Is rugby in the Olympics? Olympic rugby: what you need to know about it

Rugby- an Olympic contact team sport, the purpose of which is to perform effective actions, namely, hitting the opponent's goal or bringing the ball into the opponent's scoring area. Unlike football, touching the ball with the hands is allowed in rugby.

Global regulation of rugby is carried out by the International Rugby Board (IRB), the headquarters of the organization is located in Dublin.

The history of the emergence and development of rugby

Webb Ellis is considered to be the ancestor of rugby, being a student of one of the schools in the city of Rugby (England), during a football match he grabbed the ball with his hands and rushed to the opponent's end zone. At that time, there were several varieties of football, and the rules of that match allowed touching the ball with the hand, but moving with the ball was not allowed. It is worth noting that this hypothesis has no evidence, but it is rooted in rugby culture, and Webb Ellis has become one of the symbols of the game.

Where was rugby invented?

In England.

In 1845, the first attempt was made by students to formulate the rules of rugby, and in 1848, students at Cambridge University issued their own set of rules, which began to be used as a regulation for subsequent matches.

In 1863, the first rugby club "Blackheath" (Blackheath) appeared; it consisted of members of the English Football Association and everyone could join it.

In 1871 the Rugby Union of England was formed. The game itself at that time was called "Rugby Football".

At the end of the 19th century, a split occurred in the English rugby community. This came as some clubs in the northern part of the country were actively pursuing their right to pay players cash compensation, as many players were forced to miss work due to matches. While the game had an amateur status, and, therefore, no payments could be made. The result of the confrontation was the exit of some teams from the union, their modification of the rules of rugby and the formation on this basis of a new game - rugby league.

On March 27, 1871, the first internationally recognized match took place between England and Scotland. Later, their teams appeared in Ireland and Wales, and with them the Home Nations Cup appeared. In 1888 the British Isles team visited Australia and New Zealand.

In 1886, the International Rugby Board (IRB) was created, which became truly global only towards the end of the 20th century.

Since 1905, a number of tours have been held by the strongest rugby teams in the United States and European countries.

Since 1987, the Rugby World Cups have started, and the geography of the game has expanded significantly. The team from New Zealand became the first winner of the world championship.

In 1995, it was decided to give rugby a "free" status and abolish restrictions on the wages of athletes.

Rugby rules (briefly)

Let's talk briefly about the rules of rugby. A rugby match consists of two halves of 40 minutes each with a break of 5-10 minutes. After the break, the teams must change goals. If at the end of the match the score is equal, then extra time is assigned - 2 halves of 10 minutes.

How long is a rugby match?

A rugby match consists of two halves of 40 minutes each with a break of 5-10 minutes. Extra time is possible - 2 halves of 10 minutes.

From each team, 15 people simultaneously act on the field, of which 8 are attackers and 7 defenders.

Based on the results of the draw, the team that will put the ball into play first is determined. The ball is put into play with a kick.

Points in rugby are awarded for performing effective actions:

• Try - 5 points, which are awarded after the player of the attacking team brings the ball into the end zone. The player who brought the ball into the end zone must necessarily touch the ground with it.
• Penalty try - 5 points, which are awarded if the attempt failed due to rough play by the opponent. Penalty try is counted as brought in the center of the gate, which makes it easy to implement it.
• Realization - 2 points, which are awarded after the ball hits the opponent's goal. The ball must pass between the two posts over the crossbar. The opportunity to execute the implementation is given after the successful implementation of the attempt.
• Free kick - 3 points. For some violations of the rules, the match referee may award a penalty kick. The blow is made from the place of violation of the rules.
• Drop goal - 3 points, which are awarded for a field goal shot, the player must drop the ball on the field and kick it after touching his ground - hand shots are prohibited.

The winner of a rugby match is the team with more points than the opponent.

