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Rugby Facts & Worksheets

Rugby is a football game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players (in rugby union play) or 13 players (in rugby league play).

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Rugby is a football game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players (in rugby union play) or 13 players (in rugby league play).

See the fact file below for more information on the rugby or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Rugby worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

HISTORY OF RUGBY GAME

  • Rugby is said to have originated in 1823 at Rugby School in Warwickshire, England. It was credited to William Webb Ellis.
  • With growing popularity, schools and clubs came up with standard rules implemented in 1863 and in 1871 Rugby Football Union (RFU) was officially formed.
  • That same year, the first international match was played between England and Scotland with the latter taking the win.
  • In 1900, rugby union was introduced to the Summer Olympics by Pierre de Coubertin. France, Germany and Great Britain participated but France won the gold.
  • In the 1908 Summer Olympics, rugby drew the largest crowd in London, with Australia winning, by defeating Great Britain.
  • This time, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa had formed teams and sent them on international trips to play against the Northern Hemisphere nations.
  • It was absent in 1912 then re-emerged in 1924 only to be dropped in 1924, despite drawing the biggest crowds.
  • The first Rugby World Cup was in 1987. The semi-finals was held in Australia and finals was in New Zealand where the All Blacks defeated the powerhouse team of France.
  • Rugby World Cup then produced series of winners in the following years:

  • Rugby football was first introduced to New Zealand in 1870 by Charles John Monro and it has shown the people’s interest in the game by winning the most of World Cups.

IMPORTANT RUGBY RULES

  • Each rugby team consists 15 players (Rugby Union). The team is split into two groups known as forwards and backs. There are 8 forwards (positions include Hooker, Prop, Second Row, Flanker and Number Eight) and 7 backs (positions include Scrum Half, Fly Half, Inside Centre, Outside Centre, Wingers and a Full Back).
  • Studded boots can be worn along with gum shields, head guards, shoulder pads and shin pads. Each team must wear the same coloured jerseys with matching shorts and socks.
  • The game is broken down into two 40 minute halves with a 10 minute rest period in between.
  • Each team starts with 15 players and up to 7 substitutes.
  • The game must have one referee and two touch judges.
  • The game will stop if a player is fouled, the ball goes out of play or a try or drop goal is scored.
  • The defending team must tackle a player by grabbing a hold and pulling them to the floor.
  • Once the ball goes into touch, a line out is called. Up to 7 players can enter a line out and any of these players can be lifted in order to catch the ball being thrown in.
  • A successful conversion, penalty or kick at goal only occurs when the player manages to kick the ball through the top section of the goal posts. If a player is unsuccessful the ball is still in play until it crosses one of the playing fields boundaries.
  • Attacking players must remain behind the ball while active or run the risk of being called offside. Players not interfering with play can be in front of ball but must get back behind the ball before then again interfering with play.
  • To win the game one team must score more points than the opponent within 80 minutes.

SCORING FOR THE TEAM

  • Points can be scored by one of four ways:
    • TRY – 5 points is scored when a player grounds the ball by applying downward pressure on it on the goal line, in the ‘in-goal’ area, or touching the ball at the base of the goalposts. 5 points are awarded.
    • CONVERSION – free kick awarded to a team after a try, to earn 2 bonus points. A scoring kick has to pass between the upper posts and top bar on the goal.
    • PENALTY KICK – A 3-point kick awarded to a team when the opposing team causes an infringement.
    • DROP GOAL – Another 3-point goal happens when a player kicks the ball from hand through the opposition’s goal posts, above the crossbar.

POPULAR CULTURE

  • Several movies have been made with rugby playing a role: “Alive” (1993) which tells the story of the Uruguayan rugby team, “Forever Strong” (2008) and “Invictus” (2009) was based on the true story of South Africa’s win over New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

Rugby Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the rugby across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Rugby worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the rugby which is a football game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players (in rugby union play) or 13 players (in rugby league play).

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Rugby Facts
  • League or Union?
  • 15-man Team
  • Rugby Timeline
  • Rugby Terms
  • The Rugby Player
  • Rugby Legends
  • The NZ Blacks
  • New Team
  • Team Player
  • Team Sports

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Link will appear as Rugby Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 29, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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