How many players are on the rugby team. The meaning of the word "rugby

Rugby is a tough team sport that originated late 19th century England. This is a game of two teams with a ball in the form of a "melon".

The goal of each group of athletes is to throw the ball over the crossbar on the opponent's goal, that is, to score a goal in order to earn a point. The team that gets the most points.

How many types of rugby are there?

The classic game over time spawned many kinds rugby. Among them:

  • Beach. The game is played on the sand. Compared to the classic game, the size of the field and the number of players are smaller here. Beach rugby has simplified scoring.

Photo 1. Beach rugby, participants play on the sand on a small court.

  • Underwater. This type belongs to the discipline underwater sports. Competitions are held underwater in a special pool. Participants from each team are equipped with snorkels, fins and masks. Their goal is to drive the ball with negative buoyancy into the opponents' basket located on the bottom.
  • Tag. This is one of the easiest kind that children play. The rules of such a match reduce the risk of injury. In particular, kicking the ball is prohibited. As additional equipment, a belt with two Velcro tags is used. To unfasten one of them means to make a grab like in big rugby.

Photo 2. Rugby tag, teams of children participate, it has lightweight rules, so the risk of injury is minimal.

  • Rugby 7. This view was created in Scotland in 1883, when a proposal was made to reduce the number of from 15 to 7, and the time of the whole match up to 15 minutes (two halves of 7 minutes and a break of 2 minutes).
  • Rugby 10. These matches are played 10 people from each side. It was born about 20 years back in southeast Asia. Sports veterans also play this sport.
  • Rugby-13. Its other name is rugby league. It originated in the north of England in 1895. This game is played two teams of 13 people.
  • Rugby-15. This is already a classic look.

About underwater and classic rugby players

Both in the classical and in the underwater, only two teams for one match. Before the match, a toss is held to determine which team will put the ball in play first.

Each group in classic rugby consists of out of 15 people and in the underwater out of 12.

At the same time, in the classic form of the game 8 people on the field from the composition- attackers and the rest 7- defenders.

Reference! Forwards play by numbers 1 to 8, and the defenders 9 to 15.

What roles do the numbers play?


Number of spares

The official international rules determine the number of players who sit on the bench. Their no more than 7. In matches of a lower level, the maximum number of substitutes is negotiated separately. There may be more in this case.

Important! Rugby substitutions are only made after the referee has been advised and during a stoppage of play. If a player has been ejected from a match on the basis of a referee's decision for an infraction, he replacement is not required.

15th player on the team

Game participant at number 15 is the closing link of the team. He always sticks to the position that is 15 meters behind the back line sites. His main skill is kicking the ball.

Useful video

A video where you can watch beach rugby and find out how many players are on each team.

Rugby is a ball game played on the field. between two teams in order to bring the projectile into the opponent's end zone or hit his goal.

The team with the most points wins.

Unlike American football, where the projectile is also allowed to be carried in the hands, rugby is a more technical sport in which there are beautiful maneuvers.

Here the role is played not only by the physical strength of the athletes, as in American football, but also skill, agility and speed players.

History of occurrence

In 1845 the first attempt to formulate a set of rugby rules took place, which was unsuccessful. The final form of the game has found only in 1871, when was it created rugby union and there were competitions between England and Scotland, which went down in history as the first rugby international match with official rules.

Who came up with when and where

The competition called rugby was born in England.

This is a flagrant violation of the rules, which went down in history and became the impetus for the creation of a new sport where the ball was allowed to be picked up by hands and carried across the field.

The competition got its name from the name of the city where the same memorable Soccer gamethe city of Rugby in Yorkshire.

Interesting! In Yorkshire, there is a memorial plaque on the wall of one of the colleges, which reads: “Let this plaque recall the glorious deed of William Webb Ellis, the first who dared to break the rules, grabbed the ball with his hands and ran with it. So the game of rugby was born. in 1823."

Rugby in English

The English version is a classic competition in which teams take part 15 people each: 8 attackers and 7 defenders.

Each athlete has specific functions and tasks on the site, which he does.

The projectile is put into play with a kick. For throws and hitting the opponent's goal, teams receive points. The team with the highest score wins more points by the end of the last half.

The match consists of two periods 40 minutes each with a break between halves 5-10 min. After a short break, the teams change gates.

Important! In the event of a dispute with points, additional time is assigned - 2 halves of 10 min.

