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