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Overview
The official guide to rugby in North America, revised and updated
Rugby For Dummies is the guide to rugby in North America, endorsed by USA Rugby and Rugby Canada, the official regulating bodies for the sport. It gives you a look at how rugby is played, offers strategies for winning, and covers every level of the sport, from high school to college (including women's rugby) to the international leagues. Plus, this new edition addresses changes to the rules of rugby, includes new rugby player bios, and looks at rugby's upcoming return to the Olympic games.
Inside you'll find easy-to-understand explanations of rugby rules and positions, plus in-depth lessons on skills, fitness training, and winning techniques. Add in entertaining stories from rugby in North America and around the world, and you've got the definitive book on rugby!
- Covers every level of the sport
- Includes the latest rules and information on rugby
- Discusses rugby's return to the Olympic games
Whether you're new to rugby or a scrum veteran, this friendly guide is for you.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781118043325 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Publication date: | 08/30/2011 |
| Series: | For Dummies Books |
| Edition description: | 3rd Edition (North American Edition) |
| Pages: | 384 |
| Product dimensions: | 7.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.90(d) |
About the Author
Mathew Brown is the producer and host of Rugby World on Fox Soccer Plus.
Patrick Guthrie is the Director of Broadcast and Sports Development for the City of Glendale, CO.
Greg Growden is a rugby correspondent and author of Gold, Mud 'n' Guts.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Why You Need This Book 2
How This Book Is Organized 2
Part I: Rugby: Roots, Boots, and All 2
Part II: Getting Down and Dirty 2
Part III: Welcome to the Oval Planet 3
Part IV: Coaching and Refereeing 3
Part V: Following the Game: The Informed Fan 3
Part VI: The Part of Tens 3
The Glossary 4
Icons Used in This Book 4
Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: Rugby: Roots, Boots, and All 7
Chapter 1: Rugby’s Beginnings, Allure, and a Basic Overview 9
Rugby’s Roots — the Birth of the Game 9
The mythical pick-up of William Webb Ellis 10
A century of amateurism 10
How the Game Is Played 11
The field 12
The scoring 12
The gear 12
Understanding the Essentials of the Game 13
Puzzling out the positions 13
Grasping the laws of the game 14
Scoping out skills, tactics, and training 14
Rugby’s a Worldwide Game 15
An international affair 15
North America gets into the action 16
Coaching and Refereeing 16
Keeping Informed about the Game 17
Chapter 2: The Basics 19
Figuring Out the Field 19
Dimensions of the playing area 19
What all those lines mean 20
Goalposts and flags 23
Understanding the Scoring System 23
Scoring a try 24
Awarding a penalty try 24
Converting a try 24
Kicking a penalty goal 26
Drop kicking a goal 27
Timekeeping on the Field 28
When the clock runs and when it stops 28
When someone’s injured 28
When the TMO is looking at play 29
When the hooter sounds 29
Introducing the Players 29
Taking up position 29
Positions by the numbers 30
The reserves 31
Chapter 3: Grab Your Rugby Gear 33
Getting It Together: The Essentials of the Kit Bag 33
Having a ball 34
Kicking in with a kicking tee 35
Miscellaneous kit items 36
Getting the Gear 36
Rugby jerseys 36
Rugby shorts 37
Booting up 38
Socking it to you 39
Protecting Your Assets 40
Choosing protective equipment 40
Preventing serious injury 43
Knowing what’s barred on the pitch 43
Part II: Getting Down and Dirty 45
Chapter 4: Location, Location, Location: Positions on the Pitch 47
A Place for Everyone 47
Playing the Numbers Game 48
Fearless Forwards 50
Getting in tight with the tight five 51
The back-row forwards: Breaking loose with the loosies 56
Get to the Back of the Line 58
Passing and pestering for profit: The scrumhalf 59
Feeling footloose and fancy-free: The flyhalf 59
Mastering the midfield: Centers 60
Running wild out wide: The wings 62
Roaming the range: The fullback 62
Chapter 5: Laying Down the Laws 65
The Laws of the Game 65
The IRB writes the law 66
The laws are dynamic and ever-changing 66
Reading the law book 68
Building up your knowledge 68
Introducing the Match Officials 69
The referee: The one with the whistle 69
Touch judges and assistant referees: The ones with the flags 71
The substitution official: The one with the numbers 72
The TMO: The one with the video screen 72
Recognizing the Referee’s Signals 73
Chapter 6: Understanding the Fundamentals 77
The Object of the Game 78
Running, Passing, and Kicking 79
