Rugby League

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Rugby League is a variant of rugby, with different rules from Rugby Union. The game developed from Rugby Union, and originated with rugby clubs in Northern England. The players in these clubs were largely working-class, unlike the clubs in Southern England whose players were middle or upper class. Since, the Rugby Union competition at the time did not allow paying players any salary; the working-class players felt they could not afford time off to train and play, nor could they afford to miss work through injury sustained whilst playing.

In 1892, charges of professionalism were laid against clubs in Bradford and Leeds, Yorkshire after they compensated players for missing work. This was despite the fact that the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was allowing other players to be paid, such as the 1888 England team that toured Australia, or the account of Harry Hamill of his payments to represent New_South_Wales (NSW) against England in 1904.

On August 29, 1895 representatives of the northern clubs met in the George Hotel, Huddersfield to form the "Northern Rugby Football Union", a professional Union which would eventually become the Rugby Football League in 1922. By 1907, the new sport's rules had diverged from those Rugby Union, most noticeably in the reduction of players from 15 to 13; the "play the ball" (heeling the ball back after a tackle) rather than rucking and mauling; the elimination of the line out; and slightly different scoring.

A similar schism, and for similar reasons, opened up in the Union establishment of Australia, where the term Rugby League was first used for the new game. In 1907, at the instigation of the famous test cricket player Victor Trumper, at a meeting in Bateman's Crystal Hotel in Sydney, NSW, The NSW Rugby League was formed. Players were immediately recruited for the new game, and despite the threat of immediate and lifetime explusion from the Rugby Union, the NSWRL managed to recruit Herbert "Dally" Messenger, the most famous rugby player in Sydney at that time.

Points are scored by:

Touching the ball down over the opponents goal line (a try, worth 4 points). The ball must be placed on the ground within the in-goal area using positive downward pressure by the hand or forearm carrying the ball, and before the momentum of any tackle by an opposing player ends. The player must be inside the field of play at the moment the ball is grounded.
Penalty try, where a try would have certainly been scored but for the illegal actions of the defending team. A penalty try is awarded directly under the goal posts no matter where the offence took place.
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 field goal, or drop goal). A penalty goal is worth 2 points and a drop goal is worth 1.
A conversion, which is attempted after a try has been scored, from in line with where the try was scored along the axis of the goal line. A conversion is worth 2 points.

When a team scores, the opposing team restarts play by kicking the ball (from a place kick) back into play from the half way line.

The game is played for two forty minute halves. The teams swap ends for each half.

Other rules usually thought of as indicative of the difference between the two different types of Rugby, were introduced over the subsequent history of the game. The two most important concepts that League has and Union does not are the play-the-ball and the limited-tackles rule.

Table of contents

1 The Play-The-Ball
2 The Six-Tackle Rule
3 Players

3.1 Backs
3.2 Forwards

4 Tactics

4.3 Attacking Tactics
4.4 The 40/20 Kick
4.5 Forwards
4.6 Backs
4.7 Defensive Tactics

4.7.1 Sliding Defence
4.7.2 Umbrella Defence
4.7.3 Fullback
4.7.4 Wingers

5 Scrums
6 Popular Competitions

The Play-The-Ball

The play-the-ball is how league players return the ball to play after being tackled. In union, the tackled player must release the ball and half the players from each side jump on him and try to take it. In league, however, as soon as a player is tackled (when his ball-carrying arm or the ball touches the ground, as long as an opponent has some contact with him), then all the defenders must retreat 10 metres from the tackled player, with the exception of two 'markers', who stand one behind the other, in front of the tackled player. As soon as possible, the tackled player regains his feet, places the ball on the ground in front of one of his feet (if he drops it, it's a knock-on and a scrum to the opposition), and rolls it backwards with his boot. In recent years, it has become acceptable for a player merely to place the ball on the ground and roll it backwards with his hand, merely stepping over it as it moves backwards. As soon as the ball is played, it is back in play and the defenders can try and take it back. A colleague of the tackled player will stand behind the tackled player to receive the play-the-ball; he will then pass, kick or run with it as he sees fit. This is most usually either the players at scrum-half or stand-off half, and is known as the acting half-back or dummy-half.

The Six-Tackle Rule

This is the other rule that both differentiates the game from rugby union and brings it closer to American football. When a side takes possession, they have five attempts to move the ball up the field and score a try or a drop goal with it. The referee keeps track of the tackle count; after each tackle, he shouts how many tackles have been made, in either cardinal or ordinal form. When a side has been tackled five times, the shout is "Fifth and last!" and is accompanied by an arm raised above the head with fingers spread. The referee also has the power to reset the tackle count; if the defending side commits a knock-on (for example, while trying to intercept a pass or catch a kick), but the attacking side immediately regains possesion, the referee usually elects to wipe the tackle count in lieu of awarding a scrum: he will shout "Back to zero!", and wave one arm over his head with fingers clenched into a fist, and the attacking side gains another set of six tackles. If they fail to advance the ball past the point where the knock-on occurred before being tackled, the referee will also award zero tackle: that is, the tackle does not count in the tackle count, and the attackers still have their full complement of six tackles. He will indicate this by shouting "zero tackle" instead of "one" or "first". He may only award zero tackle once per knock-on, though. If a side is tackled for a sixth time, then the referee blows his whistle and shouts "handover"; the ball is handed over by the tackled player to an opponent, who conducts a play-the-ball and the opposition take possession. Because of this, it is common to kick the ball on the last tackle: normally because, like in American football on fourth down, it is far more desirable to concede possession fifty yards closer to the opposition posts than in midfield or close to your own posts. It is also used on fifth tackle when near the opposing try-line as a different way of trying to beat the defence and score a try. In recent years, running on the last tackle has become known as a power play, a term taken and modified from ice hockey.

