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!