Go Reds! This Friday we attended a Queensland Reds vs Australian Capital Territory Brumbies rugby union game. Before attending, we had a “crash course rugby” lecture by local rugby fan Ken (Nat’s partner). I’ve included the highlights from the lecture for your future rugby needs.
Basics of the game
- There are 15 players on the field at a time: 7 forwards and 8 backs.
- Players are allowed to pass the ball backwards or sideways, but not forwards.
- Tackles must be below the shoulders.
- There is no possession limit; if one team is skilled enough, they can have control of the ball for the whole game.
Actions in play
- A “scrum” is a way of recommencing play. Forwards of both teams lock together face to face and try to obtain possession of the ball as it is rolled between them. The forwards often use their feet to roll it towards their backs who then pick it up and run.
- A “line out” occurs when the ball goes out of bounds. The two teams line up face to face one meter apart and the ball is thrown in the air between them from the sidelines. In order to gain possession, players lift their teammates into the air.
Scoring
- A “try” is like a touchdown in American Football, except the player with the ball must touch it to the ground in the opponent’s end zone. This is worth 5 points.
- Similar again to American Football, after scoring a try the team may kick the ball through goalposts to score another 2 points.
Feeling slightly empowered to pass as rugby fans, we headed out to Fritzenberger, a burger restaurant near the stadium. The food was delicious and it was a lot of fun to spend time together as a group doing a fun activity. We made our way to the stadium and to our seats – rows 3-5 from the field!
We were cheering for the Reds and had a fantastic time! We got to see quite a few scrums, many turnovers of possession, and a couple line outs. The line outs are surprisingly graceful for a very physical game. As a great conclusion to the night, the Reds won 18-10. Many of us have become fans and are considering going next weekend…