Details about varieties

There are different types of rugby: beach, underwater, touch, tag.

Beach

The beach competition was born in 1999 when the Italian rugby team decided to practice not on grass, but on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Since 1999 Both men's and women's teams take part in these bright and spectacular competitions.

Unlike the classics, beach competitions the gate is rarely used. The field is sandy, small in size. Its parameters are regulated directly during the organization of competitions. Participating in the match from 4 to 7 people.

underwater

Underwater competition appeared in 1961 in Germany thanks to a handful of bored scuba divers. They came up with an entertainment for themselves: to play with the ball under water in the pool. Each team has 6 people. Target - shoot a projectile into the opponent's basket installed at the bottom of the pool.

Photo 1. Two teams in flippers under water, at the bottom of the pool there is a basket into which they are trying to throw the ball.

Interesting! As a full-fledged sport, underwater competitions have been recognized in 1978.

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Touch

This kind of classic rugby, like a touch, originated in Australia on July 13, 1968

The first official touch competitions took place in 1968

Teams taking part in the match 6-7 field players. This competition is less traumatic than the classic due to the fact that the grips of opponents are replaced by touches.

Touch is a limited-contact match, so it can be played by people of any age and gender.

Tag

This is a kind of "lightweight" rugby, in which teams participate for 6 people. The competition is also specially adapted for children. The equipment of each athlete complements the belt with two Velcro tags. Unfastening one of the Velcro is equivalent to a grip. And also here it is categorically not allowed to hit the projectile with the foot.

Rugby 7, 10, 15

Rugby 7- a game in which teams take part seven people.

The Scots are considered to be its founders. Ned Haig and David Sanderson from the city of Melrose. The rules are similar rugby 15(classic).

Rugby 10- a competition in which teams take part 10 athletes each.

Rugby 15- a game where teams participate 15 athletes in each.

How are they different from each other

All these types differ among themselves in the number of players displayed on the field, the duration of the tournament, the size of the site. For example, rugby 7 is called "daughter" classic game. The match in this competition consists of two halves 7 minutes with one break. Field and projectile dimensions are standard for both games.

What is Russian and women's rugby

In Russia, a competition called "Russian rugby" takes place on rolled snow fields. The rules are identical rugby 15. In Russia, there are both women's and men's teams. The first women's teams appeared in 1989 and in 1991 the national team from the USSR took part in the first World Cup in this discipline among women.

In 2004 was created in Russia the first and only women's rugby committee of the Russian Federation. Women's teams are represented in Russia rugby 7 and 15. The competition rules are the same as for the men's teams.

Photo 2. Two women from different teams, one of them has the ball, the opponent is trying to take it away.

Mobile game with fitball

This warm-up game, which takes place using a special projectile called "fitball". It's a big bouncy ball that can hold the weight up to 300 kilograms and is mainly used in the classroom physiotherapy exercises, for gymnastics, on group training V gyms.

Mobile exercises on a fitball are intended, as a rule, for children or for warm-up training. When working with children, such training is aimed at fostering teamwork, allowing them to develop a sense of rhythm and group interaction skills.

What the game looks like: photo

Photo 3. Teams play beach rugby on a spacious area with sand, there are gates on two lines.

Photo 4. Women's teams play rugby, two attacking participants take the ball from the opponent.

Photo 5. Two teams of children are playing lightweight tag rugby, a projectile in the hands of one of the athletes.

Useful video

A video report from which you can learn some Interesting Facts about rugby.

An important plus is accessibility for everyone

Initially, rugby may seem purely men's sports because of its rigidity. But the game is so popular that there are varieties of it, accessible to both women and children of any age, even very young ones. This discipline develops not only strength and agility, but also teaches you to work in a team and interact with each other.

The essence of the game

Team in blue (Western Force) in attack

The game is played on a rectangular grass field measuring 100×70 m, the short sides of which are adjoined by rectangular scoring zones 10 to 22 m wide. The maximum size of the playing field is therefore 144×70 m, and the area is 1.008 ha. The duration of the game is two halves of 40 minutes of "pure" time (the referee stops the stopwatch while providing medical assistance to the players, during meetings with the side referees and the referee's work on video replays). After the expiration of 40 minutes, the game does not stop, but continues until the ball becomes "dead" (goes out or is played with a forward hand).

