RUGBY – THE BASICS
First time at a match? Always wondered what a line-out was? Confused by an offside call? These basic facts will get you through!
1 Vital statistics There are fifteen players on each side. Each match lasts for eighty minutes, and the team plays forty minutes in one direction and then they swap ends.
2 Scoring The object is to score more points than the opposition. Teams can score a try, penalty, drop goal or conversion.
3 Try When the ball is grounded over the try line and within the area before the dead ball line it earns five points.
4 Conversion After a team scores a try, a conversion, a free kick at goal from a point directly in line with where the try was scored, is worth two points.
5 Drop goal When, in open play, the ball is kicked between the rugby post uprights and above the crossbar, in a drop goal, it earns three points.
6 Penalty This can be awarded by the referee for infringements of the rules of rugby and if successfully kicked it earns three points.
7 Offside This is the key rule of rugby, and it’s a lot simpler than football. Say your friend has the ball and she passes it to you. If she has to throw it back to you, you are onside. If she throws it forward, you are offside. Players must be behind the ball.
8 Tackle Not as rude as it sounds! The player with the ball is brought to the ground by a tackle, and they must either pass or release the ball.
9 Ruck If a player loses possession of the ball, the team form a ruck to try to win the ball back, trying to ruck the ball back with their feet.
10 Maul If a ball carrier is held up (a tackle which doesn’t bring the player to the ground) a maul may form, when players can only join the maul from behind their team-mates and not come in from the side.
11 Line-out If the ball goes out of the field of play, into touch, a line-out restarts the game. Players from both teams form parallel lines while the ball is thrown down the middle of the line-out from the touch line and players are lifted by their team-mates in an effort to win the ball.
12 Scrum If a player infringes the rules, for example by being offside, a scrum may be awarded, where the eight forwards from each team bind together and push against the opposition to win the ball, which is fed in down the centre of the tunnel.
HOW TO BE FABULOUS
AT THE RUGBY…
Follow our simple guide to rugby style and you’ll soon have a whole new perspective on the game.
The atmosphere before any big game is part of the fun. Make sure you get there early. And starting the match-day party with a champagne picnic means it won’t really matter if you know the rules or not!
While you want to look gorgeous, you also want to be warm. Invest in a striking full-length coat and matching scarf and gloves.
It’s chilly in the stands and the weather can never be trusted – make sure your make-up is weatherproof.
Indulge the trend for girly wellingtons or pretty ballet shoes, as sky-scraper heels may start to pinch. Especially if your team is winning and you’re leaping up and down enthusiastically!
Be ready to join in – sing as loud as you can in support of your team, cheer on the tries and allow yourself to get into the spirit of it all. You’ll be surprised at how much fun you have!
Not sure whether you’ll enjoy the game? Check out Rugby Sevens. Group tournaments are played all around the UK throughout the year, and with only seven men in each team. Rugby supporters are a jolly bunch. There are many new friends to be had over a beer and a hog roast!
A rugby game is only eighty minutes long. Why stop the afternoon there? Plan a fabulous after party and play perfect hostess.
ROMANTIC RUGBY
What better excuse than the six countries of the Six Nations to treat yourself and your partner to a romantic weekend away? You can share the fun of a match, and then enjoy a new city together.
Sadly, the kingdom of Biryal is fictional – but if you feel like some sunshine and some high-octane glamour then you could treat yourself to a trip to the Dubai Sevens.
Rugby Sevens are played with only seven men on each team, with each match lasting for around twenty-five minutes. If you’re new to rugby spectatorship, it’s a wonderful way to start – the games are fast, furious and fun! The Dubai Sevens has been running for almost forty years and is one of the Middle East’s most glittering and glamorous social events.
Once you’ve enjoyed the rugby, there’s plenty to do in Dubai. It’s an unbeatable shopping destination – bargain in the Gold Souk, enjoy the scents of the Spice Souk or browse the air-conditioned Dubai Mall with its collection of top brands and luxury designers. And if shopping isn’t your thing, why not relax at the world’s only seven-star hotel?
One thing’s for sure – you can certainly combine rugby and glamour in Dubai!
DID YOU KNOW
That the wives and girlfriends of rugby players are called Scrummies? Felicia Field-Hall is dating England Rugby player James Haskell – so she knows all about romance and rugby! We caught up with the glamorous model and presenter to ask her a few questions.
In your opinion, what’s the difference between a Scrummie and a WAG?
Scrummie is a fairly new press title for the other halves of rugby players. Aside from pointing out the obvious, I like to think that the difference in salaries keeps us grounded! We are all very much career-focused girls. I think this probably benefits the boys in the sense that anyone who dates a professional sportsman will know that their sport is all-consuming. I think it’s a nice escape for them to talk about what we do during the day!
How do you manage to combine romance and rugby?
As you can imagine, self-discipline and dedication are foremost to any rugby player. I’ll admit that it’s often hard to break their focus away from the game, but I think, like any career where you are expected to put in the extra mile with everything you do if you want to succeed, you have to find those small moments to share. It can be anything from a posh dinner to simply walking the dog.
Which do you think is the most romantic of the cities in which the Six Nations are played? Why?
By far and away, Rome. Last year was my first visit to Rome, and everything from the fabulous hotel in which the team stayed to the brilliant atmosphere of the Stadio Flaminio makes it the perfect setting for any Mills & Boon novel.
Any tips for looking your best at a wet and windy Twickenham watching the rugby?
This is, almost certainly, the hardest look to achieve. Buy a protective “shield” in the form of a hooded coat. Equally important, I have found out the hard way, is to have a back-up black-tie dress tucked away, in case you are asked to the post-match dinner.
Have you ever been tempted to enter the scrum and play yourself?