What's rugby?

Question

i'm american and not really sure what rugby is. i thought that this would be the best place to ask seeing as how we don't paly this sport

Answer 1

Icefire,

You Yanks do play it and your actually ranked 16th in the world at the moment.....

Watch a few games I guarantee you will like it.

Answer 2

A game with eleven players on a field - contact sport where the palyers pass the rugby ball to each other in their team until they reach the goal

Like football - two teams except this is a contact sport and theres alot of diving and tackling ot get the ball and slam dunks

Like youre American Football

Answer 3

Think of American Football without all the Armour. Can only pass backwards and you are almost there. Also can be played by anyone no matter how fat, thin, tall or short as there is a position for everyone on the feild and a good excuse in the winter to get very muddy! Brilliant.

Also played by 92 different country participants in International Test Series.

Now ask what Cricket is as well. Lol.

Answer 4

Rugby is a game played by men with funny shaped balls.

Answer 5

Distinctive features of rugby include the prolate spheroid ball and the ban on passing the ball forward, so that players can gain ground only by running with the ball or by kicking it.

Scoring in both games occurs by achieving either a try or a goal. A try (at goal) involves grounding the ball (touching the ball to the ground) over the goal line at the opponent's end of the field. A goal results from kicking the ball over the crossbar between the upright goal posts. Three different types of kick at goal can score points: the goal kick after a try has been awarded (which if successful becomes a conversion); the drop kick; and the penalty kick. The points awarded for each vary between the games.

Set pieces of the union code include the scrum, where packs of opposing players push against each other for possession, and the lineout, where parallel lines of players from each team, arranged perpendicular to the touch-line (the side line) attempt to catch the ball thrown from touch (the area behind the touch-line).

Answer 6

We do play rugby in the USA- the national team is the "Eagles." And women DO play rugby in America too!!!! Theres a national womens tema as well.  It is a growing sport here and even high school are beginning to offer it.  Rugby is not televised in the states and thats why no one really knows about it.  Rugby is usually a "club" sport, not varsity or professional teams.  (this usually means that colleges arent liable for injury and don't pay for travel expenses, equipment, games, referees, uniforms, etc... basically anything).  The major city nearest you probably has a team if you google it.  Go watch a match.  Also if you goole "rookie rugby primer" this will give you a  funny introduction to some of the rules.

Answer 7

to the answers that said it is 11 men per team and it is like soccer/football. you are tards.

It is 15 men per team and the game is 80 mins - played in 2 halfs.

Rugby is similar to NFL in a few ways, the ball is the similar shape as a NFL ball just a bit bigger.

You score in in 4 ways.

Penalty kick- 3 points- A placed kick like a NFL kickoff from the point where a penalty was made. The ball has to go through the posts

A Field goal - 3 points - a drop kick from anywhere on the field during play. The ball has to go through the posts

A TRY - 5 points - this is like a NFL touch down but the ball must be pressed on the ground, instead of the player passing the line.

and a conversion - 2 points - this is after someone has scored a goal, the teams kicker gets a chance to gain 2 extra point by kicking it through the goal posts.

The major difference in rugby is that the game is supposed to be kept flowing as much as possible and when you pass the ball it has to be passed backwards form the passer. You are also allowed to hold and tackling is done by wrapping you arms around someone.

And of course there is the whole - minimal pads thing - no armour like NFL.

USA have an international team and they do play really well considering it isn't an overly well known sport in the US.

The world cup is in France this year - the teams entered are

POOL A



England

South Africa

Samoa

USA

Tonga



POOL B



Australia

Wales

Fiji

Canada

Japan



POOL C



New Zealand

Scotland

Italy

Romania

Portugal

POOL D

France

Ireland

Argentina

Georgia

Namibia

I have included a ranking page - USA is ranked 14th this week just after Canada.

I have also added a couple of links to the iRB who are the governing body

Have a look on You tube for videos.

AB's (All Blacks - a name given to them as they wear black- our national sporting colour) are ranked number 1.

Answer 8

the best sport on the planet. And we do play it in america, although we suck. New Zealand All Blacks for RWC 07!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 9

Its a bit like american football,without all the pansy padding and helmet. A real mans game.

Answer 10

Its a bit like american football. But we don't need as much girlie padding.

Answer 11

Guys play it,they have lovely legs and oh the muscles! Thats as far as i have got so far -sorry!

