Touch touch touch... RUGBY

Here is the most commonly played version of rugby that Curtin University students like to play. 

Touch Rugby.

The photo "Touch Rugby" (Firestone, 2012)

It can be considered safe and is a unisex game with the perks of fun with unrestricted age limit. It’s a non-contact rugby meaning tackles are not allowed in this game. The rules can be difficult or easy to understand depending on situation.

Here is a brief explanation of this game

The will be 6 players in a team. (Females are allowed to play with the males) IRB rules.

The pitch size is rectangular 70 meters by 50 meters

Players cannot tackle in the game they are only allowed to touch the players.

The photo "Only touch, and then back five meters" (theRFL)

Ruck is only made when the player is touched by the defending players. The ruck cannot be contested by the defending player. They have to go back 5 meters from the ruck if not they are offside. Ruck in done by rolling the ball between their legs.

The photo "Roll Ball" (ITRA, 2011)

The points of scoring in this game is simple a try is scored they are awarded with 1 point.

The attacking team are allowed 6 touches before the defending team are awarded with the ball.

This game is more preferable to people who wish to play rugby but cannot play a tackling game. So touch rugby is the most suitable.

For more info on the rules click here. 

 Note: Some places may have different set of rules so if you’re interested go check on this rule book for Touch Rugby Australia.


Cheers

Reference

Firestone, H. (2012). Touch Rugby[image]. Retrieved from http://www.ftlauderdaletouchrugby.com/about_us.html

Irish Tag Rugby Association. (2011) Roll Ball[image]. Retrieved from http://www.tagrugby.ie/Basic-Rules-of-Tag-Rugby.html

My contribution to the Rugby World

I consider myself to be very active in the Rugby scene in Miri community. I believe that with my passion for the game and my basic knowledge of it, i should engage better and take part in the sport. However due to time constraints on my part, i was unable to attend training but i contribute what i can to the Union. There is a tournament coming up this Saturday hosted by my pride and joy, Miri Division Rugby Union, which is the Hornbill Closed 7's Tournament. The specialty of this tournament that sets it apart from other 7's tournament is that this year, we did some modification to the rules and law of the game, allowing women to take part and be in the team, playing against men. This is in conjunction with United Nations Malaysia's campaign of gender equality and also the Miri May Festival. As a Public Relations student, i was assigned to provide the press with information regarding this event and so i did. I sent out a media release containing all the information that is needed for them to publish the news. Two out of three newspapers that i approached actually published the news. 

The news article published in The Star Newspaper dated 17th May 2012.

The news article published in The Borneo Post can be read here.

I am very excited for the upcoming tournament and everyone is invited to come. 

Cheers.

We are the Champion my friend..

I had a splendid time last year watching the prestigious Rugby World Cup with my fellow ruggers. Rugby is now the third most watched sports in the world. RWC is a quadrennial tournament (once every 4 years) where 20 nations battle it out to reach the title of World Champions. The latest Rugby World Cup was in 2011 and the host for the tournament was New Zealand.

The photo "RWC 2011" (Duncan, 2011)

  

The host was the tournament favorite to win the tournament and indeed, New Zealand won the tournament beating France 8 – 7 in the finals.

The photo "All Black, RWC 2011 Champion" (Squidoo, 2011)

Please take the time to play the video on the side, and you will know who is the next Rugby World Cup host in the year 2015. I'm so excited! 

Other tournaments which is quite famous is the 6 nations and Rugby Championship, which is held annually.

6 Nations

The photo "RBS 6 Nations" (RBS6nations, 2009)

This tournament is between 6 Nations:

1. England 
2. France
3. Scotland
4. Ireland
5. Italy
6. Wales

For more info click here.

The Rugby Championship, formerly known as the Tri Nations Rugby

Rugby Championship 2012

1. South Africa Springboks
2. New Zealand All Blacks
3. Australia Wallabies
4. Argentina Jaguars

Year 2011 was the last year for the Tri-Nations tournament because a new player is coming in for this year. 2012 marks the year Argentina makes its debut in The Rugby Championship. The championship commence on the 18th of August. Be sure to watch this anticipated tournament. For more info please click here.

Reference

Duncan. (2011). RWC2011[image]. Retrieved from http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2011/blackberry-rugby-world-cup/ 

Squidoo. (2011). All Blacks, RWC2011 Champions[image]. Retrieved from http://www.squidoo.com/rugbyplayerhunk 

RBS6nations. (2009). RBS 6 Nations[image]. Retrieved from http://www.rbs6nations.com/images/news/defaultnewsimagechamp.jpg 

Malaysians, something to be proud of. Furiously Fast, Rugby in 10's

Like before, i'll start with the history of the tournament and i am so proud to say that 10's aside rugby, originated in Malaysia!

