Rugby_Union

Supposedly invented during a football game by William Webb Ellis at Rugby School, the game of Rugby Union is a team sport contested with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players, the object being to outscore the opposing team. The ball is carried in the hand and may be passed backwards or laterally across the pitch or kicked in any direction. The opposing players attempt to halt the ball-carrier by tackling him or her with arms.

Points are scored by:

• touching the ball down over the opponents goal line (a try, worth 5 points)
• kicking the ball above the crossbar and between the uprights of a large 'H' shaped set of posts. This may either be done from a place kick following a rule infringement (a penalty goal) or kicked from the hand, providing the ball strikes the ground before being kicked (a drop goal). Both types of goal are worth 3 points.
• A conversion, which is attempted after a try and is similar to a penalty goal except worth only 2 points.

Male and female versions of the Rugby World Cup are held every 4 years with separate yearly international competitions in both the northern and southern hemispheres.

The sport is governed by the International Rugby Board, founded in 1886, who also publish the game's laws