An exciting fast paced sport that was first played in 1823 in the town of Rugby, England. Rugby is now one of the most popular sports in the world, played in over 120 countries. The 7-a-side version (“Rugby Sevens”) that was piloted with the PSAL last year has been reintroduced into the Olympics and will be played once again on the biggest stage in the world during the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.
A true team sport where everyone on the team has a chance to score, run with the ball, pass, tackle and evade opposition. Students learn the importance of team work, discipline, respect, camaraderie, honesty and leadership skills as these are integrated into the teaching of the sport and are part of the rich tradition of rugby.
The physical demands of playing rugby are unlike any other sport and training for the sport can be incredibly tough but ultimately rewarding. It is almost continuous in nature for 14 high-paced minutes with no time outs. Players have to tackle and compete for the possession, pass and sprint to maintain position with an objective to scoring a “Try” worth 5 points. Then they have to get ready to do it all again. Players will typically play 4 – 6 matches in a rugby Sevens tournament. As a result students can significantly increase cardiovascular health and strength
Points are awarded to each team depending upon where they finish in each weekly tournament, teams then carry these points with them to next tournament and are added up. Team with most points after final tournament are crowned Champions (think of it almost like a NASCAR series)
Rugby laws: http://www.irblaws.com/EN/downloads/
"7 A Side" Rule Variations: http://www.irblaws.com/downloads/EN/Sevens_Var_EN.pdf
U19 Rule Variations: http://www.irblaws.com/downloads/EN/U19_Var_EN.pdf
