By Nik Schnebly

You’ve probably heard horror stories from some distant relative on the massive players and grotesque injuries that are apart of the game of Rugby, but do you have any actual knowledge of the game?

If you don’t then you’ve come to the right place as I will now explain the sport of Rugby.

Rugby is a fast-paced game where, even though the game is more violent and the players don’t wear extra padding (apart from a mouth guard and maybe a special hat that protects the ears called a scrum cap), there are less injuries (like concussions) than football.

There are three types of rugby, 15s where the are 15 players per side and 7s with seven players per side and 10s with ten players per side with 15s, and 7s being the two most popular.

Penalties occur in many ways, picking up a person and slamming them down, passing forward,  knocking the ball forward, and being offsides. When a penalty occurs, two things can happen, depending on the type of penalty. The team receiving the call can receive a free kick, which they can kick to the other team or out of bounds to gain field position, or they can elect to scrum which is where eight of the big guys on the team called forwards come together to push each other for the ball.

When the ball goes out of bounds the teams line up across from each other and lift a teammate in the air to catch the ball being thrown back into bounds much like a tip off in basketball.

The only way the ball can be passed is in reverse, and some of the fanciest passes are made by the smaller and faster players called the backs. If a player is tackled play does not stop, but one or two players will do what is called a ruck, where those players attempt to push the opposing teams off of the ball to keep or gain possession.

To score, a player needs to reach the try zone, like an end zone in football, and has to place the ball on the ground scoring five points. This is called a try and after the try the kicker will attempt an extra point potentially scoring two points from where the player placed the ball.

And now for a shameless plug, if you enjoyed this article make sure to check out my other piece on the Rugby World Cup. If this has intrigued you and made you thirsty for the unbridled action of Rugby football come play for the Wheat Ridge Warriors, no experience necessary, just a love for competition!