The rules of the game do not allow forward play. In other words, most of the actions that result in the ball being passed to a player closer to the opponent's end zone are prohibited. In addition, it is prohibited:

• a player running after the ball to attack or push other players;
• an offside player to intentionally interfere with a player in possession of the ball;
• any player in possession of the ball after it has left the scrimmage, ruck, maul or lineout to try to force his way through the forward teammates;
• strike an opponent with a hand;
• cling from behind or kick the legs of an opponent, trip him or step on a lying opponent;
• attack or block an opponent who has just kicked the ball and is not running after the ball;
• hold, push, attack, block or tackle an opponent who is not in possession of the ball, except in a ruck, maul or scrum.

Rugby playing field

The rugby field has a rectangular shape with dimensions of 100 meters by 70 meters (144 by 70 including end zones) and grass. The field markings include several lines parallel to the goal lines, of particular importance are the center line and lines at a distance of 22 meters.

Rugby goals are H-shaped and consist of two vertical posts, located at a distance of 5.6 meters from each other, and a crossbar, which is located at a height of 3 meters from the ground.

Rugby equipment

• The rugby ball has the shape of an elongated ellipsoid and is made of leather or synthetic materials. As a rule, the surface of the ball is coated with a special compound that repels dirt. Ball length along the line - 280-300 mm, longitudinal circumference - 740-770 mm, transverse circumference - 580-620 mm, weight - 410-460 grams.
• T-shirt and shorts.
• Studded boots.
• Protective equipment: knee pads, elbow pads, fingerless gloves, shin guards, shoulder pads, mouthguard, helmet.

All items of equipment must comply (be marked) with the International Rugby Federation standard. Players in "non-standard" equipment are not allowed to the match.

Rugby set pieces

The standard positions in rugby include: scrum, ruck, maul, lineout and out, net catch (mark), tackle, free kick and free kick.

Fight. The purpose of a scrum is to restart play after a minor infringement or stoppage of play. Eight players from each team participate in the fight, the players wrap their arms around each other, line up in three lines and close with their opponents. With this position of the players, a tunnel is created into which the scrum half throws the ball so that the first row players of either team can take possession of the ball by hooking it with their foot.

The scrum is formed at the place of violation or stoppage of the game within the playing field, but not closer than 5 m from the side line and from the goal line. The ball is put into play by a team that is innocent of the offense or is in attack. The scrum is considered over if the ball left it in any direction (except for the tunnel).

Crayfish. The phase of the game when one or more players from each team, standing on their feet and in physical contact, group around the ball on the ground between them within the field of play. In this position, open play is terminated. Players participating in a ruck try to win back or keep the ball with their feet without breaking the rules.

A ruck is considered successfully completed if the ball goes out of it or goes beyond the goal line. In the event of an unsuccessful completion of the ruck (i.e. when it is impossible to play in the ruck), the referee appoints a bout (but he must allow sufficient time for the ball to come out of the ruck).

Mol. Formed when one or more players from each team, standing on their feet, in physical contact and moving towards the goal, group around the player in possession of the ball. A maul has a minimum of three players: the ball carrier and one player from each team.

A maul is considered successfully completed if the ball hits the ground or the player with the ball exits the maul. If the ball in a maul goes beyond the goal line, the maul is also considered to be completed.

Label (clean fishing). A player is considered to be making a clean catch or tag when, while in his own 22m area or in his in-goal, he cleanly catches the ball directly from an opponent's kick. Simultaneously with catching the ball, the player must shout "Mark!". After a clean catch is completed, a free kick is awarded.

Capture. A situation where a player in possession of the ball on the field of play is held by one or more opponents so that he falls to the ground or the ball touches the ground.

Corridor and out. The ball is considered to be in touch if:

• the ball leaves the field through the touchline after being kicked;
• the ball touches the touchline or leaves the field after any other action of the athletes;
• the player with the ball steps on the touchline or leaves the field altogether;
• the player catching the ball steps on the touchline or leaves the field.

