Two teams converged last week to play a classic rugby match. Passionate fans cheered and booed. The game was close, but in the last few minutes one team managed to claw themselves into the lead by one point due to a penalty kick-off.

The exciting game was between Australia and South Africa during the Rugby World Cup. Many Canadians have heard of rugby but never have followed it seriously or given it much consideration. In fact, football (both the CFL and NFL) is based off rugby, and the sport was played by many Canadian universities, such as McGill University, well before the advent of football.

Currently, the best rugby nations in the world are competing head to head and you might be missing out. Hopefully, with a bit of knowledge of the sport, teams and rules, many of you will want to check out some of the final games of the championship.

The Rugby World Cup plays by Rugby Union rules. Union has 15 players, and the basic rules are as follows: players have to pass the ball backwards while attempting to move it into the end zone; that’s called a “try” (worth five points). The conversion kick that follows a try and sails between the goal posts is worth two points, while penalty kicks and drop goals are worth three points.

While ball possession is important, territory allows the team to move closer to the goal line and put pressure on the other team. You want to be continuously moving forward. The main goals are to stop the other team’s progress, take control of the ball and to push forward to score. There is no tackling limit in Union, but if ball control is lost and the other team doesn’t pick it up quickly enough, a scrum will be called.

The referee indicates where he wants the scrum to occur and blows a whistle to start it. Eight players from each team lock arms and form a semi-circle, coming together with the other team’s half. The goal of both teams is to kick the ball that is placed in the centre backwards and out of the scrum. Once a team does this, the ball is quickly picked up and the game automatically resumes without waiting for the scrum to disband.

The Rugby World Cup is being held in New Zealand this year, with games played from Sept. 9 to Oct. 23. Twenty teams competed, including Canada. While Canada is not a top-tier team, for a team made up of mostly amateurs we remained quite competitive. In our first game against Tonga we won 25-20 and against Japan, a mid-tier team, we tied. Unfortunately we lost to a top-ranked New Zealand 79-15. Despite coming up short in the World Cup, we should be proud of these men, who are driven by their passion for the sport they love and want to make their country proud. Hopefully our team will get more notice and more Canadian players can join the professional ranks. They deserve it.

Every sport has the top contenders, and in rugby the top countries are: Australia, South Africa, France, England, Argentina, Wales, Ireland and New Zealand. Out of those top-eight nations, Australia, France, Wales and New Zealand advanced to the semi-finals.

The semi-finals began on Oct. 15 with a match between Wales and France. Tensions were high as France had gone to the finals twice and defeated Wales in the 1987 World Cup bronze medal match. Both teams had come close glory, but never grasped it. Understandably national pride was on the line during the match, as France won a closely contested game 9-8, booking their ticket to the finals.

The following day Australia and New Zealand competed, with the host country beating their Australian rivals 20-6, advancing to play France in the World Cup final and looking to end a 24-year World Cup championship drought.
Now, with the finals and bronze medal matches remaining, only great games are ahead, so it isn’t too late to check out the them if you haven’t yet had the chance.

The Rugby World Cup only lasts for a few months, but other rugby games are continuously being broadcasted and played around the world. Matches are shown on TV, but rarely at optimal times for a Canadian audience due to time zones. If possible, the best option is to try and record (PVR) a rebroadcast and check out what the rest of the world is excitedly watching. Team Canada needs more knowledgeable fans and more support so that the program can grow and mature. If given a fair shake, I’m sure you will find rugby to be a wonderful game to play and watch.
illustration by devon kerslake