Getting To The Point – Sports

Introduction to the Sport of Rugby

Rugby is among the contact sports which, at present, is gaining popularity. Rugby combines football and soccer in that it is a hard-hitting physical game like football, and a game of speed and movement, like soccer.

Rugby balls are quite similar to a football in size and shape. However, rugby balls are larger than a football. Laces no longer come with the modern version of the rugby ball. It is mandatory to wear a mouthpiece in a rugby game, but it is optional to wear a soft-padded head gear.

The ‘pitch’ is the playing field of the rugby game. The measurement of this large grassy surface is 100 meters long and 70 meters wide. Uprights are positioned on every end of the ruby field. Behind the uprights is the goals area. The minimum depth of the goal area is 10 meters but it is often 22 meters.

Rugby is played by two teams which will be represented on the pitch. Each team fields in fifteen players for the game. The teams are further broken up into two separate groupings called the pack and the backs. The players wearing jersey’s with numbers from one to eight can be identified as the pack players. They consist of the larger, more physical players. The jersey’s with numbers from nine to fifteen constitute the backs which is made up of the fastest team players.

The objective of the game is to score goals which are known as “try.” You can achieve a try by touching the ball down inside your opponent’s end zone. Any one of the players can carry the ball to this zone and make a score. When a player makes a try, it is equivalent to 5 points. When a player makes a try, he is then awarded a conversion kick. IF he is successful with his kick, 2 more points are added to the score.

A ‘drop goal’ is another way of scoring. Your team gets three points through a drop goal. If the ball is kicked through the uprights of the opposing team then you have a drop goal. The ball has to make contact with the ground before you kick it, to count as a drop goal.

Penalty kicks are also granted on player fouls. A penalty kick is worth three points if it is a good one. A penalty kick is taken where the foul was committed behind the 22 meter line.

Professional levels of rugby are already existing at present. Cities have their own rugby teams, similar to pro football teams in different states. Most popular among the rugby games are those played internationally. Different countries make up international players whose players are taken from the city teams. Today, international rugby games are getting more popular.