American football comes from Rugby. Settlers brought rugby to the American colonies, where it evolved into American football. I'm really surprised Americans don't know this
Rugby originated in England in the early 19th century, evolving from traditional forms of football played in schools like Rugby School. The game spread to other countries, particularly through the British Empire. American football, on the other hand, developed later in the United States during the late 19th century. It was influenced by both rugby and soccer (association football). The key differences emerged when the rules of American football were formalized, introducing features like the line of scrimmage, forward passing, and protective gear. So, while rugby and American football share some similarities, rugby predates and influenced the development of American football.
Started playing rugby at 7 and it's a phenomenal game. When I started back in '79 the s**t that was permitted back then was insane when taken in context of the current game.
Hi there from South Africa. South Africa and our national team, the Springboks are the current mens world champions. Rugby is great. Kids generally start playing it at junior school, from as young as 6 or 7. (And the junior schools play barefoot!) One more thing rugby is contagious, the more you watch the more you want to watch. Enjoy!
I played senior Rugby in the UK for 22 years. I wasn't a particularly big forward (numbers 1-8), but at 6'5" and 260lbs, big enough. The principle differences between football and Rugby are that the ball cannot be passed forwards - even accidentally, there is no offence and defence, it's the same 15 players, and you run for 80 minutes, so you'd better be fit. What you would call a touchdown, we call a 'try'. The ball has to be actually touched down in the in-goal area. It is a physically demanding sport, but it is also one in which you are expected to be a gentleman (or lady - women play too - but not on the same team) and conduct yourself accordingly. You do not argue with the referee and are likely to be sent off if you do. If you assault a referee, it's a mandatory lifetime ban, It can get a little rough. My nose was broken 4 times, and I broke fingers and my arm playing, and lost count of the stitches, but it's as close to going to war as you can get in a game, and you can have a beer with the man who punched you in the bar after the game. Conflict is only ever on the pitch. There is no crowd violence, as most of the people who watch are former, or current players and would deal with the troublemaker really quickly. You respect your enemy, and get to drink with them, regardless of the result. My Rugby hero, who played the same position as I did (number 8) was Sebastien Chabal, who tackled like a battering ram, and looked like the wild man of the woods. He is French. There are loads of TH-cams about him.
Quite so. It is interesting to me that the Americans still call it a "touchdown" even though touching the ball down is no longer in the rules. The player (I think) onloy has to land a foot in the endzone while holding the ball?
The only bad crowd incident I can remember in a life time of watching (and a little bit of playing) Rugby was an idiot in South Africa attacked the ref- he was nearly torn apart by the Springbok pack before the cops got to him. Chabal was a good hero to have, mine was Gordon Brown (no not him) a truly great lock for Scotland and the Lions.
You're talking about Rugby union with 15 players, but there's also Rugby league with 13 players. The rules are quite different, just 6 attempts to make a try then you loose the ball, the game stop more often, no real scrums... I've played the two versions and of course I prefer 15 player Rugby. I'm French and my favorite player was Jonny Wilkinson, and incredible number 10 (I was a number 10), even if he made the 15 of France loose the world cup... (what a rough memory)
@@galadinthedark9862RL emerged in the working classes as 'broken time payments were banned by the upper class gentlemen running RU. The French Govt banned Rugby League which is possibly why you were raised playing union. Also you mentioned more stoppages but that is misleading. The ball is in play in RL for roughly double the time it is in RU.
I was a Rory Underwood sized winger (a few inches taller), when the Lomu sized wingers started appearing it was a little intimidating. I had the speed advantage, but had trouble clearing out breakdowns and the like. I also got carried into touch many times. Good fun though!
5 top teams in rugby atm are: Men's 1: south Africa 2: Ireland 3: New Zealand 4: France 5: Argentina - Women's 1: England 2: Canada 3: New Zealand 4: France 5: Australia. New Zealand Men's and Women's do a traditional haka (dance or performance) before each game. The Haka in sport is to show, cultural pride, unity and strength and to set a challenge to the opposition. Other pacific nation also does their versions of the haka as well.
To my mind (as a lifetime rugby player now residing in the US) the biggest differences between the two (Rugby Football and Gridiron Football) is that Rugby players can get instruction on tactics and 'plays' before the game and at half time. The rest of the time on the pitch they make all the decisions and control the style and tempo of the game. There are 15 players who go on the pitch and apart from permanent substitution those 15 finish the game.
@@kobuslouw9533 As an AB fan, Spring Boks are the best team in the world currently. Happy to admit that. They need to beat us 22 more times to even up the win loss ratio tho 🙃
Rugby is a global sport. Main nations: England, Scotland, Ireland. Wales, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Portugal, Georgia, Spain.
Rugby was invented in the English town of Rugby. It is now played all across the world in countries such as the home nations, Ireland, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji, Samoa, Argentina etc.
wrong, English wrote down and modified the rules of an old French game played during middle age called "soule", same for tennis wich come from jeu de paume" (Tennis come from french word tenez )
@@garcimore5188 wrong. Most countries played similar games where two opposing teams compete to throw a ball into the oppositions net. The Welsh played cnapan, Irish played caid, Georgians played lelo and the French, as you said, played soule. Though they may have had similarities, none of those games were rugby. Hence, rugby was invented in Rugby, England. There is no evidence to suggest the English wrote down and modified the rules of soule. Tennis I agree with though.
@@btmorley833 Not a problem as long as "les bleus", les Ecossais, les Gallois et les Italiens win over "le 15 de la rose", it's ok for me to say it's an English game 😘😄
Ja vi julle wit ma se poese wat op racist generational wealth white privilege vooreg gie ni julle naaies die broke se ma poes Johan Rupert se ma se poes
140 countries play rugby and has 500 million fans. The main ones are: Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Kenya, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, France, Italy, Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland.
Rugby was invented in England in 1832. It is played at club and international level. Wherever the English/British have colonised they've taken many of their sports with them,Rugby being one of them.
Plus other countries not participating British culture have been infected: France, Italy, Argentina, Japan, Georgia, Portugal and many, many more. Last September met a lad from Barcelona who used to be a great second line but played semi-pro in French and Italian clubs. Rugby is growing fast in Spain too, so watch out for the Caballeros in the next World Cup!
Rugby is by far the best sport in the world, in my opinion. I started playing in school aged 11 years and stopped when my knees gave out in my 30s. I'm in my sixties now and miss playing, but at least I can still watch.
Rugby is played worldwide. South Africa are the current world cup winners - they've won 4 world cups. Rugby doesn't have any stop for five or ten minutes if someone goes down. Play goes on - no breaks except at half-time. It's played by big, tough men.
The Lineout (the formation where you saw guys jumping high to catch the ball) is how the play restarts when the ball goes out of bounds on the sidelines. The team throwing in the ball decides the maximum number of players in the lineout. At least two players from each team must form a lineout, with a maximum of thirteen. It's essentially the Rugby equivalent of a Tip Off in basketball.
This is Rugby Union the other form of the game that is similar is Rugby League. Whenever you hear the word Rugby on its own most people are talking about Rugby Union. Rugby Union is played throughout the UK (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales), South Africa, Argentina, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Whereas Rugby League is played in England, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand. Even though I watch Rugby League, Rugby Union is my first love as that is the game we played at school.
