The Ancestor of Football

“Football is a gentleman's game played by hooligans, and rugby is a hooligans' game played by gentlemen” -attributed to Winston Churchill. Americans love football, and every year over 5 million kids play flag or tackle football, but where did football come from? One answer is rugby, a popular sport originating in England in the early 1800s. It is a contact sport with features such as kicking, scrums, and large dives into the endzone! 

There are two main types of rugby: rugby 7s and rugby 15s. As the names imply, in rugby 7s, there are seven people on each team, and in 15s, fifteen on each team. The games consist of two 40-minute halves. In both types of rugby, the main form of scoring is a “try.” A try is when your team gets the ball into the endzone and touches the ball on the grass to score. A successful try is worth 5 points, and for football fans out there, it’s basically rugby’s equivalent of a touchdown. Similarly, after you score a try, you get a chance at a conversion kick, worth two points. 

In addition to running the ball, you can advance the ball only by throwing it backwards or kicking it forward. If the ball is kicked out of bounds, a lineout is conducted. One team throws the ball in the middle of two jumpers (one from each team), who get lifted up high by teammates. A jumper is someone who is usually light and small so that it is easy to lift that person up to get the ball. 

Rugby is a contact sport. There are no pads or helmets, meaning injuries can be more frequent. This can be a good thing, discouraging people from thinking they are invincible with pads and a helmet like in football. There is also no blocking, which can prevent further injuries. When you tackle someone, they are considered down and must release the ball. The team with the ball will attempt to recover it and strategically throw in a “down the line” pattern. The defense will form a “chain” to attempt to stop the play. If a player gets past the chain formation, they can run freely into the end zone. 

A scrum is a fight for possession of the ball involving a group of eight players on each side, forming three tight rows to push the other team’s group out of the way. It can be conducted after a penalty, such as when the ball is fumbled unintentionally or there is a forward pass. It starts when the ball is rolled between the two teams. It all comes down to strength in the end. 

The biggest annual international rugby event is called the Rugby Championship. Teams from New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Australia play in a special tournament to crown a champion. 

In summary, rugby is a sport with a lot of contact, but it also is a fun sport to practice in free time with friends, family, or anyone else who enjoys the game!