The Rules of Touch Rugby

As a derivative of rugby, ‘touch rugby’ involves far less physical contact than traditional rugby, despite its name. In fact, the game resembles the playground game of ‘tag’ only with a ball. As one of the most popular field sports among young people, the game has taken off in a big way in the last few years and now even has its own league in the UK and worldwide.

The rules of the game aren’t complicated and therefore it is a great sport for people who like to stay fit, but don’t particularly like too much rough contact. Many children get into rugby through playing touch rugby, so we thought parents (and other sports fans) should understand the rules in order to show their support.

 “Touch World Cup 2011” by Ian Robertson, licenced under CC BY 2.0

Touch Rugby Basics

1 - Each team has six players on the field at any one time. However, they can have as many reserves as they like.

2 - As a game of two halves—pardon the pundit reference—each side lasts twenty minutes. The half time break is only one minute long and then play continues.

3 – Kick-off, restarts and penalties all begin with the ball being placed on the ground and the lead team ‘tap’ it into play with a foot. However, the ball is then picked up. During these moments, the defending side have to be at least ten whole metres from the starting point.

4 – Scoring a try happens when the ball is placed behind the defence’s try-line and must be placed there by hand—somewhat similar to a touchdown in American football.

5 – Tackles are replaced by touches. Legal touching is claimed when a player touches any legitimate part of another body including clothing or ball and must raise a hand to declare. All decisions are at the referee’s discretion and are final.

6 – When a player receives a touch he or she has to put the ball on the ground exactly at the point where the contact took place.

7 – Every six touches signifies a change of possession and the opposing team retains the balls. The team in attack then starts with a ‘first down’—again in much the same way as American football.

Enjoying the Game

These are the basics to get you started. Hopefully now you won’t feel totally ignorant if your child plays and uses the terminology! If you understand tag, rugby and a little American football you can pretty much piece the rest together. It is not complicated, but it is excellent fun and a great way to play a non-contact sport to keep fit.

The Nutritional Needs of a Rugby Player

You have heard plenty of mothers saying that their sons need a healthy protein-rich diet because they are a growing boy. This is true of any sportsman too. Certain foods, as we are very well aware, are very unhealthy for us, but some foods are particularly bad for people who engage in sports activities.  Finding a proper balanced diet when you play rugby is vital to your playing ability as well as your overall fitness levels. If you eat a burger and have a beer on Friday night with a game on Saturday, there’s every chance you will be on the bench after ten minutes of play. You will be lethargic, sluggish and more than likely unfocused.

“Sue’s favourite trail mix” by Cary Bass-Deschenes, licenced under CC BY-SA 2.0

Fatty foods

There are good fatty foods and bad fatty foods—unfortunately donuts and takeaways always fall into the bad category—so you need to know which fats will improve your diet. Despite some schools of thought, you do need fat in your food, just not as much as you think. Good fats are found in things like olive oil, nuts and avocado so try incorporate these into your sportsman’s diet to keep energy levels high.

Carbs

Just like fatty foods, there are good carbs and bad carbs. Pasta is a good carb because it has slow-release capabilities that make you feel fuller for longer. Just ensure your pasta isn’t loaded with unhealthy creamy or cheesy sauces. You should, as a rugby player, make sure you eat around 7 grams of good carbs for every kilogram of your body weight. This will keep you going when your training regime is intense.

Proteins

For each kilogram of your body weight, you should safely consume about 2 grams of good protein. This can be in the form of whey protein which is highly common among rugby players, bodybuilders and weight trainers. Protein helps build and maintain muscle mass and therefore it is the most essential ingredient in a rugby player’s diet.

“Water Boy” by funkblast, licenced under CC BY 2.0

Stay Hydrated

Don’t forget to stay hydrated. The body is made up of about 4/5’s water and you need to stay hydrated to prevent fatigue. Drink about 2 litres of water every day in the warm weather and about 1.5 litres during the cooler months. It is also essential to rehydrate after exercises so listen to your body and allow proper recovery.

Keeping to a strict diet when training will help improve your overall performance and support your muscle growth. Get in touch with our knowledgeable team if you require any more advice on getting the best out of our diet.

How to Choose Protective Equipment

Recently the NFL—National Football League— in the United States have been discussing the safety of players as some have been suffering head injuries due to the brutality of the game. If only they could see just how rough rugby is sometimes where players don’t have any of the protection that NFL players do. We think they would be pretty shocked! Rugby is rough on players and there are only a few choices of protective wear to purchase. For instance, NFL players were helmets, gum shields, shin and shoulder pads, elbow protectors and of course cups. Rugby players have far fewer options so buying the right kind of protective wear is absolutely vital. Here are some of our main suggestions to choose the best protection for you.