The introduction of the ball into the game after it goes into touch is carried out by drawing a lineout (quick throw-in). The forwards of each team line up in a row perpendicular to the sideline - the rows of players are located one meter apart and 5-15 meters from the sideline. The ball is thrown into the corridor from the sideline between the lined up rows of players.

Athletes from both teams fight for the ball. Players can lift their teammates to increase their chances of catching the ball. A jumping player cannot be tackled, only shoulder-to-shoulder contact is allowed.

Refereeing

The refereeing board in rugby consists of the chief referee and his two assistants. At high-level matches, there is a video referee who communicates with the referee by radio. The referee has the right to issue red or yellow cards for violations. A red card leads to a permanent removal from the field, and a yellow one to a temporary one.

Competitions

The World Cup is the most prestigious rugby championship, held every four years.

Six Nations Cup - Annual international competition rugby, which is held among the six strongest teams in Europe: England, Ireland, Italy, Wales, France and Scotland.

The Rugby Championship is an annual rugby tournament between the four strongest teams in the Southern Hemisphere: Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa.

2016-06-30

We have tried to cover the topic as fully as possible, so this information can be safely used in the preparation of messages, reports on physical education and essays on the topic "Rugby".

After a long break, rugby competitions have returned to the Olympic family. The last time rugby players had the opportunity to win Olympic medals back in the delёkom 1924 on. And here is the long-awaited decision for all fans of this sport: on October 9, 2009, at the 121st session of the IOC in Copenhagen, according to the voting results, rugby-7 was included in the program of the 2016 Olympic Games. Unlike classic rugby, where there are 15 people on the field, in rugby-7 only 7 athletes play on the field - 3 attackers and 4 defenders. A match consists of two halves of 7 minutes each with a break of 1 minute.

Competitions at the 2016 Olympics will be held from 6 to 11 August. 2 sets of medals will be played - among men's and women's national teams.

Period: August 6-11, 2016
Award sets: 2 (men - 1, women - 1)
Commands: 24 (men - 12, women - 12)
Athletes: 288 (144 men and 144 women)
Location: Joao Havelange Olympic Stadium (capacity: 60,000)

Medalists

	Discipline	Gold	Silver	Bronze
M	Men
F	Women

Overall standings

№		The country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1			1	0	0	1	2			1	0	0	1	3			0	1	0	1	4			0	1	0	1	5			0	0	1	1	6			0	0	1	1

Schedule (Moscow time)

August 6
Saturday
August 7
Sunday
8 August
Monday
August 9
Tuesday
August 10
Wednesday
11th August
Thursday

date	Medals	Competitions
	17:00-20:00 22:00-01:00 G Group round (6 matches)
	17:00-20:00 G Group round (6 matches) 22:00-01:00 W Matches for 9th-12th places W Quarterfinals
	18:30-21:30 G Match for 11-12 places G Match for 9-10 places W Matches for 5-8 places W Semi-finals 23:30-02:00 G Match for 7-8 places G Match for 5-6 places W Third place match G Final F Award Ceremony
	17:00-20:00 22:00-01:00 M Group round (6 matches)
	17:00-20:00 M Group round (6 matches) 22:00-01:00 M Matches for 9-12 places M Quarterfinals
	18:30-21:30 M Match for 11-12 places M Match for 9-10 places M Matches for 5-8 places M Semi-finals 23:30-02:00 M Match for 7-8 places M Match for 5-6 places M Match for third place M Final M awards ceremony

Competitions will be held in rugby-7 format for men and women.