These two rules result in a game which, to the casual observer, bears more resemblance to American football with its four-down system and the snap at the line of scrimmage, than to rugby union. However, there is one vital difference between the four-down rule and the six-tackle rule: the only way a rugby league side gains a fresh set of six is via a knock-on or if they are awarded a penalty. There is no distance that they can make to gain a new set of six, unlike in American football where advancing ten yards gains a new set of four downs.

More recent rule changes are those such as: the four-point try, previously three; non-competitive scrums; the ten-metre rule, where the defensive team has to remain in a line at least ten metres away from the play-the-ball area (or behind the goal line if the ball is less than 10 metres away), previously this was only five metres; the golden point rule in case of a drawn game at the end of regular time (Australia only); the 40/20 rule, and many others.

Players

Players on field are divided into "forwards" and "backs".

Backs

1 Fullback: Last ditch defender.

2,5 Wingers, or wing three-quarters: Fast men that attack and defend on the edge of the field.

3,4 Centres, or centre three-quarters: Play just inside the wingers. Together, the wingers and centres make up the three-quarter line.

6 Five-eighth, or stand-off half: Second reciver.

7 Half-back, or scrum-half: Feeds the scrum and is usually first receiver.

Forwards

9 Hooker: Packs in the middle of the front row and is usually dummy half.

8,10 Prop-forwards: Packs in the front of the scrum. The biggest and toughest players on the field.

11,12 Second-row forwards. Pack in the second row of the scrum.

13 Lock, or loose forward: Packs the back of the scrum.

Tactics

Rugby league is arguably less tactically complicated than other codes such as rugby union or American football. The tactics below are a basic guide to the game. On occasions, enterprising teams may choose to do the exact opposite in order to surprise their opponents.

A 'dummy' is move in which the player with the ball pretends to pass to team-mate, but retains the ball and continues with it himself.

When two players execute a 'run-around', player A passes the ball to player B, and then circles behind him. Player B then passes the ball back to player A. The defending team must move laterally across the field to ensure all attacking players remain marked.

A 'face-ball' or 'second man play' is a pass that travels through the air in-front of an attacking player (who does not catch it) and to a second man. Defenders may mistakenly focus on the first attacker, who does not receive the ball, leaving the second man unmarked.

Rather than running through the defensive line, the attackers may kick the ball forward pass the defensive line, regain the ball, and continue to attack. A 'grubber' is a short kick along the ground. A 'bomb' is a punt kick that travels high in the air, allowing the attacking side time to run through. The attacking and defending sides then contest the bomb by jumping in the air an catching the ball. It is illegal to tackle a player while he is in the air.

Defensive Tactics

Defending players aim to spread across the field in a single line and stop the attacking players from breaking this line. Two ways to do this are the 'Slide Defence' and the 'Umbrella Defence'. Teams would use both at different times during a game.

Sliding Defence

Under the 'sliding defence' gaps are left at either edge of the field at the end of the defensive line. Should the attacking side move the ball towards one edge of the field in an attempt to go around the defensive line, then the entire defensive line will move in that direction. This is known as sliding. The advantage of the slide defence is that the players in the defensive line may stand closer together, leaving the attacking side less opportunity to run through the line.

Umbrella Defence

Under the 'umbrella defence' (or 'up and in' defence) players do not spread across the entire field. Players on the edge of the defensive line move up faster than those in the middle of the line, hoping to disrupt any passes towards the edge of the field.

Fullback

The fullback is the last-ditch line of defence. He stands behind the main line of defence and performs these duties: (i) tackles any player who breaks the first line of defence, (ii) catches any kicks made by the attacking side, (iii) uses his vantage point to shouts instructions to the other defending players.

Wingers

Late in the tackle count, when the attacking side is more likely to kick or break the first line of defence, the wingers may also drop back slightly from the main line of defence.

Scrums

A scrum is awarded when a player ÃÂÃÂknocks-onÃÂÃÂ (propelling the ball forward with the hand) or when the ball is carried or kicked over the sideline.

It is formed by the front row of each side locking together, and packing down into the front row of the opposition. The second row forwards pack in behind the front rows, and the loose forwards join the scrum at the back. The ball is fed through the legs of one of the props by the scrum-half, who normally then retrieves it again from the back of the scrum.

The main purpose of the scrum is simply to remove the forwards from the play for a period, thus creating more space for back-play. This is intended to give advantage to the side that is awarded the scrum.

Scrums in Rugby League differ from those in Rugby Union, being simpler and less time consuming. It is very rare (but not completely unknown) for a team to win possession ÃÂÃÂagainst the headÃÂÃÂ.

Popular Competitions

Rugby League, while a hugely popular professional sport in some regions of the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, has struggled to assert itself as an international sporting code particularly in the aftermath of the disastrous "Super League" war for control of the code in the mid 1990s. The game is played at semi-professional level in France, Russia and many Pacific Island nations. It is the national sport of Papua New Guinea.

The premier international competition is the Rugby League World Cup, first held in 1954. The format has changed over the years, but it is currently held every 5 years. Australia has dominated the competition, winning for the fourth time in 1975, and has defended it 5 times since then.

Other international competitions include the Ashes, a test match series between Great Britain and Australia, and the ANZAC tests between Australia and New Zealand. An annual tournament, known as the Victory Cup, is held in Russia.

In Australia, international games are arguably overshadowed by the fiercely contested and well-attended State of Origin matches between New South Wales and Queensland.