All you need to know about Australian Rugby

Rugby is one of the oldest contact sports to be ever played which makes it even older than the much popular football. The first ever known rugby game was played in the United Kingdom in 1830 and since then the sport has not looked back. But due to issues related to money, there was a division in the rugby playing teams and thus Australia became a part of the Rugby Union. 

Rugby is one of the most physically challenging contact sports since it requires more time in physical contact with the opponent than in other games. Most of this contact requires grappling and wrestling with the opponent and thus you need to be physically strong as well as fast and athletic if you wish to excel in this game. We will now take a look at some of the basic rules of the game as well as some essential features. 

Rules of the game 

The most basic rule of the game requires the player to carry the ball across the opponent's goal line. The ball can either be kicked or carried and the important thing to remember is that the ball should always be passed in a sideways or backward angle. You cannot throw or pass the ball to a player who is ahead of you in the field unlike football. The opposition is supposed to stop the ball from crossing their goal line at all costs and it involves hard tackling as well as blocking the player physically. 

•    In the Rugby League of which Australia is a part, each team has a maximum of fifteen players and can use up to seven substitutes in a particular game. The game itself is divided into two halves of 40 minutes each with a ten-minute break in between.

•    Every game will have a main referee and two line judges who assist the referee especially in case of line calls. The referee has a very important role in the game since due to the highly physical nature of the game, the players often tend to get unruly and violent during the game. It is the duty of the referee to make sure that the game goes on smoothly and no player oversteps the line.

•    Methods of scoring and their points - There are four methods of scoring in a rugby league game which are as follows:

1.    Penalty try - 5 points

2.    Penalty goal - 3 points

3.    Conversion - 2 points

4.    Drop goal - 3 points

Physical nature of the game

The game of Rugby league requires a superior physical level on the behalf of the athlete or else injuries are a common occurrence. Often players get injured due to harsh tackling and unnecessary blocking. Thus an athlete with a superior physical state and athleticism can make sure that he stays injury free. Often team selectors opt for players with a superior body mass than others since they can endure physical constraints better than others.