Rugby football

Rugby football is a sports that is played in many countries and is populary known as rugby or rugger.

Rugby football is named after Rugby School, the public school in England in which it was developed.^[1] Legend has it that one day in 1823, a senior boy called William Webb Ellis elected to run with the ball rather than retiring to kick it, as was the normal mode of play in Rugby School football matches. "Running in" was considered somewhat like cheating then but was later accepted in the laws of Rugby Football, which were first published in 1846. However, the legend was first published well after Ellis had died and so may have never occurred.

Its rival, association football (also called soccer), came later and was not formalised until 1863. Even then handling of the ball was allowed, but not catching it and running with it. In the mid-1860s, an attempt was made to provide one set of laws for all football, but there were irreconcilable differences, mainly concerning "hacking" (kicking an opponent in the shins). The "hackers" went on to eventually play rugby football even though hacking was banned a few years later. The "anti-hackers" went on to form association football and eventually banned any handling.

There are two types of rugby, called Rugby Union and Rugby League. Originally, Rugby Union was played in England by gentlemen amateurs, and Rugby League was played by working-class men for pay. There are many similarities between the two types of rugby, but they have developed different sets of rules over time. The split between the two types occurred because of a disagreement about the way that players were treated when they were injured during a game.

Rugby Union is the most popular form of rugby^[2] and it is the national sport in New Zealand, Wales, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Madagascar. Rugby League is played by many people in the United Kingdom (especially in northern England), Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. In most other places, the word "rugby" refers to Rugby Union.

Rugby football is played on a field by two teams of 15 people. The objective of the game is to obtain more points than the opposing team within 80 minutes of playing time. Points are gained through scoring tries or kicking goals.

At each end of the playing field is a field goal, which is made out of poles and shaped like the letter H. There is also an area called the in-goal. A goal is scored when a player kicks the ball through the top of the H of the other team's goal.

Play starts when a player from one team kicks the ball from the halfway line towards the opposing team's field goal.^[3] Play continues until a try is scored, the ball crosses the side line or dead ball line, or an infringement occurs. The ball may be moved up the field either by carrying or kicking it. The ball may be passed between team members but not to team members who are closer to the opposing team's goal than the person who carries the ball.

Players score a try if they manage to touch the ball to the ground on or beyond the other team's in-goal. After a try, the team that scored the try then has an opportunity to kick a goal, which is known as a conversion kick. A goal that is scored from a conversion kick is worth two points in addition to the points of a try. A try is worth five points in Rugby Union and four points in Rugby League. After a team scores points, play restarts with the non-scoring team kicking the ball from the halfway line toward the opposing team's field goal.

Players tackle members of the other team to prevent the opposing team from scoring. Tackling in rugby is grabbing the other person and stopping them from moving or making them fall on the ground. The main rule for tackling in rugby is that there should be no contact with the neck. Only players carrying the ball may be tackled. Once a tackle is completed, the opposition may compete for the ball.

The Rugby World Cup is a championship of Rugby Union teams from countries all over the world. The Rugby World Cup is held every four years.

There is also the Rugby League World Cup, which is made up of member nations of the Rugby League International Federation (RLIF). The tournament has an irregular schedule.