We exist to get kids playing rugby.
Junior rugby is played to a modified version of rugby. The Australian Rugby Union believes that younger rugby union players should be introduced to the game gradually through its Pathway program. The pathway is based on research on children in a sport which concluded that modified pathways offer great opportunities for children to develop skills and confidence. Children as young as six can enjoy rugby through a non-contact version of the game.
Pathway Rugby should be free-flowing with the purpose of developing the skills of running, balance, ball handling, and contact.
Variations of Rugby
There are a number of ways to get started in the game of rugby, and for many people their first introduction to rugby is through ‘touch rugby’, which is a simplified version of the game that essentially requires just a ball, a few people, and an open space. There’s no tackling involved in touch rugby, so it’s very much just like playing the game ‘tick’, ‘tag’ or ‘it’ – which means players get the chance to work on their running and handling rugby skills without heavy physical contact.
Another variation of the game is ‘tag rugby’, which is a non-contact version of the game in the same way as touch rugby, but sees possession pass over when an opposing player removes a tag attached to the ball carrier. Tag rugby is slightly more physical than touch rugby, but if you wish to get a full taste of the physical side of the sport, then try out the seven-a-side and 15-a-side versions of the game.
History
Rugby union is firmly established as a popular sport in the Australia as well as in nations such as New Zealand, UK,France, Ireland, South Africa, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Argentina, Canada and Italy, who are the major powers in the world game. The International Rugby Board has suggested that the sport is played in over 100 countries by both men and women.
The origins of rugby football have been credited to schoolboy William Webb Ellis, who while playing Association Football in a game in 1823 at Rugby School in England, picked up the ball and ran with it. The Rugby World Cup trophy even bears his name to this day.
Health and fitness benefits of playing rugby
The health and fitness benefits of rugby include:
Great sport for boosting upper body strength, with strong arms needed for tackling and throwing, and muscular strength required for this contact sport.
Develops the leg muscles, with running and scrums needing powerful leg muscles.
Improves flexibility, with the feet and hands requiring sudden changes of direction and pace.
Improves the body's cardiovascular system with a strong heart and lungs able to deliver oxygen to muscles faster, through the bloodstream.
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