That first hit was a New Zealand HIGH SCHOOL game. They built different down there!!!! New Zealand, Australia, England, France, Wales and South Africa are the big ones. Followed closely by Italy, Argentina and Fiji. It's the 3rd most popular sport in Japan after baseball and Sumo.
Almost the whole world plays rugby, including the USA! We don’t need padding or helmets and don’t understand why you think we should? You cannot play a mobile, fluid, continuous game when encumbered with padding and a helmet, and the game doesn’t stop after gaining ten yards, it goes on until a score, infringement, injury or off the pitch. The ball can be contested for as well. Of course there are laws, not rules by the way. The scrum cap (leather helmet) is to stop you getting cauliflower ears, or even ripped off. They all have positions but are all defenders and attackers. You need to watch a video of the laws of the game.
Those caps that some of the players were wearing are made of foam and called scrum caps. Originally designed to protect the ears of those players in the scrum to avoid conditions such as cauliflower ear or even a ripped ear (I've witnessed the latter). They're now worn by players in many positions as a degree of head protection especially head on head collisions but they are not mandatory.
The guy in the Red shirt being 'Bullied' is Welshman Neil Jenkins, he will have gotten his revenge by scoring a lot of points. He retired as the player who had scored the most points in his career, he is still the 5th highest points scorer.
I love seeing people’s reactions to rugby that have never watched it before. With rugby we tend to start young much like you’re football and as one continues the body adapts to the hits now don’t get me wrong you can get hurt but you tend to find the recovery time is far quicker than say American football or soccer. Great reaction guys on a side note women also play rugby that should be one to check out.
Rugby is widely popular around the Oceaniac region, countries like New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG, primarily play rugby, ranging from youth all the way up to the oldies. The sport also originates from England, dating back to 1823 when William Webb Ellis decided to pick up the football (soccer ball) and run with it instead of traditionally kicking it during a football match at Rugby School, hence the sport being dubbed "rugby". Rugby does look very confusing to outsiders, but it is most definitely organised chaos, with each team having their own playstyles, set piece plays, etc. Rugby requires much more skill and endurance, as its non-stop action for 80 minutes straight, with rarely any stoppages and time to recoup and plan, its all about skills and playing what's in front of you under constant immense pressure. Each position has their own given role, but all rugby players MUST be skilled in all aspects of the sport, from defending, attacking, passing, stepping (juking), and at any given time even kicking. Their is no separate team for defense and offense, whoever is on field, stays on the field for both offense and defense. Rugby is also not just played in Oceania, despite it being immensely popular in a country like New Zealand, where rugby is religiously celebrated and played. But countries outside New Zealand also love rugby too and are widely involved in the sport. Other countries that greatly contribute to rugby and play it include: South Africa, France, Argentina, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and many more. Rugby is also statistically the fastest growing sport around the world, which is pretty obvious considering how its non-stop chaos with big collisions, amazing plays, and magical moments. In rugby, a "try" is the equivalent to the NFL's "touchdown", except in rugby, in order to actually score the points the player with the ball MUST put the ball in the goal area with downward pressure, crossing the goal-line does not automatically conduct a "try", like it would in the NFL. This is why many rugby highlights or games commonly feature players diving or sliding into the in-goal, in order to secure a try. The Rugby World Cup is held every 4 years, the most recent one haven being won by South Africa. New Zealand and South Africa are usually the go-to rivals and the pinnacle of sporting excellence when you want to experience a tough, eye-catching, and fun rugby game. I believe Ireland are currently ranked number 1 in the world, if not then it is South Africa, but New Zealand, without a doubt is the greatest rugby nation to ever pick up the sport. They are even statistically described as the most dominant sporting team in the history of ALL sports.
We play in the US. I coach a junior high team and played for 12 years in the military. There are 15 specific positions and many rules called “laws”. Great game. The crazy thing in Rugby is whoever is the home team hosts a social after the game. You beat the shit out of each other then sing nasty songs and party together afterwards. As we say “Pads are for women, blood is for men”.
The players with the bandages wrapped around their thighs are the ones lifted by teammates to catch the ball during a line-out Line-out: when the ball goes out of bounds (the side line) the teams form two lines and prepare to receive the ball, which is thrown straight down the center. Tactics come into play here, the player throwing the ball will indicate to his teammates how far and how high he will throw the ball and they lift a teammate to catch it... the other team tries to guess where the ball is thrown.
The USA, Canada, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay play Rugby - that's just America covered The most powerful Rugby nations are Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, South Africa, Fiji, and England The United Kingdom is unique in that its constituent nations - England, Wales, Scotland play as separate national teams Also, Italy, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Japan, and Georgia play Rugby at a high degree/level of competition There is a domestic American league - Major League Rugby
Boys and girls play in the same team until the age of 14 in French rugby schools. We start teaching when the children are 5 years old. We teach them how to tackle safely when they reach the age of 12. In rugby schools, there are few injuries and most do not exceed a minor sprain. Most of the tackles in this video are illegal, you are not allowed to tackle above the chest.
Every country plays apart from America lmao we all play against eachother in rugby world cups just like soccer/football that’s why we don’t understand when you call your teams world champions when they basically just play a country cup competition lmao
Great reaction. The consistent thing about Americans reacting to Rugby or AFL in Australia, is that you guys always say "don't they have any rules?" or "do people have positions?" etc. It's just so funny that you guys think we're just cavemen running around with no rules and positions just belting into each other.
Rugby is actually a growing sport in the US, Canada is already moving up the world league but anywhere that is English or French speaking throughout the world plus Italian, Georgian, Argentinian, Pacific islanders. After football (soccer) it's probably the number two sport in the world. American football is really only played in the US 🇬🇧
Yes, there are positions. Each team has eight forwards and seven backs. The forwards are big, strong guys whose job is to secure possession, the backs are the quick, skillful runners, passers and and kickers. It's not as specialised as American football - you don't have separate offensive and defensive teams or specialist kickers, everybody has to be able to pass, carry and tackle, but different positions have different roles and skillsets. Couch Rugby has a good video, Rugby 101: Rugby positions explained.
There are a number of international rugby games on this weekend, pick one to watch, snippets are good but watching the whole match will help you. A match lasts for 80 mins with 15 mins half time
There are 3 popular versions of Rugby. two versions of Rugby Union - 15 & 7 aside (7s is an Olympic sport & the US have a good team!). The other is Rugby league, a different code with different rules - 13 aside, The NRL from Aus is the top comp, the opening round of the NRL will be in Vegas March 1st 2025. You should go!!! RL is predominantly a working class game where as RU is largely Middle class. 3 great games, the international game of RU is fantastic, the pinnacle being the World Cup (will be hosted in the US 2031). The club game of RL is amazing (NRL) but probable the best of all is 'State of Origin'.
There is a youtube video explaining rugby to (American) football fans. Rugby does hurt, but it it does have strict rules and is played to a strategy with each player tasked with a specific position and job to do. It is a lot of fun and rugby players and fans tend to be a good bunch of people.