Answer 12

a manly version of american football without all the pading

Answer 13

Unlike football, Rugby is still a sport played by Sportsmen

Answer 14

The rugby is a marvelous sport.

Answer 15

There are 2 types: union and league but the more common one is union.

Basically there are 15 players on the team all in different positions depending on their abilities, the aim is to score a try (like a touchdown in american football) behind the line of the opposite team. A try is worth 5 point, as well as that you can score penalties and conversions by kicking the odd shaped ball between the posts 'H' as I call it.

It is a tactical game that involves lots of full-body tackling and falling to the ground. I'M A SCRUM HALF! Which is basically the best position on the pitch but you need to be very quick on your feet.

You also get stalemates like scrums, mauls and rucks. These are basically mad wrestles to get the ball.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 16

Rugby is a hooligan's game played by gentlemen.

Answer 17

Rugby League the fastest hardest team sport in the world. If you can get sky on your computer go to the web site and view the content. Your Foot-ball is based on it, but each side is allowed only 13 players at a time on the field there are 2 halves of 40 minutes each with added time for stoppages. The squad sizes are normally 18 to 21 players and exchanges are allowed but play is not altered for these, there are no time outs.

Answer 18

Football(soccer)a game for gentlemen played by thugs.

Rugby a game for thugs played by gentlemen.

Answer 19

Imagine football, but much shorter, with only one interval, much more interesting, with only one set of players in each team, and more consumption of alcohol afterwards by players

Answer 20

Rugby is actually played in the US, but its obviously not a strong or prominant sport there...I think they are called the Eagles and are playing in the World Cup as far as I know this year.

In New Zealand here, rugby is nearly a religion!!!

Basically is 2 teams of 15 playing with an oval ball trying to get points....unlike your american football you cannot pass the ball forward and you don't wear the protective gear and kickers play the whole game and are not just kickers.

Basically each team is divided into Forwards and Backs.

The forwards do all the grunt work like scrums, lineouts, rucks and mauls....these guys also tackle people a lot.

The backs tend to be the fast runners and get most of the glory.

A try, unlike in American football, must get over the line and must be grounded with downward force (which can get very technical).  This is worth 5 points.  A conversion is the kick (in the same position on the line from where the try was scored, so if they get a try in the corner its much harder for the kicker to get the conversion points)....this is worth 2 points..so a try and conversion are 7points and what players try to get to.

Other points are for a penalty (3 points) and drop goal (3 points)....there are other things like penalty tries etc, but thats getting too technical (even for me!).

Anyway something like the New Zealand All Blacks website or IRB (International Rugby Board) may help..

GO THE ALL BLACKS!!!!

Answer 21

Rugby is a game played with fifteen players on each team not eleven as Tina said... anyways i should know as i play the game at amateur level, it is basically a mix between soccer and football, there is only one interval like soccer, but the ball is mishapping like football, and the contact is not as brutal, because the game is a bit more tactical than football, there are alot of rules which differentiate rugby from football in America such as scrums, lineouts and conversions, personally i prefer rugby, but it is basically the closest sport in England to American football, the resemblance is uncanny... also there is no padding in rugby, which makes the game that little bit edgy, gives you a thrill, it is the up and coming sport in the world...

Jared R said to look at videos on youtube, specifically look for "soccer vs rugby" it compares the soccer world cup in 2006, to the last rugby world cup in 2003, pure quality and  so true!

Answer 22

wow... i cant compete with these awesome answers, but yes we do play rugby here in the USA, its a growing sport and is oh so slowly starting to get coverage, but not nearly enough.  the problem here is that it is an amateur sport that is picked up by (in many cases) guys who didnt make their sports team once they went to college and a roommate said "why dont you try rugby instead" to get them to stop griping about being cut, and once they try it they love the sport... or they learned about it from a friend or family member who already plays, so really, nobody knows what it really is in this country... whatever, i suggest you find your local club online and go watch this fall, oh, and you might want to watch the world cup too this september/october if you can, thats the best in the world going head to head, dont miss it

Answer 23

go on youtube and you can watch some videos of rugby....i'm into my second season at rugby at my school...rough sport...anyway a good team to watch is the new zealand all blacks....(not a racial name..lol) you'll see how it's one of the tougher world sports...rougher than american sports