Rugby today is a very popular game in over 100 countries. There are over 8 million registered rugby players worldwide and over more than 100 member nations. Whereas rugby is popular in many different rugby playing countries, a handful of countries where it is most popular include New Zealand, South Africa, and Wales. The team game is played with an oval ball that can be kicked, carried and passed from hand to hand. The score is awarded by landing the ball behind the opponent’s goal line ( so a try is scored) or by kicking it between two posts and over the crossbar of the opponent’s goal. The objective of the game is to gain more points than the other side. The way points are scored is by means of tries, conversion kicks, penalties and throws.
Quick facts about rugby
Following rugby history not only adds to the knowledge of the game, but also emphasizes the sport’s ability to adapt and evolve while maintaining its core values. Interesting facts about biggest rugby tournaments:
- If you wonder who invented rugby it was William Webb Ellis, a young schoolboy. Mentioning how long is a game of rugby lasts, it dates back to the 19th century;
- Rugby has been included in the Olympic Games program four times;
- The famous actor Russell Crowe, who has starred in movies like Gladiator, Mind Games, Knockdown, etc., is a big fan of rugby ball;
- The 2024 Under-20 rugby world cup is the 14th edition of rugby’s premier age-grade competition;
- England is the birthplace of rugby. But despite this, the England national team lost to Scotland in their first match;
- How rugby championship was founded in 1850. The oldest rugby club in the world is Dublin University Football Club, founded in 1850;
- By far the longest rugby match lasted 24 hours 30 minutes and 6 seconds. It took place in England, between the Mali Lions and the Congleton Bears.
What Are The Rugby Positions?
Rugby field positions are the main field to start its introduction with the game rules. If you are in search of how many players on a rugby team that look. No more than 15 players from each team may be on the rugby pitch at any one time. Each player is assigned a position and role on the pitch. As in soccer for example, these positions are divided into two main groups: forwards and defenders. The positions of the players at the start of the game are indicated by numbers on the back of their jerseys from 1 to 15. Positions are divided into two main categories; forwards (numbers 1 to 8) and defenders (numbers 9 to 15). There are eight back-up players who can take the place of a teammate on the pitch in international rugby live matches.
List of most famous rugby players
Along with the great execution of the game, the rugby leagues make the game so inspiring and filled with high hopes and expectations for sports betting fans. On bookmaker sites you can place bets both on the outcome of an event and on specific players. If you are interested in which players are considered the best famous rugby players, then you should take a look at the list below. Some of the best rugby players of all time are featured below:
- Richie McCaw;
- Dan Carter;
- Michael Jones;
- Brian O’Driscoll;
- David Campese;
- Jonah Lomu.