Rugby is not one of the most popular in post-Soviet countries, although it is a very vibrant and spectacular sport. But he has a huge number of fans around the world. This activity is for strong, hardy and courageous athletes. Each match is a real event where emotions go wild. Spectators witness an exciting show.
Rugby History
The homeland of rugby, like football, is England. 1823 is considered the year of this sport. The creator of rugby is Webb Ellis. It was he who named the cup, which these days is awarded to world champions. The name of the game was due to the city of Rugby in England, where they came up with this sport. At first, there were no clear rules of the game. Only in 1871 did the Rugby Football Union appear, whose task was to approve the rules. And a little later, the first official match was organized. Between themselves played England and Scotland. Twenty years later, the International Rugby Union was founded. Today, about a hundred countries are its members, for example, Australia, Georgia, New Zealand, France. Rugby was considered an amateur sport for a long time, that is, athletes could not earn money. Only in 1995, rugby became professional.
In 2016, after almost 100 years of absence, this sport returns to the Olympic program. At the Olympic Games in Rio, the strongest teams in the world will fight. In 2015, the last rugby world championship was held. New Zealand won.
Rules of the game
In rugby, the game is divided into two halves, which last 40 minutes. Each team consists of 15 players. Players are distributed by position. Opponents have eight scrum players, in other words, forwards. Their main functions are the fight for the ball, they play combinations, they are responsible for creating situations favorable for passing the ball. The team has a scrum midfielder. This is the player who controls the scrum game. The key player is number 10 - the midfielder who distributes the ball. One of its main functions is the need to mislead rivals. This is the dispatcher and the brain of the team. Behind him are four defense players. They must create a screen. Behind all players is the closing.
There are several ways to earn points:
1) Five points can be earned if you manage to deliver the ball to the goal line and land it there.
2) Two more points can be obtained immediately after the drift. The player draws an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the place where the ball landed. Then he hits on goal. Points are counted if the ball passes over the crossbar.
3) Three more points can be obtained in two ways: when implementing a free kick and as a result of a shot on goal when playing with a rebound.
A distinctive feature is that you can play with your foot in any direction, and you cannot pass the ball forward with your hands. You can only capture a player when the ball is with him.
The main stars of rugby. New Zealand
Perhaps the brightest team in this game is the New Zealand team. They are called All Blacks. You may not know anything about rugby, but this team is truly media. They often participate in advertising campaigns of famous sports brands.
This is a very original team that has its own style and its own chips. Very spectacular are their dances before the game. They are called Haka. This is a military dance, which even before the start of the game morally suppresses opponents. Such a dance popularizes rugby in the world. This team is a 3-time rugby world champion. New Zealand is the only team that has managed to do this three times. They are the favorites of any competition. Each team needs to strive for their level. This is a modern role model in this sport.
Rugby World Cup. New Zealand Winner 2015
Most recently, the last World Cup. The strongest teams of the world came to England to reveal the best team. The main favorites were South Africa, Australia, New Zealand.
Rugby in these countries is very popular. One of the most spectacular was the game New Zealand - Georgia. Rugby is developing very dynamically in both countries. It was a match in which there was a lot of struggle. Spectators enjoyed it, although the New Zealanders' advantage was overwhelming. But the Georgian team defended themselves very effectively. At the Rugby World Cup, New Zealand - Argentina also fought hard, but future champions again won. In the semifinals, favorites fought, South Africa against New Zealand and Argentina against Australia, the winners of these fights were New Zealand and Australia. These teams met in the final. The winners were the team of New Zealand. Quite unsuccessfully made France. This is a country that has a strong domestic championship. At the World Cup defeat ended the match New Zealand - France. Rugby in France is quite popular, so in the next championship you should expect that the team will add.
But the best team of our time is New Zealand. This is a team that popularizes sports. This is a team that will not make fans bored. She doesn’t just play, she creates a show that is truly mesmerizing.