The Backs

The backs are numbered nine through fifteen and they tend to be smaller, quicker, and more agile than the brute force forwards.  The first position is scrum half.  He is the captain of the team and leads the team with calls.  The fly half is after him and he leads the backs telling them which side to be on.  The next players are the centers, inside and outside, and they are great runners and passers.  The wings are behind all of them and they are generally the ones who score trys.  The final position is the full back.  He positions himself behind everybody else and watches the play kind of like a safety. 

Forwards

The forwards in rugby are the biggest in the game and generally have the most brute force.  There are eight of them and they are numbered one through eight.  The props are number one and number three, and they are the main support in the scrum along with the locks.  The hooker is in the middle of the front row and he is number two.  Locked onto the legs of the props are the flankers.  They are big guys who are good at tackling.  The final man is the eightman who is in the very back of the pack.  He is basically a hybrid player who is good at a lot of things. 

The Ball

The rugby ball is made of leather or other similar synthetic material that is easy to grip and does not have laces. Rugby balls are made in varying sizes (3, 4 or 5) for both youth and adult players. Like footballs, rugby balls are oval in shape, however are rounder and less pointed than footballs to minimize the erratic bounces we see in football.  If the ball bounced like a football, it would make it very hard for the players to keep ahold of the ball, it would also make it very hard for a player to drop kick the ball.   

The Scrum

The scrum is used to restart the rugby play.  When a scrum is started, that means a penalty has happened and the play has stopped.  The scrum consists of eight players, usually the most stocky of the team, or the forwards.  The scrum consists of two props, two locks, two flankers, an eight man, and a hooker.  In a match, the ref starts the scrum and the players collide together at the shoulders.  The scrum half puts the ball into the middle of the players while the hooker is trying to grab the ball with his feet and send it to the back.  Here is a picture of a scrum after the ball has already been taken out of the back. 

Rucking

A ruck happens after a tackle and it is where the supporting players from both teams (one from each team) converge over the ball on the ground, binding with each other and attempt to push the opposing players backwards off of the ball.  Once your team pushes the other off of the ball, your scrum half can grab the ball and either set up a play or toss it out to the backs.  When he throws the ball out, the man with the ball runs down field until he gets tackled, the man rolls away, and the rucking starts all over again. 

Tackling

When tackling in rugby, the player making the tackle should be low with his shoulder leading into the tackle.  Unlike a football tackle where your head is across the body, your head needs to be behind the body you are tackling, otherwise the person will throw their knees and potentially knock you out from the impact to your head.  When you tackle, you need to take the man down to the ground all the way otherwise it is an unsafe hit and potentially a yellow card.  After you take the man to the ground, you need to roll away from the tackle so your team can set up a ruck.    

General description of the game rugby

 

Rugby is a generally fast paced game with a lot of running. It is a game with a running clock and constant movement other than the occasional stops for penalties, try, conversion, or a penalty kick. Every single person on the rugby field should be able to run, tackle, kick, throw, and catch.  Rugby consists of two different kinds of players; the forwards and the backs.  All of these players should be fairly big and should have the mentality to play through injury.  Rugby is a very rough game and you need to be able to block out pain in order to do it. 

My Rugby team

i am only seventeen, so i play for the fort collins youth team.  we are a fairly good team and we work hard to win our matches.  the head coaches name is mike but we call him sober because he quit drinking a few years ago.  the assistant coach is mitch.  our team manager is mr. chevrelato. his nickname is chevy because he thinks chevy is the number one truck company. (which i disagree with) 

Touch

Today I went out with my team and played a great game we call touch.  it is identical to regular rugby you just play two hand touch instead of tackle. 

Rugby World cup

The world cup is over unfortunately.  New Zealand played france and ended up putting the hurt on them.  i watched it on tv with my family from new zealand and we were all very happy the all blacks came out on top.

Winner

Surprise, Surprise! Austrailia won the game 67 to 5.  The USA still remains seated at number seventeen and Austrailia is ranked number 3.  Today, the USA played Italy and lost that one 27 to 10.  The next big game I am looking forward to is South Africa against Samoa.  South Africa is obviously favored in this game being ranked number two, Samoa is ranked number ten.  I am hoping Samoa plays fairly well and somehow beats South Africa. 

Upcoming Matches

Today USA plays Austrailia and in my opinion Austrailia is going to win.  The USA is ranked no. 17 this week after their win against Russia.  Austrailia is now ranked no. 3 after a drop in place because of the loss against Ireland.  I believe that because Austrailia lost last week they will have a bigger desire to win than the USA, who beat Russia.   

Rugby World Cup 2011

The rugby world cup is a big one this year.  New Zealand is the best by far in my opinion and should win it all.  The teams that are currently leading the series are; New Zealand, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, and South Africa.  At this point, New Zealand has 124 points for them and 17 points against.  They are the leading team in the amount of tries scored for them, they are tied with France on amount of points, and they are tied with France and Samoa for the most bonus points.  Here is a video of the New Zealand Haka.