Running 79
Passing 79
Kicking 79
What Can Go Wrong? 80
Knock-on 81
Forward pass 81
The Tackle Law — Where Football Ends, Rugby Begins 82
The tackle situation and continuity 82
The tackled player 83
The tackler 83
Tackling no-no’s 84
The Advantage Law — When Play Stops and When It Continues 84
Observing the Offside Law 86
In general play 87
From set pieces 90
At tackles, rucks, and mauls 91
Playing Foul 92
Obstruction 92
Unfair play 92
Repeated infringements 93
Misconduct 93
Taking Penalties 93
Kicking at goal 94
Kicking for touch 94
Choosing a scrum 94
Taking it quick 95
Free kicks 95
Chapter 7: Playing the Game 97
Getting Started 98
Kickoffs to begin each half 98
Restarts after scores and 22s 100
Rugby For Dummies, 3rd Edition
The Tackle Situation 101
The tackled player 102
The tackler 102
What happens next? 103
Breaking Down the Breakdown 103
Tackle, Ruck, or Maul? 104
Roughing It in the Rucks 104
Rucking rules 106
Directing the ruck 107
Working the pick-and-go 108
Mastering the Maul 108
Mauling laws 110
Directing the maul 111
Stopping the maul 112
Chapter 8: The Art of Scrummaging 113
Scrum Isn’t Synonymous with Mayhem 114
Sections of the Scrum 115
The front row 115
The second row 117
The back row 117
The ninth forward — the scrumhalf 118
Engagement 119
The put-in 120
The contest for possession 120
Laws at Scrumtime 121
Binding and releasing 121
Collapsing 122
Driving in and up 122
Feeding 123
Strategic Scrummaging 123
Attacking from the scrum 123
Wheeling the scrum 124
Getting a shove on 125
Pushing it over the edge 126
Chapter 9: Lineouts: Restarting from Touch 127
Determining When a Lineout Occurs 128
Understanding Where a Lineout Takes Place 128
Directly into touch 128
Indirectly into touch 129
Figuring Out Who Gets the Throw-in 130
Lining Up for a Lineout 131
Forming a lineout 132
Calling the play 132
Throwing in the ball 134
Taking the throw 135
Starring Roles in a Lineout 136
Jumpers and lifters 136
The receiver 138
Movement in the lineout 138
Talking Tactics Down the Line 139
Peeling off 139
Throwing to the front 139
Setting up the maul 140
Quick off the top 140
Things You Can’t Do 140
Taking It Quick 141
Chapter 10: Individual Skills 143
Running Rampant 144
Receiving a pass on the run 145
Side-stepping the tackler 145
Curving into the swerve 146
Fending off forcibly 147
Going into a hit and spin 148
Throwing the dummy 148
Passing with Panache 149
Bringing tactics into play 150
Spiral pass 151
Cut-out pass 151
Lob pass 152
Pop pass 152
Dive pass 152
Scrumhalf pass 153
Kicking Cleverly 153
Spiral punt kick 154
Up and under 155
Chip kick 156
Grubber kick 156
Drop kick 157
Goal kick 158
Tackling Tough 160
Front-on driving tackle 161
Side-on tackle 163
Tackle from behind 163
Ball-and-all tackle 164
Stationary tackle 164
Ankle tap 164
Chapter 11: Tactics and Teamwork 165
Creating a Game Plan 166
Understanding your team’s strengths and weaknesses 166
Analyzing the opponent 170
Weathering the Conditions 172
Adapting to inclement weather 173
Playing the pitch 173
Deciding On a Game Plan 174
Attacking Artistically 175
Launching an effective attack 176
Breaking through 176
Defending Devilishly 177
Coordinating the defense 177
Blocking the advance: Defensive systems 178
Developing commitment and trust 181
Chapter 12: Talented Training 183
Getting Match Fit 183
Warming up and having a good stretch 184
Stretching for performance 185
Developing a fitness program 187
Psyching Up for a Stellar Performance 189
Eating Your Way to Victory 191
Choosing a balanced diet 191
Taking in fuel 192
Choosing your supplements carefully 192
Part III: Welcome to the Oval Planet 193
Chapter 13: The World Cup 195
The Crown Jewel of Rugby 195
The Origins and History of the Rugby World Cup 196
1987 World Cup — Australia and New Zealand 197
1991 World Cup — Great Britain, Ireland, and France 197
1995 World Cup — South Africa 197
1999 World Cup — Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland, and France 198
2003 World Cup — Australia 198
2007 World Cup — France, Wales, and Scotland 199
2011 World Cup — New Zealand 199
Qualification and Finals Tournaments 200
North Americans in the World Cup 200
Fighting Eagles 200
Competing Canadians 201
Mammoths and Minnows 202
Great World Cup Moments 203
Australia versus England — 2003 final 203
South Africa versus New Zealand — 1995 final 204
Australia versus South Africa — 1999 semifinal #1 204
New Zealand versus France — 1999 semifinal #2 205
Other Cups on the World Stage 206
Rugby World Cup Sevens 206
Women’s Rugby World Cup 207
Junior World Championship 209
Chapter 14: The International Calendar 211
How the Game Is Organized 211
Rugby’s rulers — the IRB 212
National unions 212
