| Whether you trace the roots of rugby back to the handball games played by the Romans at forts like Caerleon and Caerwent, the rough and tumble game of Normandy known as ‘La Soule’, the Cornish game of ‘Hurling’ dating back to the Bronze Age or the inter-village ‘Cnappan’ battles found in Pembrokeshire in the 17th century, there is no denying the game is a vital ingredient in the life-blood of the Welsh nation.
Rugby union was first introduced to Wales at Lampeter College in the mid-nineteenth century using the Rugby School rules (if it is to be believed, schoolboy William Web Ellis inspired the game when engaging in a game of football in 1823 at Rugby School, Warwickshire; breaking the rules, according to the legend, Ellis picked the ball up and ran the length of the field. Whether a myth or not, the Rugby World Cup trophy bears his name to this date).
Basic Principles
The game of rugby union is played on a grass pitch measuring no more than 75 metres wide and 100 metres in length. There is also an area at each of the pitch, measuring between ten to 22 metres, called the dead-ball area (A dead ball occurs when it either enters this part of the pitch or when a referee signals a penalty or other stoppage in the game). Goalposts stand in the centre of each end of pitch, on the goal line, and are shaped like an upper case H. The posts measure 5.6 metres across, with the horizontal post three metres from the ground.
As in nearly all other competitive sports, the chief aim of each team is to score as many points as possible by the close of the game. A game is played over eighty minutes, split into two forty minute halves, with extra time added on to account for stoppages and injuries, unless, as in international Test rugby, the clock is stopped every time a stoppage in play occurs and the match / half-time period ends as soon as the ball goes dead after forty minutes has been played.
Each team is made up of fifteen players, with up to seven replacements available to each team. Eight of this number makes up the ‘Forwards’, players numbered one to eight, and the remaining seven are the ‘Backs’, wearing jerseys numbered nine to fifteen.
A game of rugby is started with a kick from the centre of the pitch, and after a score occurs this also takes the form of restarting the game. The ball must travel at least ten metres into the opposing side’s territory at the start of the game and on each restart thereafter, the opposition must be atleast ten metres from the halfway line at the restart.
Teams progress the ball upfield in order to attack their opponent’s territory with the aim of reaching the goal line (sometimes called try-line) and scoring a try by touching the ball down past the goal line in the in-goal area. There are two ways for the team in possession of the ball to move upfield, either running with and passing the ball backwards to other teammates, or by kicking the ball further into the opposing side’s territory with the intention of either beating the opposition to the ball to continue attacking, allowing the opposition to catch the ball and then pressure them in their territory or by kicking the ball into touch via the touchline on the side of the pitch. A line-out is the result of kicking the ball into touch, which is awarded to the defending side; this entails a number of players (usually forwards) lining up in parallel lines at the point where the ball was kicked into touch, with the aim of winning possession of the ball that is thrown in by the hooker.
The ball must be passed backwards from player to player, never forwards as this an illegal move and would result in a scrummage to the opposition. An opposing side will attempt to tackle the ball carrier of the side in possession. A tackle must only be made on the player carrying the ball, and involves bringing the ball carrier to ground with a move on or below the shoulders (anything higher is deemed dangerous and would result in a penalty being awarded). Once a player is grounded he / she must release the ball, the supporting teammates then form a ruck in order to regain the ball. Alternatively, after an attempted tackle has been made on a player but the player has not been grounded resulting in a hold, a maul can be formed. A maul is where the player held bythe opposition is joined by his or her own teammates in a loose 'scrum' moving the ball upfield by driving it forward and counteacting the opposition's force.
Play continues according to these principles until a side scores or an offence is committed, resulting in a penalty. Penalties are awarded if the opposing team commits an offence, or illegal move. There are four ways of taking the ensuing penalty, and in doing so restarting the game:
Tap and run: A quickly taken penalty, signalled by visibly kicking the ball a short distance (usually to the penalty taker's hands), to take advantage of the opponent’s retreating and perhaps unorganised defence.
Scrum: The attacking side may take advantage of a scrum, particularly if near to the goal line with the intention of achieving a pushover try.
Kick to touch: Largely used to gain a large amount of territory, the team with the penalty wins the resultant line-out from a kick to touch.
Kick at goal: A penalty goal, if successful, is worth three points to the team. If it is missed and goes dead (either by going into touch outside of the in-goal area or by being caught by a defending team member and touched to the ground in the in-goal area), a 22 metre drop-out is awarded to the defending side.
Points can be scored in a variety of ways:
Try: A try score, worth five points, occurs when a player carries and grounds the ball over the opposing side’s goal line. As this is the highest points-scoring move of the game, it is often a team’s primary aim to score as many tries as possible.
Conversion: A conversion, worth two points, only occurs after a try has been scored. The try-scoring team aim to kick the ball over and between the posts, the kick taking place in line to where the ball was grounded for the try.
Penalty Goal: When a team is awarded a penalty due to an offence committed by the opposing side, one of the options a team has, if close enough to the goal posts, is an attempt at goal. If the ball is kicked between the uprights and over the horizontal bar, a team is awarded three points.
Drop Goal: an increasingly important mode of scoring in the modern game, a drop goal occurs in the run of play, or open play, when a player near enough to the goal posts slots the ball between the posts and over the bar by first dropping the ball to the ground and kicking towards the posts immediately after the resultant bounce. A drop goal is worth three points.
Penalty Try: On rare occasions a penalty try may be awarded to a team by the match referee. This happens when the defending side have committed a foul which has more than prevented the other team from scoring a try, or if the opposing team repeatedly break down the run of play close to the goal line.
Each game is governed by a referee and two touch judges:
One Referee: An on-field official who governs all decisions on the pitch
Two Touch Judges: A Touch Judge is positioned on the side of the pitch (the touchline) and monitors where a ball or player goes into touch. Touch Judges also govern whether conversions and penalty goals are successful and have further advisory duties to the referee at elite level with regards to advising the referee about foul play and illegal moves.
Further Officials / Television Match Official: At the elite end of the game, further reserve touch judges an be used to observe replacement substitutions and a television match official, TMO, or video referee can be called upon by the referee to adjudicate a decision using television footage if neither touch judge or the referee can make a clear decision regarding a try scoring incident in a match.
Experimental Law Variations
In the 2008/9 season the IRB introduced a number of Experimental Law Variations or ELV's. To learn more about these ELV's please click this link http://www.irb.com/ELVs/ .
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