Players pass each other an oval ball, trying to bring it as close to the end zone as possible. If an attacking player brings the ball into the end zone and touches the ground with it, his team scores 5 points ( attempt, or skid; English try) and the right to an additional blow ( implementation; English conversion), which must be made from any point on an imaginary line parallel to the sideline drawn through the place where the attempt was made. Points can also be earned by kicking the ball into the goal from a free kick or from a specially executed kick during the game ( drop goal; English drop goal).

The ball can be thrown to a player of his team ( pass), but only back or parallel to the end line. The ball can also be kicked forward, but it can be caught by the striker himself, or by the player of his team who was behind the striker at the moment of impact.

Rules

Team structure

forwards

1. Forward of the first line of the open side (left pillar).
2. Player (hooker).
3. Forward of the first line of the closed side (right pillar).
4, 5. Forwards of the second line (castles).
6. Closed flanker.
7. Open flanker.
8. Contracting (figure eight).

Defenders

9. Halfback scrum (nine).
10. Wandering midfielder (ten).
11. Left winged three-quarter.
12. Inside center.
13. Outside center.
14. Right three-quarter.
15. Fullback (closing).

Player positions

Positions of players in a rugby team

It is also interesting that in rugby forwards are powerful, but not very fast players, responsible for the power game, including defense, and pressure to move forward. For fast breaks, three-quarters are usually responsible (in English backs).

Glasses

Points in rugby can be scored as follows:

  • Attempt(5 points) - a player of the attacking team puts the ball into scoring area located between the goal line (including this line itself) and the dead ball line, and, holding it with his hand, touches the ground with it, or presses the ball to the ground with any part of the arm or body from the waist to the neck inclusive.
  • Penalty try(5 points) - assigned if the player could have made a try, but this did not happen due to rough play on the part of the opponent. A penalty try is awarded to the center of the goal.
  • Implementation(2 points) - Any player on the team that made the try (usually the player with the best kick) places the ball at any point opposite where the try was made and kicks the goal. If he hits (that is, the ball flies over the crossbar and between the vertical poles, even if it is higher than them), the try is considered realized. Players of the other team must be in their own end zone.
  • Free kick(3 points) - for some violations of the rules (see below), the referee awards a penalty. If the team entitled to do so decides to kick it, the ball is placed on the spot where the infringement occurred and one of the players kicks at the goal.
  • Drop goal(3 points) - any player, when the ball is in play, has the right to kick at the goal. To do this, he must drop the ball and, when it touches the ground, hit it (kicks on goal from the hands prohibited). In principle, such blows (eng. drop kicks) can also be used for conversions and penalties, but usually they are not used in these cases.

Game progress

Main competitions

Rugby World Cup

As part of this tournament, the following are also played: Bledisloe Cup (eng. Bledisloe Cup) (between New Zealand and Australia), Liberty Cup (between New Zealand and South Africa), Nelson Mandela Challenge Cup (between Australia and South Africa), Puma Cup (eng. Puma Trophy) (between Australia and Argentina). In 2009, New Zealand won the Bledisloe Cup for the seventh consecutive time.

European Nations Cup

Main article: European Nations Cup

European teams of the second tier compete for the European Cup of Nations. The teams participating in this competition organized by the European Rugby Association (FIRA-AER) are divided into several divisions. The cup itself is played in the first division, where competitions are held for two seasons. In the 2011 edition, teams from Romania, Georgia, Portugal, Spain, Russia and Ukraine play in the first division.

Other varieties of rugby

Rugby should not be confused with rugby leagues (or rugby 13s) - a game derived from rugby, which is today an independent version of football (just like rugby and American football are different). A variant of rugby is rugby sevens under the rules of rugby union, with minor amendments. Rugby 15s and Rugby 7s are governed by the International Rugby Board (IRB). Rugby 10 is another variation of rugby. There are also non-contact varieties of rugby - touch rugby and tag rugby - which are used for teaching children under 12 years old, as well as as a sport for the whole family.

see also

  • beach rugby
  • Tag rugby

Notes

Links

Rugby is sport game. This sport contributes to the development of endurance, strengthening the cardiovascular system, weight loss.

Historical development

Rugby is a game whose ancestor is considered to be folk ball games. The history of its origin goes far into the past. Then folk games divided into two main types. The first type is characterized by a game action that took place on the field, limited by the side and front lines. The players had to drive the ball with their feet over the line. The game is similar to regular football.

