Portal:Rugby union
Rugby union – commonly referred to as just rugby, or union, and in New Zealand occasionally as football or footy – is a code of football. Rugby union is a contact sport played by teams with fifteen players. The name is derived from the name of the game's original governing body, the Rugby Football Union, with the suffix union used to differentiate it from other codes of rugby football. The game developed from the variant of football at played Rugby school in England. The crucial differences from association football are that in rugby the ball is a prolate spheroid instead of a sphere, and that the players are allowed to pick the ball up and run with it. The players are also allowed to throw the ball from player to player, but are not allowed to throw it forward – the ball must only be passed sideways or backward.
The game has established itself as a major global sport, and is especially popular in New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Wales, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, Australia, Argentina and South Africa. Rugby is also gaining popularity in Italy, which was accepted into the Six Nations Championship in 2000, and Japan. Rugby is the most popular team sport in Georgia and is popular in Romania, Namibia, the United States of America and Canada.
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union. They compete in the Rugby World Cup and annually in the Six Nations Championship. They are governed by the Welsh rugby union, and first played in 1881 against England.
Wales have won the Six Nations 23 times, second only to England, the last being in 2005. Their best result in the Rugby World Cup is third, which they achieved in 1987. They also hosted the 1999 Rugby World Cup. The International Rugby Board (IRB) regard Wales as a Tier One rugby nation. In particular, several Welsh players of the 1970s are acknowledged as some of the best in the game's history. Although several poor results in the late 1980s and 1990s hurt the team’s reputation, a resurgence in form in the 2000s and a Six Nations Grand Slam in 2005 has helped reverse that. Due to this success, Wales became the first team ever to win the Grand Slam while playing more matches away than at home. (More...)
- 21 March 2015 : Ireland win 2015 Six Nations Championship
- 2 August 2014: The NSW Waratahs win the 2014 Super Rugby title for the first time after defeating 7-time champions, Crusaders 33-32.
- 27 July 2014: The South Africa sevens team wins gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games after defeating reigning champion, New Zealand in the final.
- 28 June 2014: Fiji defeat the Cook Islands to qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
- 25 May 2014: Japan win the 2014 Asian Five Nations to qualify for 2015 Rugby World Cup.
- 24 May 2014: Toulon defeat Saracens 23–6 in the final of the 2013–14 Heineken Cup.
- 17 May 2014: New Zealand win the '2013–14 IRB Women's Sevens World Series
- ... that the iconic guerilla Che Guevara (pictured) played fly-half for Club Universitario de Buenos Aires and edited a rugby fanzine?
- ... that women's rugby union dates back to at least 1884, possibly earlier?
- ... that Alfred Clunies-Ross was the first non-white rugby international, and played for Scotland in the first ever rugby international?
- ... that snow rugby is played in many parts of the world including Afghanistan?
- ... that Richard Summers, Edward Peake, Godfrey Darbishire and Richard Williams were all single cap Wales rugby union players after the team was humiliated by England in its first international match
- ... that rugby union footballer David Gage played in 68 of 74 matches played by the 1888–89 New Zealand Native team during their tour of the British Isles?
- ... that Stephen Fry was an engineer and aspiring jazz pianist before he captained South Africa's rugby team against the British Lions?
- ... that the English actor Nick Frost known for Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Paul, Attack the Block etc used to play for Barking Rugby Football Club?
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England and the All Blacks compete for the ball in a line-out.
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David "Darkie" Bedell-Sivright (1880 – 1915) was a rugby union forward who captained both Scotland and the British Isles. Educated at Fettes College, Bedell-Sivright studied at Cambridge University and played for them in four Varsity Matches. He was selected for Scotland in 1900, and after playing in all of Scotland's Home Nations Championship matches between 1901 and 1903, he toured South Africa with the British Isles side in 1903. He played 12 matches, but did not play any test matches due to injury. The next year Bedell-Sivright was appointed captain for the British Isles team that toured Australia and New Zealand. Due to a broken leg he played only one test on tour. During the tour Bedell-Sivright pulled the British team from the field for after disputing the referee's decision to send-off teammate Denys Dobson. Eventually Bedell-Sivright allowed his side to resume play, but without Dobson. Bedell-Sivright briefly settled in Australia, before returning to Scotland to study medicine. He captained his country against the touring New Zealanders in 1905, and in 1906 helped Scotland defeat South Africa. A surgeon by profession, he joined the Royal Navy during the First World War, and died on active service during the Gallipoli Campaign. Bedell-Sivright was an aggressive and hard player, as well as a ferocious competitor. He has been inducted into the Scottish Rugby and IRB Halls of Fame.
- Articles
England national rugby union team
France national rugby union team
Wales national rugby union team
- Lists
List of 1888–89 New Zealand Native football team matches
Tri Nations Series champions Template:/box-footer
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