Competition winners

Year	Place holding	The final			Match for 3rd place
		1st place	Check	2nd place	3rd place	Check	4th place
	Paris	France	27: 17	Germany	-	-	-
			27: 8	Great Britain
	London	Australasia	32: 3	Great Britain	-	-	-
	Brussels	USA	8: 0	France	-	-	-
	Paris	USA		France	Romania	-	-

medal standings

Total number of medals
Place	The country	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	USA || style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 2 || style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0 || style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0 || 2
2	France || style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 1 || style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 2 || style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0 || 3
3	Australasia || style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 1 || style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0 || style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0 || one
4	United Kingdom || style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0 || style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 2 || style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0 || 2
5	Germany || style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0 || style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 1 || style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 0 || one
6	Romania || style="background:#F7F6A8;" | 0 || style="background:#DCE5E5;" | 0 || style="background:#FFDAB9;" | 1 || one

Country

Country		1904		1912			years
Australasia || || ||bgcolor="gold"|1 || || || ||1
Great Britain ||bgcolor="silver"|2 || ||bgcolor="silver"|2 || || || ||2
Germany ||bgcolor="silver"|2 || || || || || ||1
Romania || || || || || ||bgcolor="cc9966"|3 ||1
USA || || || || ||bgcolor="gold"|1 ||bgcolor="gold"|1 ||2
France ||bgcolor="gold"|1 || || || ||bgcolor="silver"|2 ||bgcolor="silver"|2 ||3
Total countries: 6	3		2		2	3

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An excerpt characterizing Rugby at the Olympic Games

The very thing that he had tormented before, what he was constantly looking for, the purpose of life, now did not exist for him. It was no coincidence that this desired goal of life now did not exist for him only at the present moment, but he felt that it did not exist and could not exist. And this lack of purpose gave him that full, joyful consciousness of freedom, which at that time constituted his happiness.
He could not have a goal, because he now had faith - not faith in any rules, or words, or thoughts, but faith in a living, always felt god. Previously, he had sought it for the purposes he had set for himself. This search for a goal was only a search for God; and suddenly, in his captivity, he recognized, not by words, not by reasoning, but by direct feeling, what his nanny had told him for a long time: that God is here, here, everywhere. In captivity, he learned that God in Karataev is greater, infinite and incomprehensible than in the Architecton of the universe recognized by the Masons. He experienced the feeling of a man who found what he was looking for under his feet, while he strained his eyes, looking far away from him. All his life he looked somewhere, over the heads of the people around him, but he had not to strain his eyes, but only look in front of him.
He was not able to see before the great, incomprehensible and infinite in anything. He only felt that it must be somewhere and looked for it. In everything close, understandable, he saw one thing limited, petty, worldly, meaningless. He armed himself with a mental telescope and looked into the distance, to where this shallow, worldly distance, hiding in the fog, seemed to him great and infinite only because it was not clearly visible. This is how he imagined European life, politics, freemasonry, philosophy, philanthropy. But even then, in those moments that he considered his weakness, his mind penetrated into this distance, and there he saw the same petty, worldly, meaningless things. Now, however, he had learned to see the great, the eternal, and the infinite in everything, and therefore, naturally, in order to see it, to enjoy its contemplation, he threw down the trumpet into which he had so far looked over the heads of people, and joyfully contemplated around him the ever-changing, eternally great , incomprehensible and infinite life. And the closer he looked, the more he was calm and happy. The terrible question that previously destroyed all his mental structures was: why? no longer existed for him. Now to this question - why? a simple answer was always ready in his soul: then, that there is a god, that god, without whose will a hair will not fall from a person’s head.

Pierre hardly changed in his outward manners. He looked exactly the same as he had before. Just as before, he was distracted and seemed preoccupied not with what was before his eyes, but with something of his own, special. The difference between his former and present state was that before, when he forgot what was in front of him, what he was told, he wrinkled his forehead in pain, as if trying and could not see something far away from him. . Now he also forgot what was said to him, and what was before him; but now, with a barely noticeable, as if mocking, smile, he peered at the very thing that was in front of him, listened to what was being said to him, although he obviously saw and heard something completely different. Formerly he seemed, though a kind man, but unhappy; and therefore involuntarily people moved away from him. Now a smile of the joy of life constantly played around his mouth, and his eyes shone with concern for people - the question is: are they happy just like he is? And people enjoyed being in his presence.
Before, he talked a lot, got excited when he spoke, and listened little; now he was rarely carried away by conversation and knew how to listen in such a way that people willingly told him their most intimate secrets.

