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Aaron Loew
Miss VanderSlik
ENG 100-15
4 December 2014
Research Paper
When we, as Americans, think of Rugby we automatically think of Australia. Many of us believe
that that's where the sport originated from, this though, is untrue. Rugby first draws it's roots from the
Ancient Greek sport called harpaston. Rugby branched off of this sport as one of three "child" sports that
resulted from harpaston. The two other sports being Soccer and American Football, both have striking
similarities to the Ancient Greek past time and even have several areas of common ground between each
other.
Harpaston, as far as archeologists can tell, had no real rule set. No out of bounds, no set team
sizes, no penalties, no time limit, and no defined score keepers. "There was no specific field length, no
side line boundaries, no specified number of players per team, only a glaring lack of rules." (Renfro) The
article goes on to talk about how it was a very brutal sport played for fun. From what archeologists can
interpret, the point of the game was to get the ball into a designated area by either kicking it, running it, or
by throwing it somebody in that area. Much like modern day sports. The point of the opposing team, as
one could guess, would be to stop the other team's ball carrier by any means necessary. These games were
believed to get very nasty due to the lack of rules enforced on the playing field. The Greek's had one thing
going for them though, there was no worries for uniforms getting in the way because they played
completely naked. In Rugby and sports like it today, athletes have obviously moved past the nudity and
started to use uniforms.
"In 1820 the game of Rugby was played rather like soccer, but players were allowed to catch the
ball and kick it out of their hands. There were no limits to the number of players on each side...With so
many on each side this was hard to do and sometimes games would last up to five days. The Close itself

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was merely three rough fields, and it was not until the late 1850s that the ground was levelled. Sheep still
grazed here until the early 1900s.Now written rules at this time!" (rugbyschool.net, A History of Rugby
Football) Harpaston wasn't really converted into the sports like Rugby that we know and love today until
the early 1800s. The above quote talks even talks about the early downfalls of the sport. For example their
field, The Close, was multiple sheep grazing fields until the mid to late 1800s. Rugby, the boarding
school was the only school in England that was playing what they called Rugby. All the other schools and
universities in the area were playing a game very similar to soccer. The only difference at the time
between Rugby and Soccer was that in Rugby players were allowed to pick up the ball and kick it out of
their hands. AS the years progressed more rules were created to make the game more uniforms in between
schools and team sizes began to be limited. All these things are contributions to the rule set we have in
Rugby today.
There are a multitude of terms used in Rugby, most of which draw some parallels with Soccer
and American Football. There are terms for everything, scoring, penalties, fifteen different positions, and
even four different ways for a team to score. The first thing to understand is what the positions are, what
numbers they wear, and get to get an idea of what they do. The positions are broke into two groups, the
font line and the back line, or as Americans call it, offense and defense. In the front line there are eight
different players and five different positions. These positions are two props wearing the numbers one and
three. A hooker wearing the number two, two locks wearing the numbers four and five. Two flankers
wearing the numbers six and seven, and the last position wearing the number eight is called the eightman.
These players' goal is to get possession of the ball and attack the opponent's side of the field and attempt
to score. One that side of the field defending the scoring area is the back line. Their positions are
scrumhalf wearing number nine, flyhalf wearing number ten, Two wings wearing the numbers eleven and
fourteen, Two outside centers wearing the numbers twelve and thirteen and the last position on the back
line, wearing the number fifteen. This makes a full team of 15 each with their own duties and missions.
They all though, must abide by the same rules as everyone else or they will be given a penalty.

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Since the sport has been more standardized that it can be played throughout the professional
levels there has been common ground made concerning the rules, or laws as they're called in Rugby, on
the playing field. Like any other sport there are several laws that could be take days to fully explain so
that everyone could easily understand them. At they're simplest form they are much easier to look at and
teach to others. One of the most basic laws is that when a player is tackled and brought to the ground the
tackler must immediately release the ball carrier. The ball carrier in turn must immediately release the ball
so that players that are standing up can take the ball and continue to play the sport while the other two
players recover from the ordeal. There are several other small penalties that relate to things like this.
When penalties are committed the referee doesn't immediately end play, unlike American Football. The
referee has the option to do this but in most situations doesn't. Instead they usually let the play continue
and the team that didn't commit the penalty has an "advantage." This advantage simply means that play
will continue until the referee decides to stop it and the ball is returned to the spot that the penalty was
committed. A few of these penalties involve the equipment of the game including the ball.
The uniform of the game is much like that of soccer. All players wear a short sleeve shirt, shorts,
tall socks and cleats. The uniform is the colors of the team and has the team symbol on the front very
close to the same position as the front pocket of a shirt. On the back of the shirt is the last name of the
player across the shoulders and their number in big block letters underneath. These uniforms allow for
players to identify their teammates in a split second to avoid turn overs. The ball itself is simply called a
rugby ball and is made much like every other ball in the world. It is an oval shape about the size of an
American Football. Many people compare it to take a soccer ball and a football and smashing them
together to make a Rugby ball. The ball itself has a rather interesting origin as one was never the same
back in the 1800s. This was due to the fact that it all depended on how big the pig bladder was that they
used for the ball. There are many different events that occur concerning the ball that can quickly change
the pace of the game.

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In Rugby there are four key things that happen in the sport, that to uneducated viewers makes
little to no sense and looks absolutely chaotic. The first being a lineout. This is basically a throw in from
soccer and a jump ball from basketball mashed into one. All the players line up and one player throws it
down the tunnel to put the ball back into play. This is done after a player carrying the ball goes out of
bounds. The second term is called a Maul. This is when two people try to tackle a ball carrier at the same
time and the ball carrier's teammates try to "save" him. The whole while they are moving toward a goal
line. The third term is a Ruck. This is when one of more players from each team, that are standing up,
close around the ball and attempt to get the ball. At this point they are no longer allowed to sue their
hands, only their feet. The fourth and final term is perhaps the most well known one. The Scrum. This is
when eight players from each team lock together and push and pull against the other team in an attempt to
get the ball. This is done to return the ball to play after several minor infractions.
Though American football is a direct descendant of Rugby there are also many similarities
between it and soccer. Rugby in, in a way is a descendant of the Greek sport of harpaston. It has a very
unique set of laws that take a little while to master. Once mastered, it is a continuous fast paced sport
enjoyed by many people around the world. It will continue to be a well enjoyed sport for years to come
and the viewer base continues to grow as the dynamics of the game shifts and changes around the need of
the players and the sport.

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Works Cited
Brown, Mathew, and Greg Growden. Rugby for Dummies. Etobicioke, Ont.: J. Wiley & Sons Canada,
2004. Print.
"A Brief History of the Game." History of Football. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.hornetfootball.org/documents/football-history.htm>
"Rugby School." A History of Rugby Football. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. <http://www.rugbyschool.net/ahistory-of-rugby-football>.