In this game of rugby, there are four main types that are played today in most countries in the whole world. The four types are Union, League, Sevens, and touch rugby.
Rugby Union:
Rugby union is a ball sport. Two teams of 15 players play against each other. The ball used is oval in shape. The field is a rectangle shape. It is 100 meters long and 70 meters wide. At the ends of the field are two H-shaped goal-posts.
The game is played for 80 minutes in two 40-minute halves. There is a 10-minute break at half-time.
Rugby League:
Rugby League is a ball sport. Two teams of thirteen players play against each other. The ball used is oval in shape. The field is a rectangle shape. It is 100 meters long and 70 meters wide. It is played for 80 minutes (40 minutes aside).
A try is scored when a player scores or touches the ball down in the in-goal area. A try is worth 4 points and if it’s converted (the goal kicker kicks the ball in between the top of the goal post), the team gets an extra 2 points. Another method of scoring points is through drop goals which are worth 1 point, or penalty goals which are worth 2 points. The countries that play it the most are Australia, Ireland, England, Fiji, France, Great Britain, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Russia, Samoa, Scotland, Lebanon, Tonga and Wales. Rugby league is an active sport played by 13 people
Rugby Sevens:
Rugby sevens is the shortened version of rugby union in which only seven players per side feature, instead of the full fifteen. The version of rugby union is very popular, with notable competitions including the IRB Sevens World Series and the Sevens. It is also played at events such as the Commonwealth Games and rugby league has also adopted the sevens format.
Rugby sevens was invented in Melrose, a small town in Scotland.
It is played under the same rules and on a field of the same dimensions as the 15-player game but a rugby sevens match lasts approximately 15 minutes (7 minutes aside with 1 minute half-time break) but the finals last somewhat more than 20 minutes; each half in a final is ten minutes instead of the normal seven minutes and the point system is similar to rugby union where a Try gets a team 5 points and conversion 2 points with 3 points for penalties and Drop-goals (drop-goals are very uncommon in sevens). Points scoring occur with much greater regularity in sevens compared to fifteens, since there are more spaces for players to run. Scrums still exist within sevens, composed of just three players from each team. Given the speedy nature of the game, players are usually either from the backline or the trio of loose forwards in fifteens rugby.
Touch Rugby:
Refers to games derived from rugby football in which players do not tackle in the traditional, highly physical way, but instead touch their opponents using their hands on any part of the body, clothing, or the ball.
A formal, competitive variety, known as Touch, developed from rugby league and now exists as a sport in its own right. In addition, touch rugby games are played as training activities for rugby league and rugby union; as safer variants of rugby, particularly in schools and junior clubs, and as an informal social sport.
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