The second type of game consisted in actions on the field without restrictions. The bottom line was that the rugby ball or an object that replaces it must be brought into the territory of the enemy as soon as possible. The ball was in the hands, and the carrying person was attacked by people from the other team in order to take this item away. There were no rules, and the number of players could change. The British were very fond of such games, held them at all holidays, on the street and in the fields. Gradually, the ball game became a favorite form of entertainment. The game got its name thanks to the English city of Rugby. It is worth noting that in addition to men's rugby, there is also women's rugby.

Rules of the game

Two teams can participate in a rugby match, each of which has 15 field players, and there are 7 more people on the bench. The two halves of the playing field have specific zones:

Score zone. Each participant in the game has his own part of the field, at the intersection of which a point is awarded. The scoring area is located behind the front.

Play zone. This section covers the entire match.

Rugby is a game in which the goal is to get the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Also, points are awarded for hitting the ball into the goal, but only if it hits the crossbar.

Two halves are played, each 40 minutes. Rugby is a game that has its own distinguishing feature- Playing time is taken into account without pauses and stops. After a 15-minute break, the teams change their positions.

The victory in the match is awarded to the team with the most points, which are awarded for the following:

  1. Attempts for which 5 points are awarded. In this case, the player carrying the ball must enter the end zone of the opposing team.
  2. For a penalty try when a player was unable to complete the game due to gross interference from an opponent. 5 points are awarded for this.
  3. For implementation. Two extra points awarded for successful implementation.
  4. 3 points can be awarded for free kicks. Often, referees fix serious violations and assign additional shots to the opponent's goal.
  5. A rugby team receives 3 points for a drop goal. A rugby ball is kicked into the goal, but with the condition that it hits the ground, and the kick is taken after the rebound.

Rugby: ball

Rugby is an exciting game that is loved by the Americans and the British. In this sport, teams show their strength, coherence of actions and strategy.

The main attribute is the rugby ball. This is a four-lobed object of an elongated or oval shape. Its length can reach 30 cm. There are smaller balls that are used exclusively in competitions among children.

Outwardly, the ball looks like an ellipse. On initial stage development of the game, balls were made of genuine leather and special materials (rubber, rubber). But gradually it became clear that these materials are not suitable, for example, the skin absorbs moisture, and the ball becomes too heavy.

Rugby balls are divided into several levels of the game due to their purpose: directly for a professional match, for an amateur game or training. In addition, team logos or other images may appear on this gaming product. A quality rugby ball is half the battle.

playing field

The game takes place on a rectangular field, the dimensions of which are 100 meters long and 70 meters wide. Herbal cover. The playing field is marked with several parallel lines, which serve as a division for zones. The most important of these is the line with a distance of 22 meters and the central mark.

Rugby goals look like the letters "H", include two vertical posts, which are located at a distance of 6 meters from each other.

Attack rules

The main feature of the game is that teams cannot "play forward". This means that it is forbidden to directly pass the ball to players from their own team located between them and the scoring zone of the opposing team. That is, any transfer of the ball to the opponent's goal means a violation of the rules of the game.

But there are some nuances, because a forward pass does not always indicate a violation of the rules.

Play ahead does not count if:

  • the movement of the ball to the goal of the opponents occurred at the moment of hitting this object or blocking by the opposing team;
  • if the ball hit the ground and, as a result of the rebound, hit the opponents' goal.

In addition, violations of the rules include the situation when the ball was lost with a forward rebound, there was a punch or an object bounced directly from the hand.

There are several options for moving the ball towards the scoring zone of the opponents. For example, a player can independently pass a pass to himself, for this it is enough to hit the ball with his feet. The same ball can be taken by a teammate if he was right behind the back of the passing player. But the most important thing is to get to the end zone with the ball in your hands and move forward. Therefore, rugby is a sport for the resilient physical plane of people.

Refereeing

The refereeing of a rugby match is carried out by the main referee with two assistants. At professional matches broadcast on television, there is a video referee who can communicate with the game referee via radio.

Just like in football, in rugby matches, the referee awards red and yellow cards for certain violations. A yellow card means a temporary removal of a player, and a red one means a complete one.

As mentioned above, its name this species sport received thanks to the English town of Rugby. In this town in 1823, a football match was held, in which William Ellis took the ball in his hands and ran to the opponents' goal, which is considered a violation.

Rugby is a very dangerous game. Murray Halberg (New Zealand player) was once injured while playing.

