Rugby - an Insane Sport

Melissa Rose Locquiao

Mark Andre Longpre

Basketball

Tuesday, 23 October 2018

An insane sport

Rugby players are monsters. People who watch this sport would know what I’m talking about. The players so big that sometimes I ask myself if they’re human or not. It’s a sport where you can touch a person and it’s legal. This essay will explore the origin of rugby and everything else that there is to know about this crazy but amazing sport.

Rugby has been created in the United Kingdom to be more specific in England. Back in the day, in 1823, the game of rugby had been created during a game of football. The face of the game (football) changed to the one which is recognisable to day. A local historian described this historic event as follows: “with a fine disregard for the rules of the game as played in his time, William Webb Ellis first took the ball in his arms and ran with it, thus originating the distinctive feature of the Rugby game.” The rules and the fame of the game spread quickly as the Rugby School boys moved onwards and upwards, first to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The first university match was played in 1872.

Rugby isn’t a sport for weaklings. No offense but it’s the truth. This sport is very dangerous and physical. Rugby is played by two teams of 15 players. The objective of the game is to use the ball to score more points then the opposing team. You are aloud to run with the ball, kick it and pass it, but passing forward is not permitted (only backward passes). Since it’s a sport where contact is legal, you can tackle any opponent to get the ball. There are several ways to score points: a try which gives you 5 points for touching the ball down in your opponents goal area, a conversion which awards you 2 points for a successful kick through the goalposts after a try and a goal kick which gives you 3 points for a penalty kick or a drop goal through the posts. If both teams score the same amount of points or no points are scored, the match is a draw. In some cases, extra time is played to decide who wins. In the field, there are three referees, accompanied by two touch judges (one on each side of the field). A game of rugby union has two periods of 40 minutes each. In international matches, the referee will stop the clock for stoppages. Between the two halves, there is a maximum of 10 minutes interval, after both teams change ends. The referee's whistle indicates the start and finish of the half. Extra time will only be played if it's a knockout competition. Before the start of the match, the referee tosses a coin to decide which team will kick off the match. The captain of the team that wins the toss gets to decide which end he wants to attack first or whether his side or the opposition will kick off. The game is started by a place kick or a drop kick from the middle of the halfway line. Rugby union is played with an oval-shaped ball. All balls must be between 28cm and 30cm in length (approximately 11-13 inches). Rugby doesn’t demand too much equipment. Players need to use rugby shirts (jersey), cleats (shoes with spikes) and rugby shorts (thick cotton). Most players prefer to use a mouthguard and some wear a scrum cap (used by some forwards to protect their ears), thin shoulder pads and shin guards. The pitch (field) is mostly made of grass but other surfaces that aren’t hard are permitted.