Rugby: what it is, history and origin and rules of the game

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What is rugby?

Rugby, or rugby, is a game in which an oval ball is driven by the players' feet or hands to the end line, where there is an H-like crossbar.

The main objective is to make a try, which consists of passing the ball across the end line and touching it to the ground, the move that is worth the most points in the game.

It is a sport that demands a lot of endurance, strategy and skill from its players.

For its practice, the use of mouthguards is mandatory. Similar to American football, it was rugby that gave rise to it, which happened in 1860 when a group of students made changes to rugby rules because they didn't like the way it was played.

Rugby originated in England, in 1823, arriving in Brazil in 1891.

The sport has different versions, the best known being the Rubgy XV, which has 15 players in each team, and the Rugby Sevens, which has 7 players.

Athletes in the scrum play — Athletes in the game's restart play, the scrum

Origin and history of rugby

The origin of rugby goes back to the Greeks and Romans, who played games with balls, episkyros and harpastum, respectively.

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According to the International Rugby Federation, its origin dates back to 1823, at the Rugby School, located in Rugby, England - hence the name of the sport. The person responsible for the emergence of the sport is William Webb Ellis.

At the time, there were no written rules for ball games. The rules were oral and each school had more or less its own way of playing. William did something different from what they did at his school, he ran with the ball in his hands, instead of kicking it, as they used to.

Years later, in 1845, three students from the Rugby School were responsible for writing the rules of Rugby Football. This unification of rules gave rise to football itself, because before the rules, games were just ball games.

In 1871, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was created in England - an entity responsible for organizing rugby, followed by the creation of similar entities in other countries. Then came the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) in 1873, the Irish Football Rugby Union (IRFU) in 1879, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) in 1881, and the International Rugby Board (IRB) in 1886.

The first international dispute, in 1881, was between England and Scotland, in which the Scots were the winners.

Rugby has undergone several changes over the years. One of the most important concerns the score. Since 1992 the try is worth 5 points, but at the beginning it was worth none, and only in 1886 did it start to count, but only 1 point. Today, the try is the best-scored move.

In its first participation in the Olympic Games, in 1900, France was crowned champion. In 1908 it was Australia's turn, and in 1920 and 1924 the medals were won by the United States.

By option of the sport's promoters, rugby was absent from the Olympic Games for 92 years, having returned in 2016, when Fiji was the champion in men's rugby, and Australia, in rugby feminine.

Rugby started in England and won the world. After England, it was in New Zealand, South Africa and Australia that the sport gained considerable prominence.

The New Zealand Rugby Team is one of the best in the world. Known as the All Blacks, the team usually performs the Haka, which is a typical Maori dance used, among other things, as a form of intimidation.

Rugby in Brazil

Rugby arrived in Brazil in 1891, when the Clube Brasileiro de Futebol Rugby was founded. The first rugby team was organized by Charles Miller - known as the "father" of Brazilian football.

In 1963, the Rugby Union of Brazil (URB) was created, whose president was the Irishman Harry Donovan. Ten years later, URB became the Brazilian Rugby Association (ABR), which also became, this time, the Brazilian Rugby Confederation (CBRu) in 2010.

In 2018, the Brazilian team won the 6 Nations South American Championship, beating Colombia 67-5.

rugby history

1823: origin of rugby in Rugby, England.

1845: creation of Rugby Football rules.

1871: emergence of the organization responsible for the organization of rugby in England, the Rugby Football Union (RFU).

1881: First international dispute between England and Scotland, with a Scottish victory.

1891: arrival of rugby in Brazil.

1963: creation of the Brazilian Rugby Union (URB), which became the Brazilian Rugby Association (ABR).

1900: Rugby's first participation in the Olympic Games, with a French victory.

2010: transformation of ABR into the Brazilian Rugby Confederation (CBRu).

2018: winning the 6 Nations South American Championship by the Brazilian Rugby Team.

Rugby Game Rules

On a field measuring 100 m x 70 m, the duration of a rugby game is different in each of its versions. In the Rugby XV version, with 15 players, the game is played in 2 periods of 40 minutes, while in the Rugby Sevens version, with 7 players, the game is played in 2 periods of 7 minutes.

Ball passes in rubgy are made sideways or backwards with just the hands and forwards with just the feet.

The tackle, which is the play in which a player is knocked down, can only be performed on the player who has the ball. Knocking down a player who does not have possession of the ball is a penalty. It is also a penalty to knock down a player with the ball on the chest line up.

Other penalty causes are obstructing the passage of a player on the opposing team or a player holding the ball when it falls to the ground.

The start of the game, as well as each restart, is done by kicking the ball in the center of the field. At the restart of the game, in Rugby XV, the team that has suffered points is kicked, while in Rugby Seven, the kick is given by the team that scored points.

How to make points?

O try, which consists of passing the goal line (H line) of the opposing team in order to put the ball on the ground, is the play that is worth the most points.

When scoring a try, the team guarantees the right to kick between the posts, which is worth two points. is the call conversion.

Another moment when the team has the possibility to kick to the crossbar is in the penalty kick, which is worth 3 points. This happens when a serious foul is committed against the team and the player kicks from the place where the infraction occurred.

Finally, the drop goal is worth 3 points, and consists of kicking the ball to the crossbar, which must go over the horizontal crossbar, during the game.

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