Ten a side rugby tournament was first introduced and held in Malaysia in the year 1967. The founders were the Combined Old Boys’s Rugby Association (or in short COBRA) members. The idea of the game was “Create a format of play that is fast and open but still retains much of the character of the 15’s version” (COBRA, 2012)

The photo "Combined Old Boys 's Rugby Association" (COBRA, 2012)

The rules for a 10’s match are the same with 7's aside match where conversion kicks must be a dropped kick. And also during extra time the first team to score a try is declared a winner and the game ends.

The photo "Cobra 10's" (COBRA, 2012)

The difference of 10’s and 7’s is the number of players in the pitch for each team.

Forwards – Consist of 5 players (2 Props, Hooker and 2 Locks)

Backs – (Scrum – Half, Fly – Half, Inside Center, Outside Center, Winger)

Duration of the match is maximum 20 minutes per match with 2 halves.

 The pitch dimension is the same as the 15's aside rugby pitch.

For more extra rules please click here. 

Cheers.

Reference


COBRA. (2012) History of the 10s. Retrieved from http://www.cobrarugby.com/10s/index.php?mid=3220

COBRA. (2012) Combined Old Boys's Rugby Association[image]. Retrieved from http://www.mru.org.my 

COBRA. (2012) Cobra 10's[image]. Retrieved from http://www.cobrarugby.com/10s/index.php?mid=3228&p=photos&id=206 

Want a game to run? Try Rugby 7's

Now that we know the basic rules of rugby. Playing a 15's aside game requires knowledge of tactical play but when it comes to a game that combines not only tactical but mostly speed, 10's aside or 7's aside is your game. I don't have the stamina or even breath to run a whole minute. So i'd skip this game for myself but you should give it a try. Lets go back to where it all began.

The photo "IRB Sevens" (RugbyBahamas, nd)

It started in the 19th Century in the mighty country of Scotland and the surprising part was, the idea of playing 7's aside rugby came from a Scottish butcher and his apprentice. Where in Scotland exactly? 

Ned Haig, the apprentice suggested a rugby tournament as part of the sports day event to raise funds for the club. At first they thought of doing a 20 aside match but the committee decided it was hard to work with. I mean, seriously, cramping up 40 men on the pitch seems so crowded. So as a solution to that problem, they decided to reduce the number of players in the pitch. This idea came from David Sanderson and thus on April 28th, 1883 the inauguration 7 aside rugby tournament was held (Heymann, 2009). Each match played two halves with maximum 15 minutes per game. So basically it's played with seven minutes a half with one minute break in between. The first team to win this tournament was the host themselves. After that the 7 aside tournament continue to grow throughout the rugby world. 

This type of rugby game focuses more on the running part in. So their skills in avoiding tackles and sidesteps are very important for a 10’s and 7’s game.

Basically the rules of the games are the same as 15’s, just that when a team manage to score, the conversion must be a dropped kick rather than the usual kicking tee.

The photo "Kicking Tee" (SportsWarehouse, 2012)

In a tournament if the match ended as a draw for a elimination match, extra time will commence in which the team who scores the first try will be the winner and the game ends. I normally heard the term "sudden-death" used in this context when my coaches officiates a tournament.

Position wise for 7’s

3 Forwards in the field, 2 Props and one Hooker.

Backs only provide Scrum – half, Fly – Half (Stand – Off), Inside Center, Outside Center, and one Winger.

The pitch dimension is still the same as a 15’s Game. So the team must have a different gameplay for a 7's aside game.

To have more understanding on the rules of this game please click on the link below

http://www.irblaws.com/downloads/EN/IRB_Laws_2012_EN.pdf , page 168 onwards.

Cheers

Reference

RugbyBahamas. IRB Sevens [image]. Retrieved from http://www.rugbybahamas.com/images/IRB_Sevens_01.jpg

Heymann, R. (2009) The Origins of Rugby Sevens: Ned's Legacy. Retrieved from http://ur7s.com/news/63 

SportsWarehouse. (2010) Kicking Tee [image]. Retrieved from http://www.sportswarehouse.co.uk/products/Gilbert-Adjustable-Kicking-Tee.html 

Indulge in 15's aside!

