In 1823, during a soccer match at Rugby School in England, William Webb Ellis, showing a complete disregard for the rules, picked up the ball and ran with it. This innovation caught on and was played in England and several other countries. Modern Rugby is a game of speed and finesse allowing for a healthy amount of contact. Rugby can best be described to the layman as a cross between American Football and Soccer, but Rugby is much more than that. It is a game all its own.
Rugby is played by two teams of 15 players on a pitch (field) 100m (110 yds) long and 69m (75 yards) wide. Most teams at this level use a standard football or soccer field. The rugby ball is an oval ball, blunter than an American football made of rubber or other synthetic material. The object of the game is to score as many points as possible. Either by kicking the ball through the posts, scoring 3 points or by placing the ball on the ground with downward pressure in the opposition's try zone, scoring 5 points. After scoring a try, the scoring team attempts to kick the ball through the posts, scoring 2 points.
A rugger's uniform consists of a collared jersey, shorts, knee socks, and cleats. Players wear no pads except for mouthpieces and the occasional shinguard or scrumcap. Games consist of two 35 minute halves.
Rugby was played in the United States until 1905. It had a short lull after that because certain things like President Roosevelt and WWI got in the way. Rugby once again enjoyed a stint of popularity in the 1920's and USA won Olympic medals in 1920 and 1924. Rugby was then axed from the Olympics and international play from across the pond ceased. Because of the lack of a standard set of rules, American players introduced new concepts such as forward passing, blocking, and unbound scrimmage. That game evolved into American football. Americans at this time were in a movement to separate culturally from Great Britain and turned to their own sports like Football, Baseball, and later Basketball. This led to the demise of Rugby in the United States. Union Rugby was reintroduced into the United States and there has been a resurgence of Rugby since the 1970's. After playing the game, you'll understand why.
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