Men's and women's rugby does not tolerate weak-minded people, so the players do not experience fear and excitement before the game.

33 years ago, the first Women's Rugby Union was created. The beautiful half of humanity even got the right to speak at Olympic Games in this sport in 1991. It is also worth noting that rugby first appeared at the Olympics in 1900. Now the game is seriously addicted to more than 5 million people around the world.

If you are tired of e-sports, gentle football players who miss the goal from five meters have got you, hockey is not the same anymore, and throwing dwarfs is somehow unpopular in our country, then we advise you to pay attention to rugby. This is really a sport for real men!

What it is?

Rugby, and more precisely, its most popular variety, rugby union, is a team sport with a ball. Like football, but not football at all. Firstly, the ball here is oval in shape, secondly, it is played, including with hands, and thirdly, here you can grab and push your opponents.

The goal of the game is simple - passing the ball to each other with your hands and feet, you need to bring it into the opponent's end zone or score it into a high H-shaped goal. In this case, you need to prevent the enemy from doing the same, and then victory is in your pocket.

Rugby originates from ball games popular in the past in England. From the same place, where, however, and football. Each village had its own rules, but almost everywhere the game with hands was welcomed, and if your fellow villagers did not mind, then it was quite possible to push, making your way to the opponent's goal. When the ball game was firmly established in every educational institution in the UK, it became necessary to outline the rules common to all: when teams from different schools met on the field, they were used to playing in their own way, no game worked - it turned out to be discord, quarrel and fight.

In one of the English towns, which was called (yes, you guessed it) Rugby, the rules of the local school forbade running with the ball in your hands to the opponent's goal. According to a widespread legend, in 1823, at one of the matches, the hooligan student William Webb Ellis broke the rules, grabbed the ball with his hands, ran across the entire field and brought it into the opponent's goal. The kids all loved it more people wanted to play that way, and in 1870 the Rugby School introduced their own rules for football, which they called "rugby".

Separately, it is worth talking about why the rugby ball has an oval shape. It is very convenient for holding the ball in your hands, but makes it completely unpredictable after bouncing off the ground. Before the advent of vulcanized rubber, all balls were made from bladder pigs wrapped in leather and, of course, differed in size from each other, until in 1892 the standard sizes and shape of the ball were prescribed in the rules. Rugby ball is synonymous with the word "Gilbert" - the most popular company for their manufacture, founded in 1823 by William Gilbert, the owner of a shoe store located directly opposite the school in Rugby. It was he who first drew attention to the increasingly popular sport and launched mass production of rugby balls.

How to play it?

Rugby union is played by two teams of 15 people (8 attackers and 7 defenders) on a field measuring 100 by 70 meters for two halves of 40 minutes. At the edges of the field there are H-shaped gates, where the ball is scored with the feet, behind them there is a scoring area, where you need to bring the ball with your hands.

The game begins with a kick on the ball from the center of the field, after which all the players of the attacking team rush forward. Each player can run with the ball and break through the opponent's defense, or pass to a teammate. At the same time, passes are allowed only back and sideways, passing the ball to a player of his team who is closer to the opponent's end zone is prohibited. This rule does not apply to kicking the ball. In the case of an unintentional forward play, a “scrum” is assigned, in the case of an intentional play, a free kick.

Scrum

From each team, eight players participate in the “battle”, who line up in three lines and wrap around each other, and then close up with rivals and try to push them through. A kind of tunnel is created between the teams, into which the midfielder throws the ball so that the players of both teams can hook it with their foot and move it back to bring it into play from behind the foot of the last player in the “scrum”.

The scrum is over if the ball has left it or if it has turned 90°.
The ball carrier can be attacked by an opponent from the side, from behind or from the front. Grabs with arms above shoulder level and grips of the opponent in the air are prohibited and are punishable by free kicks. Play on the ground is prohibited: if the player with the ball falls to the ground, he must release it as soon as possible towards his goal. If several players begin to fight for the ball on the ground at once, a “ruck” (ruck) is formed above them.

"Ruck"

Teammates form a defense over a fallen comrade and the ball, preventing opponents from reaching the ball until it is put back into play. The task of the players in the "ruck" is to pass the opponent's rugby players and return the ball to the game. The player can enter the fight in the "ruck" only from behind - from the side of his own goal, if this rule is violated - a free kick is awarded.

