Portal:Rugby union
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Like other forms of rugby football the game was developed from the rules used to play football at Rugby school in England. The crucial differences from football (soccer) 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 unlike American football they are not allowed to throw it forward; ie the ball must only be passed sideways or backward.
Rugby union was invented in the town of Rugby, England in 1823. It has established itself as a major global sport, 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 in 2000, and Japan, despite their unsuccessful bid to host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, which went to New Zealand.
Cardiff Arms Park (Welsh: Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), also known as The Arms Park, is a rugby union stadium situated in the centre of Cardiff, Wales. The history of the rugby ground starts with the first stands appearing for spectators in the ground in 1881–1882, although the Arms Park had cricket played on the site since 1848. It is today the home to two rugby union teams, the Cardiff Blues and Cardiff Rugby Football Club. The rugby ground was host to the British Empire and Commonwealth Games in 1958 and home to Cardiff RFC and the Wales national rugby union team. From 1970, the site had two rugby union stadiums: the Cardiff Rugby Ground, which had replaced the cricket ground, and the National Stadium. The National Stadium was home to the Wales national rugby union team and it was officially opened on 7 April 1984, however by 1999 the Millennium Stadium had replaced it as the national stadium of Wales. The Cardiff Rugby Ground has remained the home of Cardiff RFC, yet the future of the rugby stadium is in doubt, with the announcement in 2007 that the Cardiff Blues will be moving to the new Cardiff City stadium in August 2009.
- 6 July: New Zealand Māori defeat Australia A 21–18 in each team's last match of the tournament to win the 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup.
- 5 July: The 2008 Tri-Nations starts with the All Blacks defeating South Africa 19–8.
- 28 June: Toulouse defeat Clermont 26–20 in the final of the 2007-08 Top 14 season.
- 22 June: New Zealand defeat England 38–3 in final of the inaugural IRB Junior World Championship.
- 7 June: The 2008 mid-year rugby Tests kick off with the All Blacks defeating Ireland and South Africa defeating Wales.
- 7 June: Fiji defeats Samoa 34–17 in the first match of the 2008 IRB Pacific Nations Cup.
- 31 May: The Crusaders defeat the New South Wales Waratahs 20–12 to win the 2008 Super 14 Final.
- 25 May: New Zealand win the 2007-08 IRB Sevens World Series after fifth place in the London tournament gives them an unassailable series lead.
- 24 May: The Crusaders will host the Waratahs in the 2008 Super 14 Final following semi-final wins over the Hurricanes and Sharks respectively.
- 24 May: Munster defeat Toulouse in the Millennium Stadium to win the 2007-08 Heineken Cup.
- 18 May: Japan defeat Hong Kong 75–29 to go unbeaten and claim the inaugural 2008 HSBC Asian Five Nations.
- ...that rugby union footballer Farah Palmer captained the Black Ferns to three consecutive Women's Rugby World Cup titles?
- ...that Bennie Osler played 17 consecutive rugby union matches for South Africa between 1924 and 1933?
- ...that South Africa and England had already played each other during pool play before meeting in the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final?
- ...that South African rugby player Jannie du Plessis is both a physician and professional athlete?
- ...that the rules for a scrum in rugby union were changed in 2007 to try and reduce the number of serious neck injuries to players?
- ... that 13 June 2007 was the 25th anniversary of the first women's rugby international - Netherlands versus France, at Utrecht?
The United States team that defeated France to win the gold medal in rugby union at the 1924 Summer Olympics.
Rugby football is a game I can't claim absolutely to understand in all its niceties, if you know what I mean. I can follow the broad, general principles, of course. I mean to say, I know that the main scheme is to work the ball down the field somehow and deposit it over the line at the other end and that, in order to squalch this programme, each side is allowed to put in a certain amount of assault and battery and do things to its fellow man which, if done elsewhere, would result in 14 days without the option, coupled with some strong remarks from the Bench.
Frank Hadden (born 14 June 1954 in Dundee, Scotland) is coach of the Scotland national rugby union team. He replaced Matt Williams and was appointed on 15 September 2005. Hadden coached the Merchiston Castle School (MCS) 1st XV after being appointed Head of Physical Education at the school in 1983. He coached several Scottish age-group teams before being appointed assistant coach of the Caledonian Reds in 1997. He was later appointed coach of Edinburgh Gunners (now Edinburgh Rugby) in 2000 prior to becoming the Scotland coach. He has since coached Scotland to notable wins over England and France in the 2006 Six Nations.
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England national rugby union team
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