Rugby returned to the list of Olympic sports almost a century later. What changes have occurred 92 years later and how will it look like in Rio now?

How it all began.

The history of the oval ball game and the Olympic Games is quite complex and simple at the same time. Difficult, because having been an Olympic sport for 24 years, after that rugby said goodbye to such an honorary status for a long 92 years. And she couldn't get it back. And it never fully returned. Why exactly - more on that later.

The story is simple just because it is not too intense and rich - this is only the fifth Rugby Games in 116 years. The first Olympic rugby match took place in 1900 in Paris, in which the teams of France and Germany met (27:17), and in total ... three teams participated in the tournament. The third was the British team. Then, in a rather intricate way, the “gold” went to the hosts, who won two of their fights, while the rivals had only one. For a banal reason - there was not enough time. History is silent on how this could happen, but it is only known that the French played their second match on the last day of the competition, after which the teams of Great Britain and Germany were supposed to play, but the match was never played.

Thus, the French became the first winner of the rugby Olympic Games.

The final match of the Olympics between the US and France. 1924 year.

In subsequent years, rugby was presented either even more modestly, or not at all. So, in two tournaments (1904 and 1912), not a single rugby team took part in the Games, and in 1908 and 1920, two teams played only one match, which, in fact, was the final.

For example, in 1908, an outlandish team became the Olympic champion Australasia, consisting of the Australian and New Zealand Olympic teams. The thing is that at that time the New Zealanders did not have their own Olympic Committee and this did not give them the right to compete at the Olympics. However, teaming up with their neighbors, the athletes won a total of five medals (1 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze), and the rugby team won the most honorable of them. These were the only Games in which Australasia took part. Later, in 1911, New Zealand had already acquired its own Olympic Committee and could continue to compete under its own flag.

In 1924, three rugby teams returned to the Olympic Games. It is clear that the medal was guaranteed to each of the teams, and the only question was who would get what. According to the results of the draw, the US team, which was then made up of American football players, became the owner of the "gold". In the final they beat the French (17:3). By the way, it is American rugby players who are the most titled at the Olympic Games - they have two victories to their credit.

Interestingly, the third team that participated in the Games at that time was the national team of ... Romania. "Oaks" lost both matches, which, nevertheless, did not prevent them from getting the "bronze" of the Olympics.

What is Olympic rugby now?

With such meager historical baggage, rugby, after 92 years of Olympic stagnation, has come to 2016, where it will finally be a full-fledged participant in the Games. The reason for such a long absence of rugby in Olympic program was banal - until the 90s of the last century, rugby did not have a single international federation. However, with the advent of the IRB (later renamed World Rugby), the prospects for the return of rugby to the Olympics have become brighter. One of the significant contributions to the inclusion of rugby in the list of Olympic sports was made by the Argentine Agustin Pichot Former Argentina national team player and current Vice President of World Rugby. According to some reports, he is now the most influential person in rugby.

Agustin Pisho is one of the main initiators of the return of rugby to the Olympic Games system

True, it was not the “classic” rugby (also known as rugby-15) that was returned to the Olympics, but its offshoot form - rugby-7. What does it represent?

Everything is very simple. It is not difficult to distinguish rugby-7 from the "classics" - firstly, the "seven" is traditionally a more dynamic sport, it requires more running, dexterous feints and less tactical delights. And secondly, the number 7 in the name was chosen for a reason - that is how many rugby players should be on the field from each team, and one half lasts seven minutes ... Teams play two halves with a minute break, and as a result, a full match takes only something 15 minutes of "clean" time.

