Rugby Associations, Tournaments, Leagues, and Teams

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According to legend, rugby originated when a student at England’s Rugby School picked up the ball during a soccer game and began running with it. In doing so, William Webb Ellis created a sport that combines speed and skill with strength and toughness. Its fast-paced and ferocious nature has made it popular around the world, and the last three world champions have come from three different continents. This Web guide includes Web sites that can teach you the rules, history, and skills required to play the game and help you follow the world of competitive rugby.

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Rules and History of Rugby

Rugby began with one player playing by his own rules. Today, the international rulebook has almost ... read more »

Rugby Associations, Tournaments, Leagues, and Teams

Rugby competitions take many different forms, including amateur contests, international tournaments, professional club leagues, and exhibition tests. Learn about all of them using the official Web sites of rugby’s most significant organizations and competitions.

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There is a Six Nations Championship-type tournament for Southern Hemisphere countries, known as the Tri Nations. Though this annual tournament is very significant, it does not have an official Web site. For information, see the official sites of the New Zealand All Blacks, Australia Wallabies, and South Africa Springboks, or the relevant sites listed in the “News and Analysis of Rugby” and “Rugby Statistics” sections of this Web guide.

For less prominent organizations and leagues that are not listed here, visit the IRB site below and use the “Pick Your Union” tab in the upper right-hand corner. It will direct you to official Web sites of national governing bodies, which will have information on the competitions within that country. Keep in mind that not all of these sites will be in English.

League, team, and tournament sites are a good source for buying tickets.

We’ve included the official site of USA Rugby below. This Web site is typical of national governing body sites; to find the governing body sites for other countries, use the “Pick Your Union” tab on the International Rugby Board (IRB) Web site.

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For governing bodies …

The International Rugby Board governs international rugby and the Rugby World Cup, and it works to spread the sport through development programs and funding to small nations. The site helps you follow international rugby with news, history, rankings, and tournament information. There are also resources for coaches and referees, including the official laws and regulations. The IRB is made up of 96 full member nations and 19 associate members, and information and links to each union member can be found in the drop-down menu in the upper right-hand corner.

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USA Rugby is the governing body of American rugby, including amateur and collegiate competitions, the Super League, and the men’s and women’s national teams. It will assist you in finding a club or starting a team at your college. You can also follow what is going on at the top levels of American rugby in the news section.

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For international tournaments …

The Rugby World Cup is the premier competition in international rugby. For a subscription of $24.99, you can relive all the action of the 2007 RWC with video of every game or watch classic matches and all-time highlights. There is also plenty of free nonvideo content, including game recaps, stats, and RWC history. The next RWC is in 2011 in New Zealand, and this site will begin focusing on that event as it draws closer.

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The Six Nations Championship is contested yearly between the national teams of England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland, and Wales. You can follow the tournament with news, rosters, standings, box scores, and video highlights of every game. You can also find the rules and history of the competition.

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For club leagues …

The European Rugby Cup is a yearly competition featuring the top club teams from Six Nations countries. It is also known as the Heineken Cup. Follow the action through live audio broadcasts in addition to reading news, standings, and fixture results. Team profiles feature rosters, statistics, and links to official team Web sites. There is a link on the left-hand side to the European Challenge Cup, which features teams that didn’t qualify for the Heineken Cup (including teams from Romania, Portugal, and Spain).

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The Guinness Premiership is a 12-team professional league and the top level of English rugby. The top teams qualify for the Heineken Cup, while the bottom teams are relegated to National Division One. You can find all the basic league information here, plus team profiles with links to club sites. Choose a team from the Clubs section and then click on “Club Info” to find the link.

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The Magners League is a professional league featuring 10 clubs from Ireland (both the Republic and Northern Ireland), Scotland, and Wales. Like the Guinness Premiership, the top teams play in the Heineken Cup, but there is no system of relegation. The site is easy to navigate and includes all the information you’d expect.

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The Super 14 is a league featuring 14 teams from New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. The Web site is not inspiring, but it has all the basics: news, results, standings, and stats. Links to team sites can be found by clicking “Tickets and Contact details” in the team profile.

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For touring clubs …

Barbarian FC is a team of world-class players from different countries and clubs who are assembled each year to play exhibition matches. The Barbarians often take their famous attack-style rugby on tours through the British Isles and to the Southern Hemisphere, playing local clubs and national teams. Learn the history and philosophy of the Baa-Baas in the “About Us” and “Roll of Honour” sections or browse the “Video” section for classic action, including “That Try” from The Greatest Match Ever Played. You can also view upcoming fixtures and get the latest news.

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The British and Irish Lions tour through a Tri Nations country every four years, with the next tour scheduled for 2009 in South Africa. The team is restricted to players from Britain and Ireland. The Lions’ site has a brief history, a review of the 2005 tour, and profiles of Tri Nations countries.

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