Portal:Rugby union

Portal maintenance status: (June 2018)

This portal's subpages should be checked. Subpages that are no longer needed should be reported here.

Please take care when editing, especially if using automated editing software.

Wikipedia's portal for exploring content related to Rugby union

Portal topics: Activities; Culture; Geography; Health; History; Mathematics; Nature; People; Philosophy; Religion; Society; Technology; Random portal

edit

The Rugby Union Portal

Introduction

South African Victor Matfield takes a line-out against New Zealand in 2006.

Rugby union, commonly known in most of the world as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts on each try line.

Rugby union is a popular sport around the world, played by male and female players of all ages. In 2014, there were more than 6 million people playing worldwide, of whom 2.36 million were registered players. World Rugby, previously called the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) and the International Rugby Board (IRB), has been the governing body for rugby union since 1886, and currently has 101 countries as full members and 18 associate members.

Read more...

Refresh with new selections below (purge)

edit

Article of the month

Stade Français CASG Paris is a French rugby union club that plays in the 16th arrondissement of Paris at Stade Jean-Bouin, across the road from Parc des Princes. It currently competes in the top level of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby ( LNR Rugby TOP 14). The club was founded in its current form in 1995 with the merger of the rugby sections of the Stade français and CASG sports clubs. They normally play at Stade Jean-Bouin (capacity 12,000), although they drew nearly 80,000 at Stade de France for two separate 2005-06 home matches, first against Toulouse and then Biarritz. Both Stade de France fixtures broke the all-time attendance record for a regular-season French league match in any sport. (More...)

More articles...

edit

Recent news

21 March 2015 : Ireland win 2015 Six Nations Championship

2 August 2014: The NSW Waratahs win the 2014 Super Rugby title for the first time after defeating 7-time champions, Crusaders 33-32.

27 July 2014: The South Africa sevens team wins gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games after defeating reigning champion, New Zealand in the final.

28 June 2014: Fiji defeat the Cook Islands to qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

25 May 2014: Japan win the 2014 Asian Five Nations to qualify for 2015 Rugby World Cup.

24 May 2014: Toulon defeat Saracens 23–6 in the final of the 2013–14 Heineken Cup.

17 May 2014: New Zealand win the '2013–14 IRB Women's Sevens World Series

edit

Did you know...

... that the iconic guerilla Che Guevara (pictured) played fly-half for Club Universitario de Buenos Aires and edited a rugby fanzine?

... that women's rugby union dates back to at least 1884, possibly earlier?

... that Alfred Clunies-Ross was the first non-white rugby international, and played for Scotland in the first ever rugby international?

... that snow rugby is played in many parts of the world including Afghanistan?

... that Richard Summers, Edward Peake, Godfrey Darbishire and Richard Williams were all single cap Wales rugby union players after the team was humiliated by England in its first international match

... that rugby union footballer David Gage played in 68 of 74 matches played by the 1888–89 New Zealand Native team during their tour of the British Isles?

... that Stephen Fry was an engineer and aspiring jazz pianist before he captained South Africa's rugby team against the British Lions?

... that the English actor Nick Frost known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul, Attack the Block etc used to play for Barking Rugby Football Club?

edit

Selected image

Georgian players celebrate defeating Russia in 2007.
Photo credit: Paata

More pictures...

edit

Things you can do

Stub articles needing expansion : Jimmy Duncan • Ian Kirkpatrick • Germany national rugby union team • Billy Wallace • Australian Rugby Union • South American Jaguars • Georgia Championship • Vodacom Cup • England Saxons • More...

edit

Selected quote

What happens when a game of football is proposed at Christmas among a party of your men assembled from different schools? Alas! ... The Eton man is enamoured of his own rules, and turns up his nose at Rugby as not sufficiently aristocratic, while the Rugbeian retorts that 'bullying' and 'sneaking' are not to his taste, and he is not afraid of his shins, or of a 'maul' or 'scrimmage'. On hearing this the Harrovian pricks up his ears, and though he might previously have sided with Rugby, the insinuation against the courage of those who do not allow 'shinning' arouses his ire, and causes him to refuse to lay with one who has offered it. Thus it is found impossible to get up a game.

—Editorial, The Field, 1861, reflecting the confused state of affairs that existed in the years before rugby and football emerged as separate disciplines.

More quotes...

edit

Selected biography

Blair Swannell (1875 – 1915) was an English-born international rugby union forward who played club rugby for Northampton, and internationally for the British Isles and later Australia. He was invited to tour with the British Isles on their 1899 tour of Australia and then their 1904 tour of Australia and New Zealand. He played a total of seven Test matches on these tours, and scored one Test try – against Australia during the 1904 tour. After settling in Australia, Swannell played a single game for his new home when they faced New Zealand. He was viewed as a violent player, and this made his unpopular with other players. Former Australian captain Herbert Moran said of him that "... his conception of rugby was one of trained violence". During the Second Boer War, Swannell served in the British Army in South Africa, rising to the rank of lieutenant. During the First World War he joined the Australian Imperial Force and was appointed with the rank of major, serving with the 1st Battalion. He was killed on 25 April 1915 while taking part in the Landing at Anzac Cove, during the first day of the Gallipoli Campaign.

More biographies...

edit

Featured content

Articles

Arthur Gould

All Blacks

Crusaders

Thomas Ellison

England national rugby union team

France national rugby union team

Rugby World Cup

Waisale Serevi

Wales national rugby union team

Lists

List of 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team matches

Tri Nations Series champions

edit

WikiProjects

Rugby union •
Rugby league •
Sports •
Biography sports and games

edit

Main topics

History	History of rugby union • History of the Rugby World Cup
Terminology	Try • Scrum • Substitute • First team • Tackle • Touch • Line-out • Free kick • Offside • Penalty • Testimonial match • Local derby
Rules	Offside • Foul • Goal kick • Experimental Law Variations • Penalty • Extra time
Positions	Prop • Hooker • Lock • Number 8 • Flanker • Scrum Half • Fly-half • Centre • Wing • Fullback
Governing bodies	World Rugby • Rugby Africa • Asia Rugby • Oceania Rugby • Rugby Europe • Rugby Americas North • Sudamérica Rugby
Competitions	World Cup • World Cup Sevens • U-19 World Championship • U-21 World Championship • Africa Cup • Asian Five Nations • Churchill Cup • European Nations Cup • Four Nations • IRB Nations Cup • Pacific Nations Cup • Pan American • Sevens World Series • Six Nations • Super Cup • Tri Nations