“US Women’s Rugby: NC Hustlers vs Midwest II” by Kelseye, licenced under CC BY 2.0

Body pads and headgear

In rugby, depending on your position, you can wear a head guard. This is commonly referred to as a scrum cap and is used to protect the ears when in a scrum. The best way to choose a good scrum cap is to look for the solid protection from a high strength material. It can’t be made of stiff materials like plastic but should be made of a hardwearing material with padding over the ears. This can prevent some additional cuts and abrasions but won’t reduce the likelihood of concussion.

Shoulder pads are not commonly worn in rugby, but they are growing in stature among professional and amateur players alike. They are not similar to the American football shoulder pads, but are instead discreet protection built into clothing. You should check the amount of impact protection between various makes and brands. You should also make sure they are breathable because your skin can suffer and you can become seriously dehydrated on hot days. Remember that shoulder pads are not meant to be worn with a view to rushing another player. They are meant to reduce the impact if you are rushed or accidentally banged.

“Blood makes the grass grow” by Anthony Georgis

Mouthguards 

We’ve all seen how rough rugby can get so it is essential to protect your teeth from any nasty knocks. Mouthguards come in a variety of different materials and it is often up to personal preference when choosing the best one. They will mould round your mouth to ensure the best protection and help prevent the risk of being knocked out

All in all, safety in rugby boils down to being cautious whilst not allowing it to affect your playing skills. Noses get broken, teeth get knocked out and shoulders get dislocated all the time, but having as much protection as possible can at least reduce the higher risks.

Who Will be the Rugby European Cup Champion?

This year we find a new tournament on the Rugby calendar, well more like a replacement. After all the talk, debate and arguments over the past few years we finally have a European competition. This new format, for qualification and representation means we can keep one European Cup, to replace the Heineken Cup.

The Rugby European Cup – How it works…

This weekend the opening encounters of the new Europeans Champions Cup will take place. Stadiums across Europe will begin to fill with fans traveling from near and far to cheer on their teams. Each team battles to qualify out of their group and reach the knock-out stages. Each group has 4 teams playing a round robin style competition, in which only two will qualify for the Quarter Finals in April 2015. The Ultimate goal being, to be the first, to lift the European Champions Cup in Twickenham on 2 May 2015.  

Teams to watch out for

As we have seen from the past there is no such thing as an easy win in any game but surely Glasgow fancy their chances of a decisive win over Bath. With their recent run of form and showing they are a team to be reckoned with in the Pro12, Europe must be next on their list of achievements. A home game will definitely be an advantage as well. Here at Rugby Plus we are excited to see what Gregor Townsend pulls out of the bag and can this tight knit team pull off an impressive show of skill against an on form Bath side.

WIN a signed Shirt

The other big game of the opening weekend must be Leicester vs Ulster. The Ulster men are away from home and facing a strong Leicester side. Can the wisdom of Les Kiss and Neil Doak lead the Ulster men to the win or will the strength of the Leicester Tigers prove to strong?  WIN  a signed Leicester Tigers shirt! Simply visit our Rugby Plus Facebook page and like and share our the Leicester Tigers shirt photo to enter.

At Rugby Plus we love to equip both fans and players with the best and latest attire – as well as some old faithful memorabilia stock!  Check out our NEW website for all your rugby needs, be it boots or shirts, socks or shorts we have it all.

Whatever happens with the Champions Cup, remember its all sport, so stay passionate about it.

Tell us, who do you think will win the first Rugby European Cup?

Rugby’s a Women’s Game

Rugby, like football, has long been seen as a man’s game. One of the main reasons for this is probably the roughness. Let’s be honest, it’s not a dainty sport and is fraught with danger, including broken noses, crushed collar bones, broken legs and missing teeth. Not exactly appealing to some women (or men), so what exactly can be done to increase the interest?

The recent success of Women’s teams has certainly bolstered interest, but on the whole, women’s sport always tends to get less coverage and less sponsorship than men’s sports. At Rugby Plus, we know that it should be equality for all in sports – not just Rugby. Golf and football are both prime examples of how men seem to come out better with prize money, recognition and opportunities than women. It has almost become a crusade for many people, both women in the sport and male and female advocates of the sport to get women’s rugby noticed in higher places.

What does it take?

They say actions speak louder than words. Money is one thing that tends to speak louder than anything else, and if women’s rugby is to make an impact on the sporting world on a long-term basis, it needs some serious sponsorship money. The team members should be receiving sponsorship money from sporting companies, apparel companies, fitness and equipment companies. They should be seen on TV and gain more positive exposure.

There is still the common misconception that women’s rugby is less exciting, less serious and less raw than when rugby played by men. As anyone who has watched (or played) women’s rugby will testify, as we do at Rugby Plus nothing could be further from the truth. We have lots of eye catching ladies wear on offer and we have seen a huge increase in demand from this area.

We need to get the women’s teams and their players noticed. We need to learn to recognize the face of a woman rugby player the same way we all recognize Johnny Wilkinson or Bill Beaumont, or the Underwood’s, Tony and Rory. The question is, how many women players could you mention? At Rugby Plus we know it won’t be long until the top sporting females are recognised, similar to their male counterparts.