This is what i can contribute from my knowledge of rugby, analyzing games and reading the Law book. Yes i know it sounds weird that i would spend my time more on reading the Rugby Law book rather than scholarly journals for my academic purposes. But i guess it all come down to passion and interests once again. The meaning of Rugby 15’s is when a team is allowed to play with 15 players maximum on the field and 7 substitutes. More commonly pronounced as 15 aside. So there will be a total of 30 players on the field. The gameplay spreads down into a lot of phases. A lot of physical contact in which injuries is expected from the game. If a newbie watches a rugby match for the first time, they will totally be taken aback due to the physical  charges and tackles done during the game. But when they finally understood the rules of the game, it becomes more clear that this game is a gentleman’s game. 

Lets explain the time for a 15 a side rugby match; 

Its 2 halves per match with 40 minutes each. So total is 80 minutes with 10 minutes half-time break. 

The positions for this game are simple which is divided by two types; 

Forwards and Backs. 

Forwards are the players who are involved in a scrum when the referee gives a Scrum to a team. 

The photo "Scrum Lineout" (Pitchero, 2012)

Based on the picture the players in front is the Prop’s (Left and Right side) and the Hooker in the middle of the front row. Their job is to hook the ball behind when the scrum-half (No. 9) puts in the ball into the scrum. The 4 players behind the first row are the Second Row and Flankers at the sides. Number 8 is the one who controls the scrum and also aware of the ball's direction inside the scrum. 

Backs on the other hand will play a passing game and try to go through the opponents defense. The players playing backs uses more to footwork and fast-paced play. 

During the play, if the player gets tackled, the teammates will try to perform a ruck. The scrum-half or any player close to the ruck will continue to pass the ball to another player before the opponents try to disturbed the ruck. 

If a ball goes out of play, the team either do a lineout or a quick throw. Depending on the situation. 

The gameplay have their rules and t understand better is to go to this rule book from International Rugby Board (IRB). 

The Rugby World Cup tournament is a 15’s a side game. So this game is more favorable to people who loves watching and playing rugby considering it’s a physical game. 

Cheers 

Reference

Pitchero. 2012. Scrum Lineout [image] retrieved from http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/greatepier/a/wat-is-rugby-19152.html?page=6

What you need to know before we begin

Before I start explaining the rules and regulation of a Rugby game, let me tell you the basics of rugby:

This game consists of 2 teams in a field (Number of players can be 7, 10 or 15 per team depending on the type of tournament).

The dimension of the field is :

The photo "rugby field dimensions diagram" (SportsKnowHow.com, 2011)

To start the game, one of the team will perform a “drop kick” at the center line of the field to their opponents. The players will carry, pass, kick or do grounding to enter the in-goal of their opponent’s side. The defending players will try to prevent their opponent players from going in to their in-goal.

Note : In-goal is an area where the attacking player can score

The photo "England vs France tackle" (WhatIsRugby, 2008)

An example how the defending players can tackle their opponents but it must follow the regulation of the IRB Law.

Two ways to successfully score in this game is by:

The Photo "Israel Dagg scored a try" (Reuters, 2011)

·      Try – the attacking player must ground the ball in the in goal area. (5 points)

The photo "Rugby Conversion Kick" (MensHealthUK, 2011)

·      Penalty Try – Only given when the player who could have scored but was fouled by the defending player. The referee will award the attacking team a penalty try. (5 points)

Types of Goals:

·      Conversion Goal – The team who successfully scored a try will be allowed to kick the ball between the goal posts. It can be a place kick or a drop kick. (2 points)

·      Penalty Goal – This is when the attacking player scores between the goal posts from a penalty kick. (3 points)

·      Dropped Goal – The attacking player scores a dropped goal from a drop kick during general play. ( 3 points)

Now I will explain the position of players in the field. It can be divided by 2 parts, FORWARDS and BACKS

The photo "Rugby Position" (BBC Sport, 2012)

Forwards (8 players):

·      Prop (No. 1 & 3)

·      Hooker (No. 2)

·      Locks (No. 4 & 5)

·      Flanker ( No. 6 & 7)

·      No. 8 (No. 8)

Backs (7 players):

·      Scrum – half (No. 9)

·      Fly – Half (No. 10) -- Note: This position may also be called Standoff in different parts of the world.

·      Centre (No. 12 & 13)

·      Wing ( No. 11 & 14)

·      Fullback ( No. 15)

The following are few types of technique’s forms used by the players as winning strategies in the game:

The photo "Beaudet and Derek Handrahan show off the kind of textbook rucking" (Hanstein, 2009)

The photo "Rugby Scrum" (MRFU)

The photo "Mauling" (IRB Laws, 2012)

The photo "Rugby Line Out Technichal" (Rucking Ball)

For me to explain everything is going to be extra long. So if you are interested about the law you can check it out here. 

