7 Fundamental Rules that Every Beginner Rugby Player Needs to Know Before Stepping on the Pitch
Rugby originated in Britain in the 19th century, which is why numerous English expressions are associated with it such as scrum, and ruck. 15 players, from each team, set foot on the ground to have a battle against each other. The players fight to gain the possession of the oval-shaped ball and take it to the goalpost. Time and again, the scoring criteria has been updated and the team that manages to score more wins the game.
The first ever written rules of Rugby date back to the 1840s at a Rugby school in England. Although it was considered to be an amateur’s sport till 1995, Rugby gained momentum in the 1990s and the rugby players eventually gained their due recognition. A new era of Rugby began, and different countries of the world started embracing this thrilling sport.
Here is a list of 7 fundamental rules of Rugby that every beginner rugby player needs to know before stepping on the pitch, and if you’re looking for fun without too many rules to follow try out some online roulette while you’re at it!
1. Dress-Code of the players
Rugby players wear jerseys, shorts, studs and mouth-guard before entering into the match. Unlike players of American Football, Rugby players do not wear helmets or excessive padding on the shoulders.
2. Dimensions of Rugby pitch
The size of the Rugby Pitch is similar to that of the Football pitch. From the halfway line, the game begins or restarts. Then there is a 10 meters line, which has to be crossed by the ball during the kick-off or restart points. The 22-meter line is important in regards to the rules of drop-kick. Then comes the goal line, after which the ball is placed on the ground by a player to score.
The goal-post is present in the center of the goal line, also known as the try line. Marking the end of the pitch, the deal ball line is more than 10m away from the goal-post. Additionally, there are 5m and 15m vertical lines on the sides of the field to navigate players to stay in during the line-out.
3. Roles of Players on the field
Among the 15 players, 8 are forwards. Forming the scrum and line-out, the forwards do all the work that requires true strength. The 7 backs of the team have better speed and agility to move across the field. To link the forwards and back, the role of scrum half is filled by the player who has great vision. The last man takes on the position of full back.
4. Passing Rules
Rugby players move on the field with the ball in their hands. They are only allowed to pass backwards with an under-hand or an overhand throw. Forward pass is considered to be a foul.
5. Scoring Points
The best way to score in Rugby is by scoring a try, when the ball is placed on the ground after the goal line, resulting in 5-points. In addition, the team is given an opportunity to gain an extra 2 points by kicking the ball through the goal-post, giving them a total of 7 points.
In case of a successful penalty kick, 3-points are awarded. At any point in the game, when the player drops the ball and kicks it through the goal post, 3-points are further granted to the team.
6. Scrum
In case of a forward pass or dropped ball on the floor, the referee blows the whistle to gather both teams for the scrum. When the forwards of both teams set in a specific formation to form the scrum, a player throws the ball and both teams try to push each other to gain possession of the ball. The ball can not be picked by any player until it is out of the scrum.
7. Line-out
In case the ball is out of bounds or the player holding the ball touches the touch line, a lineout is called to restart the game. The players of both teams stand between the 5m and 15m lines and one of the players throws the ball. The tallest player may catch it to continue the game or tap it to the scrum half and let him make the play.
