Rugby: Tackles, Tries, and How the Game Works

Rugby union is a full-contact team sport played between two teams of 15 players on a large grass field. The goal is to score more points than the other team by carrying, passing, or kicking an oval ball over the opponent's try line or through their posts. The oval shape of the ball is not just tradition — it makes the ball easier to tuck under your arm while running and gives it an unpredictable bounce, making the game more exciting and challenging. Rugby is played in over 120 countries and is one of the most popular sports in nations like New Zealand, South Africa, England, and France.

One of rugby's most important rules is that you can only pass the ball sideways or backward — never forward. This sounds strange at first, but it actually creates the whole strategy of the game. Teams must use angles, spacing, and teamwork to advance the ball. If you carry the ball and get tackled, a ruck forms — both teams bind together over the ball on the ground and compete to win possession by driving their legs and pushing the other team backward. The ball must be played out with feet, then a player called the scrum-half picks it up to restart play.

Scoring in rugby has four methods. A try (worth 5 points) is scored when a player grounds the ball over the opponent's try line by pressing it to the ground with downward pressure. After a try, the team gets a conversion kick (worth 2 points) — a place kick between the goal posts. A penalty kick (3 points) is awarded when the other team breaks a rule. A drop goal (3 points) happens when a player drops the ball and kicks it through the posts as it bounces. Understanding these options helps teams decide whether to kick for points or go for a try in tight moments.