What is it? By Marcus Calhoun

History The origin of rugby is reputed to be an incident during a game of English school football at Rugby School in 1823 when William Webb-Ellis is said to have picked up the ball and ran with it during a game of soccer (football). The full name is Ruby Union. Governed by the International Ruby Board Became a professional game in 1995

Rules A regulation game consists of 15 players per team. For a P.E. class 7 players is sufficient. Up to seven replacements (for injury) or substitutions are allowed. Ball must be passed either backwards or sideways. Forward passing (throwing the ball ahead to another player) is not allowed. The ball tends to be moved forward in three ways—by kicking, by a player running with it, or within a scrum or a ruck.

Rules continued Games are divided into 40-minute halves, with a break in the middle. The sides exchange ends of the field after the half-time break. Stoppages for injury or to allow the referee to take disciplinary action. There are no timeouts. A score is known as a try and is scored when the ball is placed on the ground behind the try line. Players can only support and assist teammates from behind. ( Blocking is not allowed) Players may not kick the ball in tag ruby. Must pass the ball within 3 seconds and 3 strides of having their tag pulled.

Equipment The most basic items of equipment for a game of rugby are the ball itself, a rugby shirt (also known as a "jersey"), shorts, socks, and boots, which have soles with studs to allow grip on the turf of the pitch. The studs may be either metal or plastic but must not have any sharp edges or ridges. Mouth guard Protective head gear (chest pads for females) Non-rigid shoulder pads Shin guards

Skills Maintaining possession of the ball Advancing the ball Creating and using space to penetrate and score Running with the ball Passing Drawing a defender Scoring a try Running forward in possession Looping moves

Skills Continued Scissors move Dummy moves Free pass Tap back Line-out 3 player scrum Out-of- bounds restarts In-field restarts

Resources www. encyclapedia.com Teaching Team Sport Concepts and Skills: A tactical games Approach