outside centre can time of the pass. In this way, a forward pass is punished by that team losing catch the ball possession of the ball. • kicking the ball to touch (off the field of play) resulting in a lineout (see page 9) with the Knock-on throw-in to the opposition. When a player mishandles the ball, This concedes possession of i.e. drops it or allows it to rebound off the ball but allows the kicking a hand or arm, and the ball travels team to contest for the ball in forwards, it is known as a knock-on. a much more advantageous position on the field. This is punishable by a scrum to the opposition and therefore a turnover of possession. 4 A Beginner’s Guide to Rugby Union Tackle, ruck & maul Advantage As well as being an evasion game which requires creation and use of space, The advantage Law allows Rugby is also a contact sport. In fact, contact situations can be the very the game to be more mechanism by which players create the space they need to attack. The continuous and have fewer three most common contact situations which occur in open play are tackle, stoppages. ruck and maul. Sometimes, during a game, an The tackle infringement of the Laws may be committed where a Only the ball carrier can be tackled by stoppage in play would deprive an opposing player. the non-offending team of an A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is opportunity to score. held by one or more opponents and is brought to ground, i.e. has one or both Even though the Laws state that knees on the ground, is sitting on the the non-offending team should ground or is on top of another player be awarded a penalty, free kick or who is on the ground. To maintain the scrum, they are given the continuity of the game, the ball carrier opportunity to continue with must release the ball immediately open play and attempt to score after the tackle, the tackler must release the ball carrier and both players must roll a try. away from the ball. This allows other players to come in and contest for the ball, thereby starting a new phase of play.