The History of Rugby

By: Cameron Blakely period 1

Where it all started...

The real origins of rugby were never really found, but many people believed that William Webb Ellis founded this game when he took the ball in his hands and started to run with it, in 1823. William Webb Ellis was born on November 24, 1806. After his dad died, him and his family moved to Rugby, a small town in Europe, and enrolled her sons into Rugby School to get a good education. This is where the name rugby came from. Football and soccer are direct descendents of rugby. Today, there is a statue of Anderson in Rugby honoring him, as the creator of rugby.

The Early Rugby Games

The early games of rugby were simple pickup games, with a no particular number of people on separate teams trying to move an inflated pigs bladder to the markers at the end of town. It got so dangerous that the authorities were going to disband the pastime.

Rugby Today
Today, rugby is played internationally in many different ways men, women, and even children. There is flag rugby, union rugby, league rugby, etc. It is played, mostly, in Europe and South America. The two major rugby leagues are Rugby Union and Rugby League.

Rugby Union vs Rugby League

Rugby Union:
Played with two teams of 15 on the field at a time There are spasms, stalling, and a scrum, and lineouts, etc. The play can often be interrupted with injuries Very popular everywhere, and played by women more. Everything is at risk, and injuries are common

Rugby League:
Played with two teams and 13 players on the field at one time Limited to 6 tackles before you have to hand the ball over to the other team Popular in the Northern Heartland and more the younger players (amateour) There are injuries in the ankle in the summer play, and knee injuries when the ground is dry and hard. Concussions and fractures are not very common (surprisingly)

The Rules of Rugby

Here are the basic rules of Rugby:
1. 2. 3. Rugby is an 80+ minute game, split into 40 minute halves There are 15 players on the field at a time, that play a critical role into helping the team succeed. The all is moved or carried with a pass made by hand or foot (a kick) The ball may not be passed forward, only backward or laterally. If a pass goes forward (that is not a kick), this penalizes the other team,and it results into a turnover to the other team. When we a team scores a point, it is called a try. A try is worth five points, and is rewarded to the team when they run the ball all the way across to their goal line, and touch the ball on the ground. A conversion is awarded to the team who scored the try. They get to kick the ball in between the goal posts, just like a goal kick right after a touchdown in football. A conversion is worth two points. A penalty kick is awarded to the team, when a serious foul is committed. This is worth 3 points.

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The Positions
These are the positions to Rugby Union (15 positions) Forwards- There are 8 forwards, and they try to win every scrum, etc and they can be identified with missing teeth, a flat nose, and many other injuries Backs- These players have speed, and style. They try to score tries, and they control the running game. Loosehead Prop- This player is responsible for winning scrums and line-outs Hooker- He is to win the scrum,and hook the ball out of the scrum half, and position itself in between the two props Tighthead Props- They try to scare the opponents, and support the hooker in the front row 2nd Row- They are the taller ones in the group, and they help in lineouts. Blindside Flanker- They are looking to win the scrum, and score from line-out and scrum Openside Flanker- They are the ball winners, who support the forwards, and tackle the other team Number 8- They are the 8th player in the back, and they support everyone, when needing to go forward. They are also the ones who kick the ball when needing to go forward. Scrum Half- A key position on the pitch, and they feed the ball. Fly Half- He is a scorer and he a prominent scorer, and drop goal specialist Left/Right Wing- He gains territory when he runs the ball Inside Centre- He performs the defense Outside Centre- Goal Scorer Full Back- Last line of defense

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