rugby

Everyday

Rugby is a team game played with an oval ball, which players can kick, carry and pass backwards; they score by putting the ball down over the other team's line. tree →

In the lessons

In PE and sport, rugby is very popular in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and France. A try (touching the ball down over the try line) scores points; a conversion kick or penalty kick over the posts scores more. You may only pass the ball backwards. There are two main kinds: rugby union (15 players) and rugby league (13 players). New Zealand's team is the All Blacks, who perform the haka. Rugby got its name from Rugby School in England. Children often start with tag or touch rugby, without tackles. Phrases: «play rugby», «rugby ball», «rugby match», «touch rugby», «rugby union», «rugby league».

Examples

• We play rugby at school in winter. tree →
• A rugby ball is oval, not round. tree →
• In rugby you can only pass the ball backwards. tree →
• The All Blacks are New Zealand's rugby team. tree →
• She scored a try in the rugby match. tree →
• Younger children play tag rugby without tackling. tree →
• Rugby players wear mouthguards. tree →
• Ireland beat England at rugby. tree →

Note

Uncountable: «play rugby», not «play a rugby». In the USA, American football is a different game, though it grew from rugby. A «try» in rugby is a score, not an attempt. Points: a try is worth 5 in rugby union and 4 in rugby league; a conversion is 2.