A simple and easily digestible "product" designed for the mass consumer. Just what you need for the Olympics.

Deodoro Stadium - the Olympic "home" of rugby

About the format.

The inclusion of rugby sevens as part of the Olympic sports was made possible precisely because of such a simplified form of the game that can easily fit into the time frame of the Olympic Games. With "classic" rugby matches lasting 80 minutes, it might have been a little more difficult. But be that as it may, for the old new Olympic sport, getting into the list of the Games is already a victory.

Due to the transience and short duration of rugby-7, a total of three days will be enough to determine the winner. It would seem that there is nothing surprising here, because in the 20th century there was approximately the same situation, but now instead of a couple of teams for the title Olympic champion 12 teams will fight, divided into three groups. According to the results of the group round, the first two teams from each group (six in total), as well as two more, who took third places with the best results, advance to the 1/4 finals. Next up are the semi-finals and the final.

The same format will be in the women's part of the competition. By the way, now representatives of the weaker sex also play rugby-7 at the Olympic Games.

Group round (men)

Photo - Masha Anderson

Rugby is a contact team sport that originated in England in the 19th century. A rugby match is a competition between two teams. The main task of each of the opponents is to perform productive actions, that is, hitting the goal (hitting above the crossbar) or bringing the ball into the opponent's end zone.

Rugby first appeared on the program of the Olympic Games during the 1900 Paris Olympics. For the 1924 Olympics in Paris, the Colomb Stadium, huge at that time, was built for sixty thousand seats with a rugby-sized field - 144x74 meters, including test fields. The US team then became the champion, the hosts of the Games took the second place, the Romanian rugby players became the bronze medalists.

One of the key concepts of the philosophy of rugby is respect: it is customary to respect the opponent, match officials and fans of the other team. Despite all the seeming toughness of the receptions on the field, rugby is one of the friendliest games, and international tournaments are always a holiday for all fans!

OLYMPIC GAMES

October 9, 2009 is a significant date for all rugby fans: in Copenhagen, at the Congress of the International Olympic Committee, a vote was held, at which two new sports were accepted into the program of the Olympic Games from 2016 - rugby-7s and golf. 12 women's and 12 men's teams will take part in the tournament in Rio

RUSSIA

There is little official information about rugby in pre-revolutionary Russia; the main sources of information are the memories of eyewitnesses and participants in the matches. Here is what Lieutenant General N. Biyazi writes about the “match” that took place in 1908: “Many foreign ships came to the port of Odessa. Once a ship of an English company moored... The team of this ship called the inhabitants of Odessa to a rugby match. It was a new game for us, but we nevertheless agreed, and the meeting took place ... The game had a sharp, rough character: for example, the ship's cook grabbed my leg while I was rushing with an oval ball to the front line, playing . Of course, I fell, but I didn’t let go of the ball, as a result of which a fight was immediately arranged over me, in which everyone tried to knock down the opponent and take possession of the ball. After the game, the cook said: "Grabbing your leg, I applied another delicate trick."

The first officially registered rugby match took place already in Soviet times, in 1923, at the Moscow Burevestnik stadium (the Olimpiyskiy sports club was later built in its place). Teams of the Society met on the field physical education workers and the Moscow River Yacht Club.

In 1936, the first USSR championships were held in both football and rugby. But already in 1949, rugby in the USSR was banned by the country's leadership - a struggle was waged against "cosmopolitanism" and "admiration for the West." Rugby was declared a game that did not correspond to the moral principles of the Soviet people.

Rugby revived in the USSR only after the World Festival of Youth and Students in 1957.