Provincial unions 213
Local unions 213
The Powers That Be 213
Where tradition is king — the Six Nations 214
South versus north — the SANZAR home tests 215
The battle of the Big Three — the Tri Nations 215
North versus south — the fall tests 216
The British & Irish Lions 216
The Nations Cup 217
The Pacific Nations Cup 218
The Barbarian Football Club 218
The Sevens World Series 219
Sevens rugby in the Olympics 219
Interprovincial and Provincial Rugby 220
Sensational Super Rugby XV 220
The Heineken Cup overfloweth 221
The Celtic scene 222
The ITM Cup 223
The South African ABSA Currie Cup 224
The English domestic scene 224
The Top 14 225
Chapter 15: North American Rugby 227
Checking Out Rugby in the United States 227
Origins and Olympic gold 228
Formation and reformation of USA Rugby 229
Soaring with the Eagles 232
Eagles atop the world: Women’s rugby 233
U.S sevens 235
Investigating Rugby in Canada 235
The birth of Rugby Canada 236
Canadian women on the rise 237
Canadian National Women’s League 238
Canadian sevens 238
Going Global: North American Internationals 239
The Churchill Cup 239
The June inbound tests 240
The November tours 241
Americas Rugby Championship 241
Chapter 16: Amateur Rugby in North America 243
Clubbing with the Yanks 243
The USA Rugby Super League 245
United States club championships 246
Considering the Canadian Club Scene 248
The Canadian Rugby Championship 249
Canadian national championships 250
Chapter 17: Collegiate, High School, and Youth Rugby in North America 251
Playing the American Collegiate Game 251
Starting Young: High School and Youth Rugby in the U.S.A 253
High school championships 254
Youth rugby 255
Canadian Collegiate Championships 256
High School and Youth Rugby in Canada 257
High school rugby 257
Youth rugby 257
Part IV: Coaching and Refereeing 259
Chapter 18: Coaching 261
Grand Obsession: The Making of a Good Coach 261
Improving skill levels 262
Getting your team fighting fit 262
Motivating your team 263
Coaching Safety 263
Keeping your players safe 264
False assumptions and the truth about injuries in rugby 265
Tackling a Tough Job 266
Deciding Whether Coaching Is for You 267
You’re Not Alone: Support Staff 268
Coaching: Assistant coach 270
Coaching: Defense coach 270
Managing the team 270
Training the team 271
Massaging the players: The physiotherapist 271
Calling on the team doctor 272
Chapter 19: Coaching Certification and Advancement 273
Coaching Accreditation in the U.S 273
Looking at the Coach Development Program 274
Getting certified 274
Coach Training in Canada 275
The International Rugby Academy 276
Coaching Hatchlings to Eagles 277
Nurturing the youth 277
Having an oval ball in high school 278
Corralling collegians 278
Catering to the clubs 279
Chapter 20: Managing the Game: The Referee 281
The Responsibility of the Whistle 281
Knowledge 282
Consistency 282
Communication 282
Temperament 283
Fitness 284
Becoming a Ref in the States 284
Getting started 284
Moving up 286
Reaching the top 286
Picking Up the Whistle Up North 287
Part V: Following the Game: The Informed Fan 289
Chapter 21: Get Your Game: Rugby on TV 291
Rugby on Television in the U.S.A 291
Rugby on Television in Canada 292
Speaking the Language 293
Rugby’s TV jargon glossary 294
The best of the commentators 294
Chapter 22: Spectating and Staying in Touch with Rugby News 297
Finding a Match to Watch 297
Blending In with the Crowd 298
Following rugby etiquette 298
Dressing for the occasion 299
Spectating across North America 300
Going to watch a test match 301
Enjoying the club experience 301
Sounding like a rugby expert 302
Touring Overseas 303
Finding Out More about the Game 303
Rugby matches on the Web 304
Rugby news in cyberspace 304
IRB and union Web sites 306
Part VI: The Part of Tens 309
Chapter 23: The Ten Greatest North American Men 311
Gareth Rees 311
Dan Lyle 312
Al Charron 313
Dave Hodges 314
Mike James 314
Brian Vizard 314
Rod Snow 315
Luke Gross 315
Winston Stanley 315
Todd Clever 315
Honorable Mentions 315
Chapter 24: The Ten Greatest North American Women 317
Patty Jervey 317
Jen Crawford 318
Gillian Florence 318
Phaidra Knight 319
Heather Moyse 319
Ellie Karvoski 320
Maria Gallo 320
Kathy Flores 320
Sarah Ulmer 320
Leslie Cripps 321
Honorable Mentions 321
Chapter 25: The Ten Best Rugby Moments 323
Top Five Around the World 323
The greatest test ever 323
The 2003 World Cup final 324
Barbarians versus New Zealand 1973 325
The Bulls win the Super 14 326
1995 World Cup final 327
Top Five North American Moments 327
Women’s Rugby World Cup final 1991 328
Canada versus France 1994 328
U.S Olympians versus France 1920 and 1924 328
Wales versus Canada 1993 329
Canada versus France A 2010 329
Glossary 331
Index 341