I mean it is good video, but only showcases the boks. I think it would be better if he reacts to general rugby vids first, as no one outside of SA cares for that video
Love your video...rugby is very hard to understand at first but honestly,for me, the best sport in the world....I follow a lot of sports....but for the intensity, technique, skill and team play......above all,the best reason to explain my love for rugby is Respect.......I have played ,still watch and support rugby because we put everything we have on the pitch .....for 80 minutes you are my enemy,once finished we will have some food and maybe a beer or two😂😂😂I have never seen such respect between professional in any other sport.... thank you
Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Fiji, Tonga... you get the picture. In other words, more countries play rugby than just the US playing American football.
American World Series is played by one country, 133 countries play rugby so it means more to be the winner of a world series. There are 15 players in a rugby team and the play non stop for 40 minutes each half no time outs no stops except for injury's or infraction, no attack team and defense team, rugby players are both they are fit and hard.
This compilation has 3 different sports in it. 7s, Rugby Union, and Rugby League. The other thing to bear in mind is that these clips have been gathered over quite a long time, possibly 20 years, and the rules have been changed over the years to provide greater player safety. A lot of what is shown here wouldn't be acceptable today.
I used to play for my local rugby club for a while, your body takes a battering, you cant be soft and play rugby, but your head is usually safe, if someone takes a shot above the neck it's an immediate foul, so your head is normally fine, you're taught in training how to tackle properly, yes the odd one sometimes gets through, but usually it's your body that takes the punishment, you feel it the next day, the club had a woman's team too, I ended up dating one of the female players for a while, she (Tay) was an absolute sweetheart away from the field (she was a fighter on it) we only split because I was moving away for work, some countries that play rugby, the UK and Ireland, but England, Scotland and Wales play as separate teams, Ireland also its own team, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Samoa and Tonga all have their own teams) and there's a bunch of others that I can't think of right now
Hey there and welcome to the Rugby Community. I enjoyed your reaction. There is so much to cover and will take an essay to tell it all, so I will try my best to keep it short. First thing .. there are No Rules in Rugby. They are called the Laws Of Rugby .. that out of the way, I’ll address the thing at 8:00. It’s called a Line Out. When in open play and the ball goes out of bounds, the two teams form two lines, one meter apart and the ball then has to be put in through a Line Out and in the middle of the two teams ,so they can fairly contest for the ball. Yes, they can lift players. It’s a re-start to play .. in rugby we don’t say out of bounds, we say the ball is in touch. In rugby, play don’t stop until the ball is either out, a team has scored a try, a foul committed or fumble has happened. In case of a fumble, the two teams line up in a formation and form a scrum, where the two forward packs, pushes and shoves each other to gain the ball. In case of a foul or foul play, a penalty is awarded and a team can kick the ball into Touch, to gain field territory and regain possession of the ball to throw in at the Line out. Or, if they are in range of the field goals, they can do a place kick for the field goals and score 3 points for the team if they succeed. A try is the rugby version of a Touch Down. But in rugby, you must put the ball down once in Try zone. A try is worth 5 points. And a try can be converted by a kick at goals again, for an extra 2 points. Making a try potentially worth 7 points, which is why you’ll see them cross the try line and run closer to the posts, so it’s an easier kick for the place kicker. Another possible way to score, is through a drop goal, which any player from anywhere on the field, whilst in open play, can attempt to drop the ball on the ground and simultaneously kick the ball for a field goal, which is also worth 3 Points. So that’s the scoring You can only pass the ball backwards or lateral, but can kick it forward and chase and collect it or kick it to another team mate, granted; that they are behind the kicker when he kicks. You can only tackle the player with the ball, and can not tackle a player who is not in possession of the ball. You can tackle a player anywhere but not above the shoulders ( but there is a push for it to be below the sternum), or make direct contact to the head. It can get you sent off the field for the remainder of the match. NoFoul or dangerous play is accepted and neither are punches. Players can be banned for months if they do and face huge fines. So a lot of pushing and aggressive shoving is mostly as barbaric as it gets in the modern game, but the pre professional age, yeah, punches was a norm lol And on the countries that play, it’s a world wide Sport, but the prominent ones are South Africa ( Current back to back World Champs), playing in Green and Gold going by the nickname , The Springboks. Next New Zealand, also called The All Blacks ( best winning percentage of any team in any sports, wearing as the name suggest, All Black lol Those two are Rugby’s biggest rivalry and you should totally check out Springboks v All Black highlights. It’s up there with world sports most hotly contested rivalries, but the Respect between the two nations is second to none. Then Australia ( gold and green), Argentina ( White and Light blue hoops), Ireland ( Green), Scotland ( dark blue), England ( all white), Wales (Red), France ( blue) , Italy ) blue).. and this teams make up the Tier 1 Nations of World Rugby. Then there is a second tier which is to numerous to name, but a few worthy shout outs are Fiji , Japan, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, The United Stated of America, Canada, Samoa, Tonga and Chile, which would be top of the tier 2 pile. There is so much more and many nuisances that will take too long to get through, so I would suggest to start with a Video, reacting to The Laws of Rugby explain to an American. Some education will go a long way to get you to fully appreciate and enjoy Rugby. And will at you in your way to understanding the Sport Welcome to Rugby and hoping to see more content and reaction and sorry for the long essay hahahaha. I did try my best to meet it short 😂😂
It's one hell of a sport, 80 minutes (with only one break with ads) of a game looking like the last minutes of an American Football match Important rules are roughly : - to score a try, the ball must be grounded - You have 3 ways of scoring : "try" is roughly a touchdown and worth 5 points. When a try is scored, you can try to "convert" it : the convertion is worth 2 points. then Drop Goals & Penalties are basically field goals, worth 3 points. At some specific moments, the ref can award a penalty try, worth 7 points. - The ref is always right - antagonizing the ref will end badly - You are allowed to tackle the ball carrier. A tackle is considered "complete" when tackled player's knees touch the ground. He then has to release the ball for contest. Tackler has to release the player. - you're not allowed to tackle a player without the ball - you're not allowed to tackle a player in the air, or above the shoulders. Also, every contact with the head will usually lead to a card. The ref can decide the color given some circumstances. - A yellow card means you're out for 10 minutes - a red card means you're out for good - passes should be made backwards or "flat". The only way to send the ball forward is kicking (or using your head if you're Joe Marler) - teams are 15 people divided as such : 8 "props" (the big dudes), 7 "backs" (the runners). You can also add the 8 benched guys, which are here to murder the survivors at 60th minute - the props do scrums, lineouts and a bit of killing the backs when no one is looking - the backs do sexy ass moves, run, kick and look good - secretely, every prop wants to be a back - secretely, every back is afraid of the props - Top teams (international level) are : South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Scotland, Australia, Wales, Argentina, Italy, England (no specific order here) - Top teams (club level) are : Leinster (Ireland), Toulouse (France), Crusaders (NZ)
@@shazza737 Thanks a lot :) I should add : - Players that you should know of (and watch videos of) : Jonah Lomu, Jonny Wilkinson, Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Antoine Dupont - Matches that you should watch : France - NZ RWC semifinal of 1999, NZ - Australia of 2000, France - NZ RWC QF 2015, England - NZ RWC Semifinal 2019, England - South Africa RWC 2019 Final, France - NZ 2021 (and that run from Ntamack), Ireland - France 6N 2022, France - England 6N 2023 (a soon to be classic), RWC 2023 QF : France - South Africa / Ireland - NZ (greatest RWC matches ever to me), and the greatest ever in NH : Scotland vs England 2019 6N match (I mean, what a scenario)
Most start in primary school then go to highschool. There are also colleges and then the clubs sign players from the schools and colleges. Then if you're good enough you get drafted to your national team.
Welcome to the rabbit hole that is rugby. I played for 10 years number 5. Just one small reflection on why I prefer rugby. Continues play. Also don’t get into a fight with a rugby player.
115 countries play rugby union. Including the USA. There are about 12 really top class teams internationally the Tier 1s and a similar number the Tier 2s. It's still a developing sport globally. The US Eagles represent the USA & there is a professional league in the USA Major League Rugby with 11 teams currently. The USA will be hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2031.
Every country has a rugby team, but there's levels. If you want to watch the USA. They are more competitive in the 7's version. Both mens and womens. The Womens full team are probably in a better place then the mens are. Rugby fights are more like scuffles. The whole team will back each other up, but the ref is always in charge. They usually calm down as quick as they start. Whoever starts a fight with you, buys you a beer after the match.
A huge difference is in rugby you can only tackle the player with the ball. American football you can tackle anyone, hence blockers, that's where a lot of the injuries occur. In rugby you rarely get blindsided. If you did you'd die lol
I played Rugby League from age 6 till I left high school at 17. Also played cricket since a little kid and volleyball when I was a young teenager till my 20's. Aussie from Queensland Australia.
New Zealand though not the world champs, (have been world champs), are the most winning team of rugby, and of any sports in the history of sports. Winning 77% of all their games. Rugby is a team really suited for Polynesian countries, along with South Africa, Argentina, Scotland, Ireland etc Rugby is a game created in a town called Rugby in England, they took it around the world through the 1800s including New Zealand, and in the first international meeting (called tests), between England and New Zealand, they played 35 test where New Zealand won 34. This is a violent sport played by gentlemen!
America, South africa, england australia new zealand, japan, france, italy, georgia, russia, argentina, uruguay, zimbabwe, namibia, zambia, portugal, wales, scotland, ireland and many many more.
Its worth pointing out that hits above the shoulder are illegal and would result in a card for the player where they would have to leave the field of play. So a lot of these hits happen just before the ref penalizes the player. Another point - Rugby would probably be more dangerous with helmets (ironically).
The reason NFL is so boring to the rest of the world is all the delay after each tackle. Good for corporate businesses to advertise. Rugby does not stop.
To get a try (touch down ) in rugby you have yo put the ball down on the ground with downward pressure. Unlike nfl there a touch down is running past the goal line. And the kicked are different
The Six Nations Tournament covers England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. In the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina, Australia, apan, New Zealand, and South Africa, USA and Canada and many other Nations Worldwide have international teams.
I think there are over 130 countries around the world that have a national rugby team and that includes the USA, thats not to say rugby is not played in some of those other countries as well
People always claim it's a "Gentlemans game" but from playing high school rugby and under 19 club (colt) in Australia it's far from. And yes people have died. In Brisbane there was a horrible few years where two young men were killed and one became a quadriplegic.
All countries play rugby and most have an international team. Even USA. It's easier to not think of it as like American football as other than the posts and the shape of the ball, there isn't much else the same.
Rugby Union is played in 133 Countries. The Rugby Union Word Cup is the third largest Sporting event in the World behind The Olympics and The Football (Soccer) World Cup.
We play rugby in college, which is high school for you. College is age 12-16, then we go into further education aka sixth form. Only then we go to university, or college from your prospective
I laughed when you said "what countries play rugby"....almost everybody but you 😂😂😂
USA does but very little and most of its 7s
Love USA 7s. Had the chance to watch em in Perth this year. Perry Baker's too good mannnnn
@Food_Fighters America has a 15 and 7s team men an women
@YxKUZA21 they have a good men and women's team 15s and 7s
@@Desmondo58 oh true, I've only ever seen/heard of the 7s. I'll check out the 15s
American football comes from Rugby. Settlers brought rugby to the American colonies, where it evolved into American football. I'm really surprised Americans don't know this
Yes truth
Rugby originated in England in the early 19th century, evolving from traditional forms of football played in schools like Rugby School. The game spread to other countries, particularly through the British Empire.
American football, on the other hand, developed later in the United States during the late 19th century. It was influenced by both rugby and soccer (association football). The key differences emerged when the rules of American football were formalized, introducing features like the line of scrimmage, forward passing, and protective gear.
So, while rugby and American football share some similarities, rugby predates and influenced the development of American football.
I'm not in the least surprised Americans don't know this. It's to do with the outside world.
@@GradyVandermerwe yeah, that's what the guy said, in more words
Don't be too surprised.
Jeremy Clarkson- "Rugby is a bit like American football, except it's played by men."
One of the best things he’s ever said! Lol
NFL is the Teletubbies version of rugby, rugby is a monstrous sport played by gentlemen.
Such wisdom !
Thank you sir for your honourable statement.
Rugby union is the teletubbies version of Rugby league
Here here old chap. 👍
I always thought "rugby is played by hooligans and supported by gentlemen and football is played by gentlemen and supported by hooligans" 😂
Started playing rugby at 7 and it's a phenomenal game. When I started back in '79 the s**t that was permitted back then was insane when taken in context of the current game.
Hi there from South Africa. South Africa and our national team, the Springboks are the current mens world champions. Rugby is great. Kids generally start playing it at junior school, from as young as 6 or 7. (And the junior schools play barefoot!) One more thing rugby is contagious, the more you watch the more you want to watch. Enjoy!
😂😂
I played senior Rugby in the UK for 22 years. I wasn't a particularly big forward (numbers 1-8), but at 6'5" and 260lbs, big enough. The principle differences between football and Rugby are that the ball cannot be passed forwards - even accidentally, there is no offence and defence, it's the same 15 players, and you run for 80 minutes, so you'd better be fit. What you would call a touchdown, we call a 'try'. The ball has to be actually touched down in the in-goal area. It is a physically demanding sport, but it is also one in which you are expected to be a gentleman (or lady - women play too - but not on the same team) and conduct yourself accordingly. You do not argue with the referee and are likely to be sent off if you do. If you assault a referee, it's a mandatory lifetime ban, It can get a little rough. My nose was broken 4 times, and I broke fingers and my arm playing, and lost count of the stitches, but it's as close to going to war as you can get in a game, and you can have a beer with the man who punched you in the bar after the game. Conflict is only ever on the pitch. There is no crowd violence, as most of the people who watch are former, or current players and would deal with the troublemaker really quickly. You respect your enemy, and get to drink with them, regardless of the result. My Rugby hero, who played the same position as I did (number 8) was Sebastien Chabal, who tackled like a battering ram, and looked like the wild man of the woods. He is French. There are loads of TH-cams about him.
Quite so. It is interesting to me that the Americans still call it a "touchdown" even though touching the ball down is no longer in the rules. The player (I think) onloy has to land a foot in the endzone while holding the ball?
The only bad crowd incident I can remember in a life time of watching (and a little bit of playing) Rugby was an idiot in South Africa attacked the ref- he was nearly torn apart by the Springbok pack before the cops got to him. Chabal was a good hero to have, mine was Gordon Brown (no not him) a truly great lock for Scotland and the Lions.
You're talking about Rugby union with 15 players, but there's also Rugby league with 13 players. The rules are quite different, just 6 attempts to make a try then you loose the ball, the game stop more often, no real scrums...
I've played the two versions and of course I prefer 15 player Rugby. I'm French and my favorite player was Jonny Wilkinson, and incredible number 10 (I was a number 10), even if he made the 15 of France loose the world cup... (what a rough memory)
@@galadinthedark9862RL emerged in the working classes as 'broken time payments were banned by the upper class gentlemen running RU. The French Govt banned Rugby League which is possibly why you were raised playing union. Also you mentioned more stoppages but that is misleading. The ball is in play in RL for roughly double the time it is in RU.
I was a Rory Underwood sized winger (a few inches taller), when the Lomu sized wingers started appearing it was a little intimidating. I had the speed advantage, but had trouble clearing out breakdowns and the like. I also got carried into touch many times. Good fun though!
5 top teams in rugby atm are: Men's 1: south Africa 2: Ireland 3: New Zealand 4: France 5: Argentina - Women's 1: England 2: Canada 3: New Zealand 4: France 5: Australia. New Zealand Men's and Women's do a traditional haka (dance or performance) before each game. The Haka in sport is to show, cultural pride, unity and strength and to set a challenge to the opposition. Other pacific nation also does their versions of the haka as well.
And rugby is world sport not like american football....every country is playing....great sport....
Got that wrong wrong, 2 is New Zealand 3 is irland
@@dallascaulcutt4322 Actually he got it right. The comment said nothing about rankings in that order.
He listed the top 5 rugby teams as commented.
@@dallascaulcutt4322 Ireland is 2nd in the rankings atm
South Africa??
Forget the rankings right now.
To my mind (as a lifetime rugby player now residing in the US) the biggest differences between the two (Rugby Football and Gridiron Football) is that Rugby players can get instruction on tactics and 'plays' before the game and at half time. The rest of the time on the pitch they make all the decisions and control the style and tempo of the game.
There are 15 players who go on the pitch and apart from permanent substitution those 15 finish the game.
FROM A FEMALE. WE BREATH RUGBY. WON THE WORLD CUP 4 TIMES. PROUD OF THE SPRINGBOKS. GREETINGS FROM SOUTH AFRICA
Yep, you guys are almost as good as the All Blacks 😉
@@aaronbarlow4376 😂😂😂 naaah
@@aaronbarlow4376 🏆🏆🏆🏆>🏆🏆🏆 World cup says otherwise
@@aaronbarlow4376 Well beat NZ with our B team easy 😎 any day
@@kobuslouw9533 As an AB fan, Spring Boks are the best team in the world currently. Happy to admit that. They need to beat us 22 more times to even up the win loss ratio tho 🙃
Rugby is a global sport. Main nations: England, Scotland, Ireland. Wales, France, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Portugal, Georgia, Spain.
Rugby was invented in the English town of Rugby. It is now played all across the world in countries such as the home nations, Ireland, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Fiji, Samoa, Argentina etc.
Lots of countries coming in.
And a team like Argentina is now up there with Wales and Scotland
Japan as well. Even the USA has a national team now. I'm an Aussie.
wrong, English wrote down and modified the rules of an old French game played during middle age called "soule", same for tennis wich come from jeu de paume" (Tennis come from french word tenez )
@@garcimore5188 wrong. Most countries played similar games where two opposing teams compete to throw a ball into the oppositions net. The Welsh played cnapan, Irish played caid, Georgians played lelo and the French, as you said, played soule. Though they may have had similarities, none of those games were rugby. Hence, rugby was invented in Rugby, England. There is no evidence to suggest the English wrote down and modified the rules of soule.
Tennis I agree with though.
@@btmorley833 Not a problem as long as "les bleus", les Ecossais, les Gallois et les Italiens win over "le 15 de la rose", it's ok for me to say it's an English game 😘😄
Rugby is not a sport in South Africa, it's a RELIGION!!
That's so true
Im from there
And in Wales and New Zealand too.
As in wales Diolch
Ja vi julle wit ma se poese wat op racist generational wealth white privilege vooreg gie ni julle naaies die broke se ma poes
Johan Rupert se ma se poes
140 countries play rugby and has 500 million fans. The main ones are: Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Kenya, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, France, Italy, Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland.
Tonga is not a main one lol
Tonga Samoa not main ones but have plenty of players around the world
@@20dollarrecharge46why dont you include Italy in there too?
Not sure that Kenya is considered a 'main one' and Italy certainly belongs in that list
@Mardenski100 Italy is on the list. But you're right, perhaps Kenya, Samoa and Tonga were a stretch
Rugby was invented in England in 1832.
It is played at club and international level.
Wherever the English/British have colonised they've taken many of their sports with them,Rugby being one of them.
Plus other countries not participating British culture have been infected: France, Italy, Argentina, Japan, Georgia, Portugal and many, many more. Last September met a lad from Barcelona who used to be a great second line but played semi-pro in French and Italian clubs. Rugby is growing fast in Spain too, so watch out for the Caballeros in the next World Cup!
Rugby is by far the best sport in the world, in my opinion. I started playing in school aged 11 years and stopped when my knees gave out in my 30s. I'm in my sixties now and miss playing, but at least I can still watch.
South Africa currently has the best rugby team.
and I think they will remain the best for a long while, I wish Ireland could win a world cup but I cant see that happening for a while
Look out for france though we comin in strong
Rugby is played worldwide. South Africa are the current world cup winners - they've won 4 world cups. Rugby doesn't have any stop for five or ten minutes if someone goes down. Play goes on - no breaks except at half-time. It's played by big, tough men.
The Lineout (the formation where you saw guys jumping high to catch the ball) is how the play restarts when the ball goes out of bounds on the sidelines. The team throwing in the ball decides the maximum number of players in the lineout. At least two players from each team must form a lineout, with a maximum of thirteen.
It's essentially the Rugby equivalent of a Tip Off in basketball.
This is Rugby Union the other form of the game that is similar is Rugby League. Whenever you hear the word Rugby on its own most people are talking about Rugby Union. Rugby Union is played throughout the UK (England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales), South Africa, Argentina, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Whereas Rugby League is played in England, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Australia and New Zealand. Even though I watch Rugby League, Rugby Union is my first love as that is the game we played at school.
That first hit was a New Zealand HIGH SCHOOL game. They built different down there!!!! New Zealand, Australia, England, France, Wales and South Africa are the big ones. Followed closely by Italy, Argentina and Fiji. It's the 3rd most popular sport in Japan after baseball and Sumo.
Almost the whole world plays rugby, including the USA! We don’t need padding or helmets and don’t understand why you think we should? You cannot play a mobile, fluid, continuous game when encumbered with padding and a helmet, and the game doesn’t stop after gaining ten yards, it goes on until a score, infringement, injury or off the pitch. The ball can be contested for as well. Of course there are laws, not rules by the way. The scrum cap (leather helmet) is to stop you getting cauliflower ears, or even ripped off. They all have positions but are all defenders and attackers. You need to watch a video of the laws of the game.
Those caps that some of the players were wearing are made of foam and called scrum caps. Originally designed to protect the ears of those players in the scrum to avoid conditions such as cauliflower ear or even a ripped ear (I've witnessed the latter). They're now worn by players in many positions as a degree of head protection especially head on head collisions but they are not mandatory.
The guy in the Red shirt being 'Bullied' is Welshman Neil Jenkins, he will have gotten his revenge by scoring a lot of points. He retired as the player who had scored the most points in his career, he is still the 5th highest points scorer.
On the other hand, a match between Wales and Ireland... how else do you expect it to happen?
I love seeing people’s reactions to rugby that have never watched it before. With rugby we tend to start young much like you’re football and as one continues the body adapts to the hits now don’t get me wrong you can get hurt but you tend to find the recovery time is far quicker than say American football or soccer. Great reaction guys on a side note women also play rugby that should be one to check out.
Rugby ? like Clarkson would say : " Rugby its American Football play by men" . love that line 😄
Rugby is widely popular around the Oceaniac region, countries like New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, PNG, primarily play rugby, ranging from youth all the way up to the oldies.
The sport also originates from England, dating back to 1823 when William Webb Ellis decided to pick up the football (soccer ball) and run with it instead of traditionally kicking it during a football match at Rugby School, hence the sport being dubbed "rugby".
Rugby does look very confusing to outsiders, but it is most definitely organised chaos, with each team having their own playstyles, set piece plays, etc. Rugby requires much more skill and endurance, as its non-stop action for 80 minutes straight, with rarely any stoppages and time to recoup and plan, its all about skills and playing what's in front of you under constant immense pressure. Each position has their own given role, but all rugby players MUST be skilled in all aspects of the sport, from defending, attacking, passing, stepping (juking), and at any given time even kicking. Their is no separate team for defense and offense, whoever is on field, stays on the field for both offense and defense.
Rugby is also not just played in Oceania, despite it being immensely popular in a country like New Zealand, where rugby is religiously celebrated and played. But countries outside New Zealand also love rugby too and are widely involved in the sport. Other countries that greatly contribute to rugby and play it include: South Africa, France, Argentina, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and many more. Rugby is also statistically the fastest growing sport around the world, which is pretty obvious considering how its non-stop chaos with big collisions, amazing plays, and magical moments.
In rugby, a "try" is the equivalent to the NFL's "touchdown", except in rugby, in order to actually score the points the player with the ball MUST put the ball in the goal area with downward pressure, crossing the goal-line does not automatically conduct a "try", like it would in the NFL. This is why many rugby highlights or games commonly feature players diving or sliding into the in-goal, in order to secure a try.
The Rugby World Cup is held every 4 years, the most recent one haven being won by South Africa. New Zealand and South Africa are usually the go-to rivals and the pinnacle of sporting excellence when you want to experience a tough, eye-catching, and fun rugby game. I believe Ireland are currently ranked number 1 in the world, if not then it is South Africa, but New Zealand, without a doubt is the greatest rugby nation to ever pick up the sport. They are even statistically described as the most dominant sporting team in the history of ALL sports.
'Other countries that greatly contribute to rugby and play it include: England'
A strange way to mention the country that invented it.
@@waldorfmcvitty4854 Yeah my bad, I just wanted to get the comment over and done with, but I'll edit it in right now!
The New Zealand team is the best until they meet the French team... 😁😁
We play in the US. I coach a junior high team and played for 12 years in the military. There are 15 specific positions and many rules called “laws”. Great game. The crazy thing in Rugby is whoever is the home team hosts a social after the game. You beat the shit out of each other then sing nasty songs and party together afterwards. As we say “Pads are for women, blood is for men”.
The players with the bandages wrapped around their thighs are the ones lifted by teammates to catch the ball during a line-out
Line-out: when the ball goes out of bounds (the side line) the teams form two lines and prepare to receive the ball, which is thrown straight down the center. Tactics come into play here, the player throwing the ball will indicate to his teammates how far and how high he will throw the ball and they lift a teammate to catch it... the other team tries to guess where the ball is thrown.
Rugby Union is played in 116 countries, Rugby League is played by 70+ countries.
The USA, Canada, Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay play Rugby - that's just America covered
The most powerful Rugby nations are
Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, France, South Africa, Fiji, and England
The United Kingdom is unique in that its constituent nations - England, Wales, Scotland play as separate national teams
Also, Italy, Romania, Spain, Portugal, Japan, and Georgia play Rugby at a high degree/level of competition
There is a domestic American league - Major League Rugby
Scotland , England , Ireland & Wales should have separate national teams !!!! , there's nothing strange about that .
The whole Caribbean plays rugby g😂 only Americans think it's a shit sport
'80s rugby was hardcore, I remember almost all players without their teeth.
Boys and girls play in the same team until the age of 14 in French rugby schools. We start teaching when the children are 5 years old. We teach them how to tackle safely when they reach the age of 12. In rugby schools, there are few injuries and most do not exceed a minor sprain. Most of the tackles in this video are illegal, you are not allowed to tackle above the chest.
As an Samoan we are proud to be playing rugby as a kid
Every country plays apart from
America lmao we all play against eachother in rugby world cups just like soccer/football that’s why we don’t understand when you call your teams world champions when they basically just play a country cup competition lmao
My 12 year old nephew just started playing rugby & is LOVING it!
Great reaction. The consistent thing about Americans reacting to Rugby or AFL in Australia, is that you guys always say "don't they have any rules?" or "do people have positions?" etc. It's just so funny that you guys think we're just cavemen running around with no rules and positions just belting into each other.
Rugby is actually a growing sport in the US, Canada is already moving up the world league but anywhere that is English or French speaking throughout the world plus Italian, Georgian, Argentinian, Pacific islanders. After football (soccer) it's probably the number two sport in the world. American football is really only played in the US 🇬🇧
There's two types of Rugby. One is Rugby Union which is what you are watching in this video and then there is Rugby League
Yes, there are positions. Each team has eight forwards and seven backs. The forwards are big, strong guys whose job is to secure possession, the backs are the quick, skillful runners, passers and and kickers. It's not as specialised as American football - you don't have separate offensive and defensive teams or specialist kickers, everybody has to be able to pass, carry and tackle, but different positions have different roles and skillsets. Couch Rugby has a good video, Rugby 101: Rugby positions explained.
Rugby has been made safer over the years. Back in the day, high tackles and even punching in the head were overlooked.
There are a number of international rugby games on this weekend, pick one to watch, snippets are good but watching the whole match will help you. A match lasts for 80 mins with 15 mins half time
There are 3 popular versions of Rugby. two versions of Rugby Union - 15 & 7 aside (7s is an Olympic sport & the US have a good team!). The other is Rugby league, a different code with different rules - 13 aside, The NRL from Aus is the top comp, the opening round of the NRL will be in Vegas March 1st 2025. You should go!!! RL is predominantly a working class game where as RU is largely Middle class. 3 great games, the international game of RU is fantastic, the pinnacle being the World Cup (will be hosted in the US 2031). The club game of RL is amazing (NRL) but probable the best of all is 'State of Origin'.
Played ruggers when i was young. Dislocated both kneecaps, torn mcl, acl, tore my earlobe, broke my nose . Yeah, its a rough game lol
I take it this won't be your last video on Rugby... So I subbed.
Big love from Spain (we lost to the USA in Madrid last Saturday. 23 - 26)
There is a youtube video explaining rugby to (American) football fans. Rugby does hurt, but it it does have strict rules and is played to a strategy with each player tasked with a specific position and job to do. It is a lot of fun and rugby players and fans tend to be a good bunch of people.
Must watch vid is most feared rugby team the spingboks
You MUST react to this
We c south Africa we subscribe please watch most feared in the world, we don't like rugby we luv it our blood is green with a touch of gold 🇿🇦💯
I mean it is good video, but only showcases the boks. I think it would be better if he reacts to general rugby vids first, as no one outside of SA cares for that video
Argentina, England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Australia, Canada, Fiji, France, Spain, Portugal, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Namibia, New Zealand, South Africa, Kenya, Uruguay, Tonga, Samoa, Russia, Romania, Chile, USA, and more....
Love your video...rugby is very hard to understand at first but honestly,for me, the best sport in the world....I follow a lot of sports....but for the intensity, technique, skill and team play......above all,the best reason to explain my love for rugby is Respect.......I have played ,still watch and support rugby because we put everything we have on the pitch .....for 80 minutes you are my enemy,once finished we will have some food and maybe a beer or two😂😂😂I have never seen such respect between professional in any other sport.... thank you
In school we used to play full contact rugby on the paved courtyard
Yeah Rugby is bone against bone - no foam, no padding. Played all over the world ;)
Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, France, Italy, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Fiji, Tonga... you get the picture. In other words, more countries play rugby than just the US playing American football.
American World Series is played by one country, 133 countries play rugby so it means more to be the winner of a world series. There are 15 players in a rugby team and the play non stop for 40 minutes each half no time outs no stops except for injury's or infraction, no attack team and defense team, rugby players are both they are fit and hard.
121 countries play Rugby. Meanwhile, only two countries have American Football leagues, Germany and America.
Rugby originated in England and then spread throughout the world especially through the British empire
The head gear is for players with pre existing injuries
This compilation has 3 different sports in it. 7s, Rugby Union, and Rugby League. The other thing to bear in mind is that these clips have been gathered over quite a long time, possibly 20 years, and the rules have been changed over the years to provide greater player safety. A lot of what is shown here wouldn't be acceptable today.
I used to play for my local rugby club for a while, your body takes a battering, you cant be soft and play rugby, but your head is usually safe, if someone takes a shot above the neck it's an immediate foul, so your head is normally fine, you're taught in training how to tackle properly, yes the odd one sometimes gets through, but usually it's your body that takes the punishment, you feel it the next day, the club had a woman's team too, I ended up dating one of the female players for a while, she (Tay) was an absolute sweetheart away from the field (she was a fighter on it) we only split because I was moving away for work, some countries that play rugby, the UK and Ireland, but England, Scotland and Wales play as separate teams, Ireland also its own team, France, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina, the Pacific Islands (Fiji, Samoa and Tonga all have their own teams) and there's a bunch of others that I can't think of right now
Hey there and welcome to the Rugby Community. I enjoyed your reaction.
There is so much to cover and will take an essay to tell it all, so I will try my best to keep it short.
First thing .. there are No Rules in Rugby. They are called the Laws Of Rugby .. that out of the way, I’ll address the thing at 8:00.
It’s called a Line Out. When in open play and the ball goes out of bounds, the two teams form two lines, one meter apart and the ball then has to be put in through a Line Out and in the middle of the two teams ,so they can fairly contest for the ball. Yes, they can lift players.
It’s a re-start to play .. in rugby we don’t say out of bounds, we say the ball is in touch.
In rugby, play don’t stop until the ball is either out, a team has scored a try, a foul committed or fumble has happened.
In case of a fumble, the two teams line up in a formation and form a scrum, where the two forward packs, pushes and shoves each other to gain the ball.
In case of a foul or foul play, a penalty is awarded and a team can kick the ball into Touch, to gain field territory and regain possession of the ball to throw in at the Line out.
Or, if they are in range of the field goals, they can do a place kick for the field goals and score 3 points for the team if they succeed.
A try is the rugby version of a Touch Down. But in rugby, you must put the ball down once in Try zone. A try is worth 5 points.
And a try can be converted by a kick at goals again, for an extra 2 points. Making a try potentially worth 7 points, which is why you’ll see them cross the try line and run closer to the posts, so it’s an easier kick for the place kicker.
Another possible way to score, is through a drop goal, which any player from anywhere on the field, whilst in open play, can attempt to drop the ball on the ground and simultaneously kick the ball for a field goal, which is also worth 3
Points. So that’s the scoring
You can only pass the ball backwards or lateral, but can kick it forward and chase and collect it or kick it to another team mate, granted; that they are behind the kicker when he kicks.
You can only tackle the player with the ball, and can not tackle a player who is not in possession of the ball. You can tackle a player anywhere but not above the shoulders ( but there is a push for it to be below the sternum), or make direct contact to the head. It can get you sent off the field for the remainder of the match.
NoFoul or dangerous play is accepted and neither are punches. Players can be banned for months if they do and face huge fines. So a lot of pushing and aggressive shoving is mostly as barbaric as it gets in the modern game, but the pre professional age, yeah, punches was a norm lol
And on the countries that play, it’s a world wide Sport, but the prominent ones are South Africa ( Current back to back World Champs), playing in Green and Gold going by the nickname , The Springboks.
Next New Zealand, also called The All Blacks ( best winning percentage of any team in any sports, wearing as the name suggest, All Black lol
Those two are Rugby’s biggest rivalry and you should totally check out Springboks v All Black highlights. It’s up there with world sports most hotly contested rivalries, but the Respect between the two nations is second to none.
Then Australia ( gold and green), Argentina ( White and Light blue hoops), Ireland ( Green), Scotland ( dark blue), England ( all white), Wales (Red), France ( blue) , Italy ) blue).. and this teams make up the Tier 1 Nations of World Rugby.
Then there is a second tier which is to numerous to name, but a few worthy shout outs are Fiji , Japan, Georgia, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, The United Stated of America, Canada, Samoa, Tonga and Chile, which would be top of the tier 2 pile.
There is so much more and many nuisances that will take too long to get through, so I would suggest to start with a Video, reacting to The Laws of Rugby explain to an American. Some education will go a long way to get you to fully appreciate and enjoy Rugby. And will at you in your way to understanding the Sport
Welcome to Rugby and hoping to see more content and reaction and sorry for the long essay hahahaha.
I did try my best to meet it short 😂😂
I respectfully read this, even though I grew up with rugby. I hope I'm not the only one who bothered - well done, sir.
@ thanks mate, felt like ages to write lol.
If I missed anything, please feel free to add to it
It's one hell of a sport, 80 minutes (with only one break with ads) of a game looking like the last minutes of an American Football match
Important rules are roughly :
- to score a try, the ball must be grounded
- You have 3 ways of scoring : "try" is roughly a touchdown and worth 5 points. When a try is scored, you can try to "convert" it : the convertion is worth 2 points. then Drop Goals & Penalties are basically field goals, worth 3 points. At some specific moments, the ref can award a penalty try, worth 7 points.
- The ref is always right
- antagonizing the ref will end badly
- You are allowed to tackle the ball carrier. A tackle is considered "complete" when tackled player's knees touch the ground. He then has to release the ball for contest. Tackler has to release the player.
- you're not allowed to tackle a player without the ball
- you're not allowed to tackle a player in the air, or above the shoulders. Also, every contact with the head will usually lead to a card. The ref can decide the color given some circumstances.
- A yellow card means you're out for 10 minutes
- a red card means you're out for good
- passes should be made backwards or "flat". The only way to send the ball forward is kicking (or using your head if you're Joe Marler)
- teams are 15 people divided as such : 8 "props" (the big dudes), 7 "backs" (the runners). You can also add the 8 benched guys, which are here to murder the survivors at 60th minute
- the props do scrums, lineouts and a bit of killing the backs when no one is looking
- the backs do sexy ass moves, run, kick and look good
- secretely, every prop wants to be a back
- secretely, every back is afraid of the props
- Top teams (international level) are : South Africa, Ireland, New Zealand, France, Scotland, Australia, Wales, Argentina, Italy, England (no specific order here)
- Top teams (club level) are : Leinster (Ireland), Toulouse (France), Crusaders (NZ)
On the money & absolutely hilarious😂 Loved your comment 🥰
@@shazza737 Thanks a lot :)
I should add :
- Players that you should know of (and watch videos of) : Jonah Lomu, Jonny Wilkinson, Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Antoine Dupont
- Matches that you should watch : France - NZ RWC semifinal of 1999, NZ - Australia of 2000, France - NZ RWC QF 2015, England - NZ RWC Semifinal 2019, England - South Africa RWC 2019 Final, France - NZ 2021 (and that run from Ntamack), Ireland - France 6N 2022, France - England 6N 2023 (a soon to be classic), RWC 2023 QF : France - South Africa / Ireland - NZ (greatest RWC matches ever to me), and the greatest ever in NH : Scotland vs England 2019 6N match (I mean, what a scenario)
Most start in primary school then go to highschool. There are also colleges and then the clubs sign players from the schools and colleges. Then if you're good enough you get drafted to your national team.
My two daughters (12 and 14 ) play Rugby and believe me those kids are no less brutal as the adults and they absolutely love playing
I started playing since i was 10 years old im 30 now and i still love it....
Welcome to the rabbit hole that is rugby. I played for 10 years number 5. Just one small reflection on why I prefer rugby. Continues play. Also don’t get into a fight with a rugby player.
115 countries play rugby union. Including the USA. There are about 12 really top class teams internationally the Tier 1s and a similar number the Tier 2s. It's still a developing sport globally. The US Eagles represent the USA & there is a professional league in the USA Major League Rugby with 11 teams currently. The USA will be hosting the Rugby World Cup in 2031.
Every country has a rugby team, but there's levels. If you want to watch the USA. They are more competitive in the 7's version. Both mens and womens. The Womens full team are probably in a better place then the mens are.
Rugby fights are more like scuffles. The whole team will back each other up, but the ref is always in charge. They usually calm down as quick as they start. Whoever starts a fight with you, buys you a beer after the match.
If you play like me right now i have to push down ball at try line for 5 points and convertion ar two i started at 2 yrs old
A huge difference is in rugby you can only tackle the player with the ball. American football you can tackle anyone, hence blockers, that's where a lot of the injuries occur. In rugby you rarely get blindsided. If you did you'd die lol
I played Rugby League from age 6 till I left high school at 17. Also played cricket since a little kid and volleyball when I was a young teenager till my 20's. Aussie from Queensland Australia.
New Zealand though not the world champs, (have been world champs), are the most winning team of rugby, and of any sports in the history of sports. Winning 77% of all their games. Rugby is a team really suited for Polynesian countries, along with South Africa, Argentina, Scotland, Ireland etc
Rugby is a game created in a town called Rugby in England, they took it around the world through the 1800s including New Zealand, and in the first international meeting (called tests), between England and New Zealand, they played 35 test where New Zealand won 34.
This is a violent sport played by gentlemen!
America, South africa, england australia new zealand, japan, france, italy, georgia, russia, argentina, uruguay, zimbabwe, namibia, zambia, portugal, wales, scotland, ireland and many many more.
Its worth pointing out that hits above the shoulder are illegal and would result in a card for the player where they would have to leave the field of play. So a lot of these hits happen just before the ref penalizes the player.
Another point - Rugby would probably be more dangerous with helmets (ironically).
Have you seen much Euroleague basketball?
The women's game hit hard too.
The reason NFL is so boring to the rest of the world is all the delay after each tackle. Good for corporate businesses to advertise. Rugby does not stop.
We always used to say “give blood, play rugby”
To get a try (touch down ) in rugby you have yo put the ball down on the ground with downward pressure. Unlike nfl there a touch down is running past the goal line.
And the kicked are different
I'm from uk we play rugby in school and after if we wanted i used to love it
As a 30 year rugby player yes, we do watch some NFL and I’ve played a few games. The helmets and pads actually hurt. Prefer without.
South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, England, Wales, Ireland, France, Italy, Namibia, Scotland, France,Argentina, Portugal, Samoa, Fiji, Japan
Rugby is massive in the Uk and Australia they hold two of the best teams country wise
Ice baths don't cut it. Cryogenic freezers weekly to help speed recovery ready for next week.
Here in South Africa we start to play at 6 years old
Rugby players are fearless.
The Six Nations Tournament covers England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. In the Southern Hemisphere: Argentina, Australia, apan, New Zealand, and South Africa, USA and Canada and many other Nations Worldwide have international teams.
I think there are over 130 countries around the world that have a national rugby team and that includes the USA, thats not to say rugby is not played in some of those other countries as well
People always claim it's a "Gentlemans game" but from playing high school rugby and under 19 club (colt) in Australia it's far from. And yes people have died. In Brisbane there was a horrible few years where two young men were killed and one became a quadriplegic.
Main thing = you can only pass backwards 🔥
USA has played at RWC 1997, 1991, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019. Failed to qualify in 1995 & 2023
All countries play rugby and most have an international team. Even USA.
It's easier to not think of it as like American football as other than the posts and the shape of the ball, there isn't much else the same.
My guy was getting patted down after an injury and still got up to tackle someone 😅
The big rugby playing countries are England, Scotland, Ireland and wales, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa
I played Rugby for 15 years, I did have a dislocated finger once.
Rugby Union is played in 133 Countries. The Rugby Union Word Cup is the third largest Sporting event in the World behind The Olympics and The Football (Soccer) World Cup.
They normally range in weight between 250lbs and 300lbs for the forwards and between 220lbs and 240lbs for the backs.
the helmets in rugby is to protect your ears and some head protection but the Srum cap is to prevent cauliflower ears
Bottom line, anyone who says " American football is tough" would get destroyed on a rugby pitch. Its that simple
We play rugby in college, which is high school for you. College is age 12-16, then we go into further education aka sixth form. Only then we go to university, or college from your prospective
There are 15 players a team. You get fullback,centre,half backs,props,outside centre etc
Should check out France vs South Africa from last year. One of the best matches ever!