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What is Rugby
Rugby is a team sport that delivers significant social and health benefits. It can also be a
physically demanding sport and players should be physically and mentally prepared, and
understand how to play safely. It is the responsibility of all - players, coaches and parents - to
ensure that a positive, safe, enjoyable environment is created where ALL players will be able to
reach their fullest potential, and that – whatever form of the game you play - the training and
education materials and equipment are there to support everyone in creating that environment.
Forms of the Game:
Tag Rugby
Tag rugby is a non-contact, fast-moving game that is suitable for adults or children, and for boys
and girls to play together. Its safe, non-contact nature makes it ideal for youngsters coming into
the game. Tag belts or tag shorts replace tackling. Teams are seven-a-side with a preferred
gender mix of at least three men and women playing at one time. The basic rules include:
No contact, but gum shield advisable - No kicking of any kind When a tag is made, the tagger
stops running, holds the tag above their head and shouts “TAG!”
When the ball-carrier is tagged, the ball must be passed to a team mate within three seconds
Competitive matches should not be more than seven-a-side
Touch Rugby
Touch rugby is a version of rugby in which players do not tackle in the traditional, highly physical
way, but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or
the ball.
Touch rugby is widely played as a training activity for rugby union and as a non-contact variant
in schools and junior clubs, and as an informal social sport in leagues or tournaments.
Each team of six players attacks the other team's try-line and keeps the ball for a total of six
'touches' (tackles). At the end of these six touches, if the team has not scored possession passes
to the opposition.
Touch rugby is often played informally. In addition to tackles being replaced by touches, laws are
simplified to remove elements such as scrums, rucks, mauls, line-outs and kicks. To view the
World Rugby Leisure Rugby Laws, click here
Wheelchair Rugby
Wheelchair Rugby is a mixed team sport for male and female quadriplegic athletes invented in
Winnipeg, Canada in 1977. It combines elements of rugby, basketball and handball. Players
compete in teams of four to carry the ball across the opposing team's goal line. Contact between
wheelchairs is permitted, and is in fact an integral part of the sport as players use their chairs to
block and hold opponents.
Wheelchair Rugby players compete in manual wheelchairs that are specifically designed for the
sport to ensure safety and fairness. To begin playing, any manual wheelchair may be used,
although the game is easier when played in a lightweight sports wheelchair mandatory for
international competition.
The game is played with a white ball, similar to a volleyball and is played indoors on a regulation
sized basketball court. Four cones, pylons, or markers are used to mark the goal lines. A game
clock is also required; any clock used for basketball, handball, or other similar sports will be
sufficient.
To be eligible to play Wheelchair Rugby, individuals must have a disability which affects the arms
and legs. Most players have spinal cord injuries with full or partial paralysis of the legs and
partial paralysis of the arms. Other disability groups who play include cerebral palsy, muscular
dystrophy, amputations, polio, and other neurological conditions. Men and women compete on
the same teams and in the same competitions. Players are assigned a sport classification based
on their level of disability; teams must field players with a mix of classification values, allowing
players with different functional abilities to compete together.
Wheelchair Rugby is a Paralympic Sport currently played in more than 40 countries and presided
over by the IWRF [link], which includes three zones: the Americas, with six active countries;
Europe, with 14 active countries; and Asia-Oceania, with six active countries.
Beach Rugby
Beach Rugby is a fun game that be played with a minimal amount of resources and equipment.
The game is a fast-moving one suitable for boys and girls of all ages to play together, in which
tags are worn and removed for the ‘tackle’. The game is fast-paced and exciting, but because it is
played on sand, there are some differences to the conventional game of Tag Rugby:
Can be played as a 5 or 7-a-side game
Both genders, all abilities and all ages welcome
Common to use a size 4 ball rather than the traditional size 5
Non-contact, Tag Rugby Laws apply
World Rugby Beach Tag Rugby Laws
Rugby Sevens
Rugby Sevens is now an Olympic sport which will be played at the 2016 and 2020 Olympic
Games in Rio and Tokyo. ‘Sevens’ is played increasingly at the grass roots level, but at the elite
end of the game are the (men’s) HSBC Sevens World Series and (women’s) World Rugby Women’s
Sevens Series for national teams, both of which are staged in multiple countries around the
world, like a grand prix format. Both are also direct qualifying tournaments for the 2016 Olympic
Games, with the top four-ranked nations in 2014/15 booking their place in Rio.
Because Sevens is played on a full-sized rugby pitch but with less than half the normal number
of players (seven against seven, instead of 15 against 15), there is a large amount of space to run
in. This makes it a very fast and exciting variation of the game demanding huge levels of fitness.
Click here to view the videos on how to play Sevens
Rugby 10s
10-a-side Rugby is also played and is usually called ‘tens’. Like in Sevens, there is more space
available than in 15-a-side rugby, but there are two extra forwards and one added back. The
game uses the same Laws as the 15-a-side Game but with some slight variations:
World Rugby 10s Laws
Rugby 12s
In 12-a-side rugby a ‘number 8’ (hindmost player in the scrum) and a full-back are further added
as another step in the progression from 7-a-side to 15-a-side. This variation can be useful to a
coach who has a squad of 16 or 17 players. With a number 8, the players can be introduced to
the idea of having a back row player to provide, for the first time, a link between the forwards
and backs.
Rugby 15s
In the traditional form of the game, players are introduced to the full game of Rugby, the core of
the sport. Now they can enjoy all the intricacies of the game and try out different positions in the
team. Depending on factors such as age and experience, a player may play in several positions
before they settle in one that suits best, and coaches should be prepared to allow this.
Hopefully, other clubs nearby will be able to offer fixtures and the steps outlined below offer
advice about how to arrange a league.
World Rugby Laws for Rugby 15's