Your ultimate guide to train your brain for rugby season

Words by Alanya Smith

Photos: Getty

Rugby season can be one of the most exciting times to be following a new sport. It’s when people are coming together over drinks, cheering their favourite team on and enjoying the game, no matter the score. If you enjoy a drink and a laugh with friends watching an unpredictable, fast, high-impact sport, you’ve just found your new passion.

Although when you learn something new for the first time, it’s not exactly easy. Anybody who’s been too intimidated to ask questions when everyone else knows what’s going on will understand the awkwardness that can come with trying something for the first time. But unlike boardgames with never-ending rules, or film series where you don’t understand the hidden jokes, rugby isn’t too complicated to follow.

We’ve debunked some of the key parts of the sport that will help you recognise the difference between a try and a tackle this rugby season. With this whistlestop guide, you’ll be ready to cheer on a match in no time.

The game

The aim of the game is to get points by hitting the ball behind your opponent’s goal line on the opposite end of the pitch. You can’t move backwards with the ball; you can only run forwards, pass sideways or backwards, or kick and tackle your way forwards. You can earn points through four methods:

Try – Getting the ball across your opponent’s line and touching it on the ground (5 points)
Conversion – Kicking the ball through the posts after a try (2 points)
Penalty – Shared based on the severity of the penalty caused (3 points)
Drop Goal – When the ball is kicked and dropped on the ground before going through the posts (3 points)

Each rugby game is 80 minutes long, with a 20-minute break halfway through.

Female rugby players are in a scrum on a rugby pitch.

The rankings

In the Rugby World Cup, there are 68 women’s teams and 114 men’s teams that compete against each other. Some of the leading teams ranked across the world include South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Canada.

In Europe, one of the biggest tournaments is the Six Nations Championship. Every year, teams from Italy, Ireland, France, Scotland, Wales and England compete against each other, travelling every weekend and playing at different stadiums across Europe. For men’s teams, the Six Nations starts in February. For the women’s teams, the Six Nations starts in April.

The team

Teams are typically formed of 15 players, with eight forwards and seven backs:

Forwards – Lead the front of the team. This is where you’ll find players called hooker, prop, and lock.
Backs – Supporting the rear of the team. This is where you’ll find players called left or right wing, scrum half, and full back.

There may be times when you watch a rugby game formed of two teams of seven. This team formation will be on the same pitch size, but each half of a game only lasts seven minutes, hence the name ‘Rugby Sevens’. This type of game is played at the Olympics, with France winning for the male tournament and New Zealand winning for the female tournament in the last Paris 2024 games.

A shot of male rugby players legs on a rugby pitch.

The rules

With any sport, complicating yourself with the rules isn’t needed. Although rugby has more rules to protect players during the intensity of the game, the key ones to understand include:

If a player kicks the ball forward, their teammates can’t catch it. This is because they are classed as offside, allowing the opposing team to regain possession of the ball. They can touch it again once they’re behind the kicker, or the other team holds the ball.
A scrum is when both teams have their forwards form a locked rock-like position. One person from each team, called the hooker, will be in the centre trying to hold onto the ball after it’s thrown into the centre. A scrum starts when the game has had to pause, and once one team has regained possession of the ball, the match can continue like normal.

Penalties can be difficult to understand, but they don't have to be. They work the same as they would for any other sport, as Nika van der Merwe explains:

@neeks_vdm Replying to @Fiona Callan36 Penalties ✔️ What should I do next? #rugby #wag ♬ Idyllic jazz bossa nova with piano and guitar(1298871) - TAKANORI ONDA

So that’s your whistlestop tour of rugby for beginners, but the fun happens when you’re watching and learning at the same time. It’s fun, aggressive, and likely going to become your new obsession – it all starts with watching your first game.

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