Darlington Ladies Rugby Football Club

An Idiot's Guide to Rugby Union

I have never been formally taught the rules of Rugby Union. It has all been a learning process based on trial and error. An anecdote I will tell anyone who'll listen, is of the first time I played a match when I made a spectacular tackle. Feeling very proud of myself, I tried to repeat what I just did only to find myself offside, and giving away a scrum to the opposition!

So, here's a handy idiot proof guide to prevent you looking like a complete novice:

The Real Basics

the ball can only be thrown backwards
however you want the ball to go forwards because...
you score by placing the ball behind the try line
you can tackle any opposition carrying the ball

Once you've mastered these basics, you are ready to play. However if you may want to know why the ref is whistling at you, or where you are supposed to be on the pitch, read on. For more on the general principles of rugby click here.

The Squad

A rugby union team is made up of 15 players. The eight who are in the scrum are called forwards. Anyone else on the pitch is a back. Generally speaking the forwards make the most tackles and get the most impressive injuries. The backs run about a lot and score the tries. Hopefully. Click here to see player positions.

The Kit

A basic rugby union kit consists of a shirt, shorts, socks and boots. Too see how to look the part click here.

Scoring

How Scored	What's worth
A try	5
A conversion	2
A penalty kick	3
A drop goal	3

For those other niggling little questions, and some of the major ones, check out our faq page.

So that about covers most of what I know. And a bit more I had to ask some friends about. Why are you still reading, go out and play rugby! Get out there!