Australian Rugby League for beginners

This article is directed towards those of you who do not follow the sport of Rugby League or are even aware of its existence. I will attempt to explain the rules of the sport, what it means to fans and how it compares to other sports.

Rules

The best way to think about Rugby League, is to think of Rugby Union – only more fluid and faster (and without lineouts). A team has 13 players on the field and 4 players on the substitute bench. A coach can only make a maximum of 10 substitutions in a game which lasts 80 minutes. The objective is to score a ‘try’ by placing or forcing the ball on the ground in the in-goal area (think of end-zone in American football) by using your hands or arms.

To advance the ball upfield, a player in possession of the ball can run forward and the defending team attempts to tackle him and force him to the ground. If this is achieved, the player in possession must stand to his feet and ‘play the ball’ by rolling the ball backwards on the ground using the sole of his foot, where a team mate (hooker) picks it up and initiates the next phase of play. A team can only use 6 such phases – that is, each phase is the open play between play-the balls. If a player is tackled on the 6th play, a turnover occurs, where the team that was in possession must surrender the ball to the other team in the place where the tackle occurred. Hence, a team will usually kick the ball long to the other side of the field on the 5th tackle and start defending themselves.

DUNEDIN, NEW ZEALAND – FEBRUARY 23: Matt Gillett of the Brisbane Broncos is tackled during the NRL Trial match between the New Zealand Warriors and the Brisbane Broncos at Forsyth Barr Stadium on February 23, 2013 in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Teaukura Moetaua/Getty Images)

Another crucial aspect of this game is that a team may pass the ball to each other, but only backwards. That is, a player cannot pass the ball in front of where he is standing in relation to the imaginary parallel line from the sideline to sideline. If he does this, it is considered a ‘forward pass’ and a scrum is usually set where the opposition team almost always gains possession of the ball. Scrums, unlike in Union, are rarely contested. As in Union, if a player loses the ball, it is considered a ‘knock on’ and an error, unless the ball travels backwards, in which case the play goes on. A try is worth 4 points, a conversion 2 points, a penalty kick 2 points and a field goal 1 point. It is usually the case that the final scores are even numbers because field goals are quite rare.

Fandom

Fandom in this sport is quite similar to Union, but it’s different to a lot of football cultures. Supporters do not tend to sing; instead, they shout simple chants every once in a while. Due to the more structured nature of the game compared to football, supporters respond more to events on the field in order for them to become louder and more excited. The Rugby League is a physical sport, and fans are very much appeased when a big collision happens or a brawl breaks out amongst players. The referee has the power to send a player to a 10 minute sin bin or to send him off permanently. As in any other sport, star players excite the crowd, especially those who can score many tries or beat many opponents while running with the ball.

Overall

The Rugby League is a combination of every physical attribute you can think of. A player must be aerobically fit to last the full duration, as well as be supremely strong and powerful to withstand the enormous forces that their bodies must take. As such, training involves a lot of weight training, wrestling work, sprint work and agility.

Over the years, there have been many negative scandals embroiled with the sport, including salary cap breaches, alcohol related problems, violence against women, sexual assault, and general bad publicity. Recently, the National Rugby League agreed a new broadcast deal with television networks which doubled their revenue to $1 billion AU. As such, the game is in a healthy state at the moment, enjoying high ratings, high publicity, high television viewer ratings and a general positive atmosphere amongst everyone who has an interest in the game.

In future years, the Rugby League will continue to compete in a saturated sports market among the other football codes – AFL, Football and Union. This unique landscape has, and will continue, to pose challenges to the sport in a world which has embraced technology. However, this exciting sport, Rugby League will continue to prosper in the years to come.

Here’s a link to highlights of the 2012 NRL Grandfinal between the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs and Melbourne Storm.