1. Styles of Rugby: Union and League
Modern rugby football, almost exclusively known as rugby, is divided into two main sets of rules for game play; rugby union and rugby league. Rugby union is the most common style used by American school and club teams and is followed in the Rugby World Cup and Five Nations Tournament. Rugby league is played professionally in France, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.
2. Different Rugby Codes Use Different Balls
The rugby league code ball is slightly smaller than the rugby balls used by rugby union play. Rugby union code balls are rounder and more filled with air in their larger bladders. A union ball generally carries further through the air, and the bounce is more consistent. League balls are just as long as rugby union balls but have slightly less girth. Rugby league balls hold less air.
3. Ordering of Teams Varies By Rugby Code
A rugby union team has 15 players on the field, consisting of eight forwards and seven backs. The forwards are numbered 1 to 8 and backs are 9 to 15. Union teams have two more forwards than teams in rugby league, which have only 13 players. League numbering is also the reverse of union, with forwards numbered 8 to 13, and backs 1 to 7. The eight forwards in union have the main role of getting and maintaining possession of the ball. In league, the forwards' job is to advance the ball up the field. In both rugby codes, scoring points falls mainly on the teams' back players.
4. Rugby Games Progress Differently According to Codes
Rugby league games are 80 minutes in length, with timeouts for injuries. The players' focus is to score tries, convert them with goals and ultimately score more points than the opposing team. Rugby league play is made up of "sets," with each side allotted six tackles to move the ball up the field to score. Usually, if a side hasn't scored anything by set's end, they'll kick the ball down field to transfer possession. Backs score most of the points, while the majority of meters and tackles are made by the forwards. Rugby under league code is focused on possession of the ball.
Rugby union games are played for 80 minutes, plus injury time played at the completion of regular game time. The purpose is also to score points, although points come less from tries and more from field goals and penalty kicks. This is largely because of the increased difficulty to score tries and the larger number of points won by these goals. In rugby union, teams may keep the ball for as long a period as they are able without an imposed limit on ball possession. However, the ball is actually very difficult to hold onto for any length of time. In rugby union code, field position is more important than it is in league, making a kick of the ball down-field an easier way to gain field position than running it. Thus kicking occurs more frequently in union rugby play.
5. Game Scoring Varies Depending on Rugby Code
In union code, tries (when the ball is placed over the try-line into the goal) are worth 5 points. After each successful try, teams have the chance to "convert" these tries by kicking the ball through the goal posts. These conversions gain the team 2 points. Field goals and successful penalty kicks are worth 3 points. In rugby league play, tries are of critical importance to winning games, because although a try gives 4 points, conversions and penalty goals are only worth 2 points each. Field goals are worth just a point each.
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