Photo - Masha Anderson

Rugby is a contact team sport that originated in England in the 19th century. A rugby match is a competition between two teams. On the front line of the field there are H-shaped gates, and behind the front lines of the field there are scoring zones of the teams. The main task of each of the opponents is to perform productive actions, that is, hitting the goal (hitting above the crossbar) or bringing the ball into the opponent's end zone. The rules allow touching the ball with your hands, which determines the main difference between rugby and football. At the same time, a restriction is imposed on the game with hands: the ball, oval in shape, cannot be passed by hand if the receiving player is closer to the opponent's end zone than the passer.

In the classic version, each team has 15 players, the game consists of two halves of 40 minutes. In rugby sevens, included in the program of the Summer Olympic Games, each team has 7 players, and the half lasts 7 minutes (the final match of the tournament consists of two halves of 10 minutes each). The game is played on a rectangular grass field measuring 100×70 meters. The lines on which the gates are located are adjacent to rectangular scoring zones with a width of 10 to 22 meters. Thus, the maximum size of the field is 144×70 meters, and the largest possible playing area is 1.008 hectares. The field marking includes several more lines parallel to the front. Of particular importance are the line dividing the field in half, and the lines located 22 meters from both goal lines. Rugby goals are H-shaped and consist of two vertical posts, located at a distance of 5.6 meters from each other, and a crossbar, which is fixed at a height of 3 meters from the ground. Initially, the field parameters were included in the rules in the Imperial system of measures, and then were converted to metric.

Actually, the date of the emergence of rugby, as it is, is considered to be a memorable day on April 7, 1823, when a certain young man named William Webb Ellis grabbed the ball with his hands with the intention of simply moving or throwing it into the "city" of opponents during a game of football. A flagrant violation of the then accepted rules was the impetus for the creation of a new game - the name of William Ellis went down in history, and the game began to bear the name of the English town where the memorable match was held - the city of Rugby in Yorkshire. And today you can see a plaque on the college booth that reads: “Let this plaque remember the glorious deed of William Webb Ellis, the first who dared to break the rules, grabbed the ball with his hands and ran with it. Thus the game of rugby was born in 1823.

Disputes, you can take the ball with your hands or not, continued for another forty years. The final demarcation of football and rugby took place on 26 October 1863 at the London Freeman Tavern. Passions between adherents of opposing points of view flared up with such force that the parties considered it best to simply split one game into two. Rugby acquired its current look in 1871, when the Rugby Football Union was created and when the first international match in the history of the game took place (between England and Scotland). However, before the approval of a single set of rules was still far away. So, at an international match in 1871, 20 people from each team played on the field. A few years later, the 15-player format became generally accepted. The scoring system has also changed many times.

The Scottish Rugby Union was formed in 1873 and the Irish Rugby Union in 1875. In 1890 they merged to form the International Rugby Football Board, which was later joined by Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. In 1934, the International Amateur Rugby Federation was created. Now rugby is one of the most popular sports in the world, and in some countries, such as New Zealand, it is almost a religion.

INTERNATIONAL AND CONTINENTAL SPORT ASSOCIATIONS	REPRESENTATIVES OF RUSSIA
INTERNATIONAL RUGBY FEDERATION (IRB) President: Bill BEAUMONT (UK) Date of formation: 1886 Number of national federations: 116 Address: Huguenot House, 35-38 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 , Ireland 353 1 240 92 00 +353 1 240 92 01 [email protected]
EUROPEAN RUGBY FEDERATION (RUGBY EUROPE)	Vice President Kopiev V.V. Member of the Board of Directors Kopyev V.V. Head of the Rugby-7 Committee V.V. Kopiev Head of the Beach Rugby Committee V.V. Kopiev Member of the Committee for the Development of Professional Rugby Kopyev V.V. Member of the Rugby Europe Committee for the Development of Professional Rugby Howard Thomas Member of the Rugby Europe Marketing and Sponsorship Committee Howard Thomas Member of the Athletes' Committee Kulemin K. Member of the Rugby Europe Medical and Insurance Committee Chanturia G. Member of the Award Commission Pavlov V. Member of the Women's Rugby Development Committee Malyutin V.G.