Your Rugby Fact-a-Day

A few weeks ago, my coworker cornered me in the office kitchen and told me she'd seen Invictus, loved it, but realized she knew nothing about the sport of rugby. "So I've decided that from now on, you're going to tell me a fact a day until I understand the entire game!"

Of course I agreed. Below are the "facts" I've given her thus far - I'm going to try to record everything I tell her by updating the blog, both for the entertainment of others and to keep track of what I have and haven't shared yet. Hopefully by the end, I'll have a full rugby primer!


1) You cannot throw the ball forward
In rugby, the ball must be thrown backwards or laterally. Play can only move forward through running with the ball or kicking it.

2) A rugby field is called a "pitch"

3) There are fifteen players on the field

4) Each number identifies a position, rather than a player
One through fifteen are the starting players; sixteen through twenty-two are subs. If you play different positions in different games, you switch numbers. If you're watching an unfamiliar team, you can still tell who's playing what based on what number they're wearing.

5) Backs & Forwards
(This one requires pen, paper, and a drawing that looks something like this)
The numbers 1-8 on the pitch are called "forwards." They are the ones who do most of the tackling and close-in work. They are also the ones who scrum. Technically, those eight players are only half a scrum - the eight forwards from the other team form the other half. The numbers 9-15 are the "backs". These players are the ones who do most of the running around and passing. However, backs also tackle, and forwards also run around and pass.

6) Players 9 and 10
Nine is the scrumhalf and ten is the flyhalf. They are the closest things rugby has to quarterbacks. They are the ones who usually call plays and direct the pattern of play.

7) Points
- You receive five points for a "try" - this is like a touchdown, except you actually have to touch the ball down in the try zone. If you drop it, or if someone from the other team puts their body between the ball and the ground, it doesn't count.
- After a try, you have the option of kicking through the posts. If you get it, it's two points and called a "conversion" or "converting the try."
- You can also "kick for points" during open play, either just in the middle of stuff happening or after a penalty. If you succeed, it's three points.

8) Penalties
Penalties occur when there's some sort of infringement of the law. You must kick the ball, but you can try to kick for points, you can kick the ball further down the field to gain territory, or you can "kick" by bouncing the ball off your foot and then run a play.

9) There are no rules in rugby - there are laws
The difference? Rules are always the same, but laws are interpreted. They depend on who's doing the interpreting. In rugby, whatever the ref says, goes.

10) No backchatting the ref
The only person on your team that can talk to the ref is your captain - and she'd better be nice about it. If you yell or swear at the ref, you can get a penalty called against you. If you try to argue a penalty called against you, the ref can - and will! - give another 10 meters to the penalty. Don't make the ref mad!

Rugby in the news

I'm loving this post on the UBC team and women's rugby in Canada:

In women's rugby, community counts

Although rugby was played mostly by men for many decades, rugby is no longer just a “old boys” sport. Since the first documented match between English schoolgirls played in secret in 1913, rugby has been increasing in popularity and is now the largest growing sport for women in North America.

Rugby Training Video

Behold: a truly inspired and thoughtful video on the basics of rugby, put together by some deadly serious lady ruggers. Starts off a little slow, but stick with it and I promise you'll be laughing your ass off by the end.





I anticipate a Furies video response. Stay tuned.

In which I glee a bit over sevens

I am, like presumably everyone else in the rugby world, thrilled to hear that the IOC will be recommending rugby sevens for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic games. It's so exciting to see a version of my favorite sport gaining strength and getting increased public attention. And even though I am a fifteens girl through and through, it's clear to me that the sevens game is really the space where the opportunities are, especially in the women's game.

Rugby Canada's match report on the England/South Africa Nation's Cup game really highlighted the South Africa's sevens players as strengths of the team, stating that "South Africa Sevens’ athletes Gadu and Saloma impressed for the entire 80 minutes and were able to cleverly create chances out of seemingly dead end passages." I don't know much about South Africa's sevens program, but I have to imagine that Gadu and Saloma took advantage of what it offered, and took the strengths they gained from sevens back to their country's fifteens program.

The USA's sevens program, of course, I know a little more about - as do plenty of my well-meaning but rugby-ignorant friends and relatives who have asked me whether there are professional female rugby players, and consequently heard more than they probably wanted to know about the USA women's sevens' team, and their training camp prior to the World Cup in March (which I followed religiously via their blog).

I'm seeing a lot of momentum out there in the rugby world, not to mention the momentum a little closer to home - the Furies have been training all summer to get ready to play in the new Premiership league, which starts with our first match against Keystone next weekend. There's some big changes happening in the rugby world, and I'm excited to see what happens next.

Olympic sevens?

My rugby news alerts have pointed me to buckets of articles on the seven sports vying for inclusion in the 2016 Olympic Games - because, of course, one of those seven sports is rugby sevens.

This article is one of the best I have seen (and not just because it's titled "Rugby has best shot at Olympic glory"!). It clearly lays out all seven sports and the advantages and disadvantages each one has to being one of the two chosen for Olympic inclusion.

Here's what it says about rugby:

RUGBY

What: The International Rugby Board is proposing men's and women's tournaments of 12 teams in the faster, short-format, seven-a-side version.

Why it's out: It was dropped in 1924, but it's now hard to find a compelling reason why it wouldn't work as an Olympic sport.

Why it's in: The sevens game is fast, exciting and popular worldwide. The recent sevens World Cup drew 760 million viewers from 141 countries. The sport would attract new sponsors. The IRB has promised to drop its World Cup if it becomes an Olympic sport.

Chances: Excellent. Probably the odds-on favourite.

Go rugby!

BAKE-OFF

My last post was about the Furies/NOVA Beltway Battle Against Breast Cancer.

I've been informed through the grapevine (actually the listserve, which is the Grapevine of Rugby) that this battle will consist not only of the playing of rugby, but also of a bake-off.

The listserve "reply all" messages and g-chat status challenges are flying. My mouth is watering in regret at the fact that I will not be there this weekend and thus unable to sample any of the promised creations for myself. As I'm sure all of you know, rugby players are the most competitive type of people out there, and I would not venture a bet as to what kind of culinary stunts these women might pull in order to create the tastiest, most tempting, pinkest dessert all in the name of baking a better cake than everyone else (especially NOVA!) and WINNING!

I mean, in the name of fighting breast cancer. BOO, CANCER!

Beltway Battle Against Breast Cancer

My Google news alert pulled up this article on eRugbyNews on the Furies vs. Nova Beltway Battle Against Breast Cancer.

The game, not this Saturday but the next, May 9th, should be a great match - not just because it'll be a tough competition between two skilled rival teams, but also because I know everyone's put a TON of work into planning a fun and inspiring schedule to raise money for a great cause.

Sadly, I'm not going to be able to make it - two of my college friends are getting married (!!!) - but anyone who's in the area should definitely head down to check it out!