You can also move the ball across the field towards the opponent's end zone with the help of a maul. In this case, the players (one of them with the ball) grapple with each other and start moving towards the opponent's score, and the opponent tries to prevent them from doing this by building an oncoming "pier". This is a very entertaining element of the game. If your team is physically superior to the enemy, then in this way you can completely move up to the opponent's record.

Mol ("Maul")

If the ball goes out of bounds (the player with the ball stepped over the sideline with any part of his body or the ball flew there on his own), a “corridor” (line-out) draw is assigned.

The attackers of each team line up opposite each other in a row. The ball is thrown into the “corridor” from the side line in the middle between the rows of players and both teams of opponents are fighting for it. As a rule, forwards lift the tallest players by the hips so that they will be the first to grab the ball in the air.

There are four ways to earn points in rugby

Try (Try)
The player brings the ball into the opponent's end zone and touches it to the ground while holding the ball in his hands. For a successful "attempt" the team receives 5 points.

Implementation
The team that makes a successful attempt is entitled to a kick on goal. It is performed from a point opposite the place where the try was scored, a few meters from the end line. The player kicks the ball, trying to put it over the crossbar and between the bars of the H-shaped goal. An accurate hit will bring his team another 2 points. Thus, a team in one attack can score 7 points.

Penalty
For some violations of the rules, a free kick is awarded to the goal. It breaks through from the point of violation according to the same rules as "implementation". A goal from a free kick will bring the team 3 points.

Free kick (Drop goal)
At any time during the match, the player with the ball may shoot free kick. He throws the ball on the ground in front of him ( required condition) and kicks him, trying to hit the goal. A successful rebound kick will earn the team 3 points.

Team spirit

Rugby brings together very different, but mostly pleasant people, in whom it brings up a real spirit of gentlemanship and friendship. It is a mistake to assume that rugby is played by huge, one hundred and twenty-kilogram, two-meter tall ones. Rugby has a place for everyone. Each position in rugby is unique and requires players with physical parameters. First line forwards are the heaviest ("pillars"), second line forwards are the tallest ("castles"), and third line forwards must combine physical strength, endurance and decent speed. Midfielders are shorter and lighter than forwards, strength and size are not the determining factors here. Defenders are the fastest and often the lightest players on the team; they must catch up and intercept the enemy on their territory.

But one thing is invariable - they are all members of the same team and fight shoulder to shoulder with the same opponent. Strength of mind, perseverance and mutual respect - these are the qualities that are necessary for playing rugby. Height, age and weight matter much less. Rugby is also played by really beautiful representatives of the fair sex, to whom all these qualities are no less inherent.

Rugby is the second most popular sport in the world after football. Rugby is played in over 120 countries.

Rugby is very popular in Great Britain and its former dominions: New Zealand, Australia, South Africa. But in last years is gaining momentum in the countries of the Old World and even in such states as Georgia and Japan.

Rugby union is not yet part of the Olympic program, but a more dynamic version of rugby 7 (7 players per team) will be presented at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. The main obstacle for rugby union on the way to the Olympic family is the seven-day break between games, regulated by the provisions of the International Rugby Federation, because of which a full-fledged rugby tournament cannot be included in the 16-day program of the Olympic Games.

Rugby is often unfairly considered a very traumatic sport, in fact it is not. The lack of protective equipment in rugby is perceived by many as an additional risk factor, but on the contrary, it indicates its safety. For rugby players, only a mouthguard is required to protect the teeth. They can also use thin helmets and elastic joint protection. Rugby players get injuries of mild and moderate severity no more often than football players, basketball players or athletes.

There is absolutely no simulation in rugby, it is simply unthinkable.

In rugby, it is forbidden to argue or even just talk with the referee. At a signal from the referee, the huge men turn around and do what he tells them to do.

The New Zealand All Blacks are the most successful rugby team in the world. Throughout its history, it has won 74% of matches. In a small island country, rugby is the real national sport. Almost like a religion. Also, New Zealand rugby players are famous for the fact that before the start of the game they dance a frightening haka dance.

The most prestigious competition in the world of rugby is the World Championship, which has been held since 1987. This tournament is played every four years, the winner of the championship is awarded the Webb Ellis Cup.

The Rugby Union World Cup takes place every four years. This time in the UK. All matches group stage already finished - ahead of the playoffs. The World Cup matches are broadcast in Russia by the Peretz TV channel and on some online sites: