What is Rugby?
Rugby is the fastest growing youth sport in the United States. In the U.S., rugby may be considered a new sport, but you may be surprised to learn that it is actually the second most popular sport in the world behind soccer. In fact, in Europe, Australia and South Africa, the teams and players are elevated to a star status that exceeds that of NFL players in the United States! Many teams fill 80,000 seat stadiums for international match play.
The allure of rugby is easy to understand yet hard to explain. Who can’t appreciate the toughness required to play a fast-paced, physically demanding game that is 60 minutes long with no timeouts and only a 5- minute half time! All players play both defense and offense at any given time during a game. Most appealing is the fact that there is a position for everyone who wants to play – large or thin, short or tall. Above all, rugby is a social sport that praises competition but demands good sportsmanship.
Scoring:
There are four ways to score points in a rugby game.
Try – When the ball is grounded over an opponent’s try line (goal line) in their try zone (end zone), it is worth 5 points. The try counts as a score only if the ball is literally touched down with control in the try zone, which is where American football gets the word “touchdown.”
Conversion – After scoring a try, the scoring team gets an attempt to kick the ball over the crossbar and through the posts of the rugby uprights. A conversion is worth 2 points. Again, like American football, a score and a conversion are a combined seven points.
Penalty – If the opposition commits a penalty, a team can choose to kick at the goal. Combining the penalty shot of soccer and the field goal of American football, a penalty kick is worth 3 points.
Drop Goal – During play, a team may drop the ball on the ground and kick it over the goal. This is called a drop goal and is worth 3 points.
How do I learn more about Rugby?
Go to www.rugbyindiana.com and click on the tab “What Is Rugby?” You can watch videos and download a great document tool called “Beginners Guide to Rugby”.
What happens after the season? Are there opportunities to play in All-Stars or travels to other states?
Yes! During the semi-state and state tournaments, staff and coaches from the Rugby Indiana organization will provide try-out and other important information. Players and coaches from Mudsock Youth Rugby, Fishers High School Rugby Club, and HSE Royals Rugby have played/coached in many tournaments across the U.S. and even internationally. We maintain a strong relationship with Eagle Impact Rugby Academy (EIRA) which is a developmental pipeline for our U.S. National Team (The Eagles). EIRA hosts many Midwest camps, events and try-outs throughout the season.
When my child is done with youth rugby, are there high school rugby teams are in Indiana?
Yes! In fact, Indiana is one of the hotbeds of rugby in the U.S.! There are currently over 30 boys and 15 girls high school teams in Indiana. There are three divisions for boys (Super League, Division I, Division II) and two divisions for girls (Division I, Division II). Indiana has one of the largest numbers of youth and high school rugby clubs in the USA. In 2011, the Southeastern Rugby Club was split into two high school teams, HSE Rugby and Fishers Rugby. HSE won the Division I state title in 2015, FHS won the Division I state title in 2016. Mudsock Youth Rugby teams also have multiple youth state titles and is the only youth rugby club in Indiana that feeds into two high school boy’s teams. The girl’s rugby teams, while newer, have also both enjoyed much on the field success.