For Samurai Ben, who makes Orange body armour look very sensual.
Rugby Rules
The team
Rugby teams are made up of 15 players. There are eight forwards - usually bigger and stronger players - whose job is to win possession of the ball. The other seven are called backs - often smaller, faster and more agile - and they are in charge of advancing the ball. All players get involved in offense and defense.
The pitch
The field, which is called a “pitch,” is 110 yards long, 75 yards wide with 25-yard end zones called “in-goals” at either end. There are also H-shaped goalposts at both ends planted on the line where the in-goal meets the pitch.
The action
Rugby is continuous play, with two 40-minute halves and a five-minute halftime. There are no time-outs except for serious injuries. Injury time is then added on to the end of each half.
Each match begins with a kickoff and a receiving team moving the ball downfield. The leather oval-shaped ball is advanced by players who run with it and/or kick it.
Forward passes are illegal.
Players may not block opponents who are not in possession of the ball unless you are Australian then it is deemed legal.
All tackles must be made below the shoulders
After the ball carrier is tackled, he/she must release the ball immediately, hopefully in the direction of a teammate. After the ball is released it is “alive” and any player who is onsides may pick it up. Being “onsides” means a player is behind the ball.
When players from both teams are fighting for the ball on the ground, it is called a “ruck.”
If a ball carrier is held up, but not tackled to the ground, and players from both teams are in contact with the carrier, it is called a “maul.”
Once a ruck or maul is formed, players not fully bound to the ruck or maul must remain behind the last person’s foot in the ruck or maul. Otherwise, they are considered offside. Good teams are able to make this adjustment quickly
If the ball is thrown or knocked forward after a tackle, this infraction is called a “knock on” and the referee will call for a “scrum.” This means the eight forwards from each team bind shoulder-to-shoulder in a specific formation over the ball, forming what becomes a 16-person face-off. A player from the team that did not commit the forward ball infraction then rolls the ball in the tunnel beneath both teams. The ball is then “hooked” backwards by players in the scrum - they are not allowed to use their hands during this maneuver. The same offside rule applies - all non-participating players must stay on their team’s side of the scrum behind the rear-most player’s foot.
When the ball emerges from the scrum, open play resumes. Quite often the team that did not commit the infraction is able to gain control of the ball during a scrum.
If the ball goes out of bounds, or “in touch,” play is restarted with each group of forwards forming parallel lines at the place where the ball went out. A player from the team who didn’t send the ball out of bounds throws the ball down the middle of the two lines of forwards. This is called a “lineout.” Each team attempts to jump for the ball and can be lifted and held in the air by teammates.
Scoring
Continually moving the ball through backward passing, running and kicking, a team can score “a try” by carrying the ball over the goal line and touching it down. This is worth five points. After the try is scored, the team has the opportunity to kick a conversion through the goal posts for two additional points.
If a penalty is called and a team is within kicking range of the goal posts, the ball can be kicked through the uprights from the spot of the penalty for three points. It can be a place kick or drop kick. This is called “going for post.”
Ball carriers can also perform a drop-kick through the opponent’s goal posts at any time. This is called a “drop goal” and is also worth three points.
After scoring, the team that just scored then receives the ensuing kick-off from mid-field.
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