Rugby is a fast, rough team game that is played throughout the British Isles. The game split off from British football in the mid 19th century when the Football Association forbade players to handle the ball. There are two codes of Rugby football, Rugby Union and Rugby League , which have slightly different rules and scoring systems. In Rugby League each team has 13 players, compared with 15 in Rugby Union. Players sometimes change from one code to the other during their careers.
In Rugby teams try to win possession of a large oval-shaped ball and carry or kick it towards the opposing team’s goal line , the line at each end of the pitch where the H-shaped goalposts are. If the ball is touched down (= put down by hand) on the grass beyond the touchline a try (worth five points in Rugby Union, four points in Rugby League) is scored. A further two points are scored if the try is converted (= kicked between the goalposts, above the horizontal crossbar). Points can also be obtained from penalty goals scored as a result of free kicks , and from drop goals (= kicks at the goal during play). Players try to stop opponents carrying and passing the ball by tackling them. When a minor rule is broken players restart play by forming a scrum (= linking together in a group) or by taking a free kick.
Rugby Union, also called rugger , is the older of the two Rugby codes. It is said to have begun at Rugby School in 1823. Rugby Union is played mainly by men, though there are now some women’s teams. The most important national competitions include the county championship , the Pilkington Cup and the Schweppes Welsh Cup.
Rugby League broke away from Rugby Union in the 1890s. Rugby had become popular among adults in northern England and many could not afford to take time off work to play in matches without being paid. The Northern Union, later called the Rugby League , was formed in 1895 and soon had many full-time paid professional players. The most important competitions include the Challenge Cup and the League Championship. The two codes may reunite in the future, particularly since in 1995 the International Rugby Board allowed Rugby Union players to become paid professionals.
National Rugby Union teams from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland play against each other for the triple crown . The teams also play with France and Italy in the annual Six Nations’ Championship , and against Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and other countries. Major international grounds include Twickenham and Murrayfield .
Most Americans have little knowledge of Rugby and in the US it is mostly played by amateur players in colleges and universities. Rugby was first played in the US in 1874 at Harvard University , but after the development of American football in about 1880 it almost disappeared. It continued to be played in California , but it was not until 1975 that the USA Rugby Football Union was established in Denver . By 1998, 1 420 clubs were associated with the organization. Competitions include the Saint Patrick’s Day Tournament in El Paso, Texas, the Aspen Ruggerfest in Aspen , Colorado, and, for women, the Mardi Gras Tournament in New Orleans .