Rugby 101: These guys don’t need pads
Rugby isn’t just football minus the pads.
Many USU students have caught a few rugby games in the past on late night sports channels and it’s entertaining.
All of the players look just like the tough, fearless kid in your neighborhood growing up. The sport’s positions and terms like “loosehead prop,” “scrum,” “blindside flanker,” “sin-bin,” “ruck” and “hooker,” all contribute to the game’s uniqueness and fan appeal.
The non-stop, relentless action appears confusing to most without a basic understanding of the game’s rules and objective.
USU has both men’s and women’s rugby clubs, and before viewing their upcoming spring games, here’s a little “Rugby 101.”
The Basics:
Rugby actually has its roots in soccer. Two teams, comprised of 15 players each, (seven in some circumstances) try to run, pass, kick and battle their way into the opposition’s “in-goal” area. The field is similar in dimension to a football field (about 100 yards long, 70 wide).
The ball is not identical to but resembles a football. A “try,” worth five points is scored by “grounding,” or touching the ball to the ground in the in-goal. A conversion goal, similar to a PAT in football, may be dropped or place kicked for two additional points. Players also score by drop-kicking the ball during play through goal posts (three points) or by penalty kicks.
In their attempt to move the ball up field, players may pass the ball laterally and those without the ball must remain behind it or an “offsides” penalty is called. The ball may also be kicked forward.
One key to rugby is that there are no offensive or defensive teams. All players must play both ways and the constant action takes its toll. The nonstop rumble lasts 80 minutes.
In strict play, the only way to substitute is a “blood-sub” (where a player sustains a cut and exits the field until bleeding is stopped) and for severe injuries.
Rugby players may w3ear a combination of shin, shoulder and head protection, but each piece’s thickness is not to exceed “1 cm when uncompressed,” according to Rugbyrugby.com.
All of that interpreted, basically means: “no pads” for these soldiers.
Despite the “no pads” issue, rugby has relatively few injuries.
Jolynn Jones, USU women’s rugby club assistant coach explained that the game’s rules of tackling and contact are designed to protect players from injury. Tackles must be made with the hands clasped around the player and contact must be made below the shoulders.
Both of USU’s rugby clubs are comprised of about 28 Aggies each, and begin their spring season on Saturday, Feb. 7.
Rain, snow, or inversions don’t keep the teams from playing.
“No other sport gets my adrenaline going like rugby,” said men’s rugby club president Lance Hansen, who has been a club member since 1998. “You have to think a lot faster, be a lot smarter and be in better shape than you do in football.”
Whether spectators fully understand the game or not, rugby is an intense game that can be fun to watch.
The USU games are free and the battles last more than an hour.
-zgriffith@cc.usu.edu