Cheers.

 References

SportsKnowHow.com. 2011. Rugby field dimensions diagram [image] retrieved from http://www.sportsknowhow.com/rugby/dimensions/rugby-field-dimensions.html 

WhatIsRugby. 2008. England vs France tackle [image] retrieved from http://www.whatisrugby.com/2008/02/25/despite-loss-to-england-french-showcase-the-players-and-style-of-rugby%E2%80%99s-future/

Reuters. 2011. Israel Dagg scores a try [image] retrieved from http://ca.ibtimes.com/articles/232862/20111018/canada-s-ander-monro-russia-s-denis-simplikevich-romania-s-stefan-eugen-ciuntu-scotland-s-simon-dani.htm#page5 

MensHealthUK. 2011. Rugby Coversion Kick [image] retrieved from http://www.menshealth.co.uk/cm/menshealthuk/images/KX/rugby-conversion-skill-sets-14112011.jpg

BBC Sport. 2012. Rugby Positions [image] retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipment/6332057.stm 

Hanstein, Bobbie. 2009. Beaudet and Derek Handrahan show off the kind of textbook rucking [image] retrieved from http://www.dailybulldog.com/db/sports/mens-rugby-umf-49-st-anselm-22/  

MRFU. Rugby Scrum [image] retrieved from http://www.mrfu.mn/userfiles/images/rugby/rugbyscrum.jpg 

IRB Laws. 2012. Mauling [image] retrieved from http://www.irblaws.com/EN/laws/4/17/157/during-the-match/maul/offside-at-the-maul/ 

Rucking Ball. Rugby Technical Lineout [image] retrieved from http://www.ruckingball.com/tag/rugby-lineout-technical/

Step into the world of Rugby!

First and foremost, a preface of what the blog posts to come will contribute is the knowledge that you might already know about Rugby football game or otherwise some new facts that you have yet to discover. This blog is meant for study purposes thus any material to be found in this blog breaching any copyright content is totally unintentional. 

Question : How did i get involved in Rugby? 

Answer

Well, it was always an impression given by people that Rugby is a very rough game and that bones will be broken by the end of the game. I had no intention of getting into the game up until i got involve with a particular circle of friends, who happen to be very enthusiastic with Rugby (eat, live, fight, sleep for rugby kind of situation). It was pretty intense. Thus since year 2006, i have been around the Ruggers a lot, and they somehow sucked me into the world of Rugby. 

Did you know? 

The term Rugby came from a name of a leading co-educational boarding school situated in Rugby, Warwickshire, United Kingdom, named Rugby School.

The Legendary Tale of Rugby

It was said that Willam Webb Ellis, a pupil from Rugby School had breached the rules of football in one of the matches whereby he took the ball in his hands and ran for the post. Although the rules of football was then rather complicated because there are times that you can hold the ball in hand but it then need to be released immediately, the act pulled by W. W. Ellis had the crowed going. Therefore the game Rugby was born in year 1823 (Trueman, 2007). 

Or so told by many.

There has been numerous debates be as it on a personal level, state, country, union, even internationally, people have been debating on the origins of the Rugby game. Some say that Webb Ellis was demonstrating the legendary "Caid" game played by the Irish or the "Harpastum" back in the Roman Empire era or to bring it all back to the Ancient Greek it was a favorite pastime namely "Episkyros"(Bath, 1997). 

To educate people of where the origin of the game was from is arguable as there are so many versions of the legendary story. There is no way that i could clarify this fact other than inventing a time machine and have an interview with Matthew Bloxham, the sole source of the William Webb Ellis myth (Shortell, 2004). Thus the origins of Rugby could not be authenticated. 

RWC

The International Rugby Board however took into account of the Webb Ellis tale and honored him with the "Webb Ellis Cup" used for the Rugby World Cup tournament. 

Nowadays, Rugby has grown into an internationally credited game recognized by countries around the world, hence the Rugby World Cup. 

I hope you find my findings useful and educational. 

Cheers.

Reference

Trueman, N. (2007). Origins of Rugby. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from Rugby Football History: http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/originsofrugby.htm 

Bath, R. (1997). The Origins of Rugby (a legend deflated). In The Ultimate Encyclopaedia of Rugby. Carlton Books.

Shortell, P. (2004, July 29). Bloxam. Retrieved April 1, 2012, from The William Webb Ellis Myth: http://www.pshortell.demon.co.uk/rugby/ch1.htm