Rugby World Cup - What's going on?

bikes_and_dogs

I like sport, I can watch anything competitive, cricket, poker, rock climbing and I can kinda get it.
There is a "but" and that is rugby, it seems to be a succession of big guys scrambling after a ball only to be interrupted by the referee's whistle - offsides, scrum infringements, rucks etc..
Commentators, the fans and even sometimes the players are clueless until the referee tells them what has just happened. It's not an easy watch.

pinno

Don't watch it then.

Stevo_666

Might be worth watching the Sweaties getting trounced by South Africa.

Dorset_Boy

Fiji blow it at the end. Through the hands and they score.
Miracle pass and it is dropped.

Wales played very well, but can give Carley a massive thank you to keep as many men on the field and get a couple of key decisions.

By far the best game of the tournament.

bikes_and_dogs

Dorset_Boy said:

Fiji blow it at the end. Through the hands and they score.
Miracle pass and it is dropped.

Wales played very well, but can give Carley a massive thank you to keep as many men on the field and get a couple of key decisions.

By far the best game of the tournament.

I admire your insight and obvious passion. I intend to ignore the following advice.

pinno said:

Don't watch it then.

There is clearly a bunch of dedicated professionals going about their business and that much I will try to appreciate. Even if I don't always understand the rules.

Dorset_Boy

bikes_and_dogs said:

Dorset_Boy said:

Fiji blow it at the end. Through the hands and they score.
Miracle pass and it is dropped.

Wales played very well, but can give Carley a massive thank you to keep as many men on the field and get a couple of key decisions.

By far the best game of the tournament.

I admire your insight and obvious passion. I intend to ignore the following advice.

pinno said:

Don't watch it then.

There is clearly a bunch of dedicated professionals going about their business and that much I will try to appreciate. Even if I don't always understand the rules.

It is impossible to understand the rules of rugby as they don't exist.
Rugby has laws.

bikes_and_dogs

It is impossible to understand the rules of rugby as they don't exist.
Rugby has laws.



Your pedantic point says it all.

laurentian

I have played rugby for most of my life and I can see where you're coming from!

I guess that periods of open play when the ball is being passed between players or kicked or ran with etc is fairly easy to understand and that you get that if it is passed or knocked forward, the opposite side will be awarded a scrum and have the "put in".

I suspect that the main issues with your confusion and that of many others centres around the "breakdown" i.e. when the ball is on or near the ground following a tackle.

Usually, when an attacking player is tackled and goes to ground, they will present the ball to their own side. Thereafter, there are several scenarios:

1) Their team mate will pick the ball up and either run with it or pass it to another team mate. This is good. Players will arrive from the attacking side (i.e. the side of the tackled player) around the tackled player to "protect" the ball in an attempt to make sure the opposition don't get their hands on it.

2) An opposing player can bend over the tackled player and try to pick up the ball from the tackled players hands. He can only do this if he is supporting all of his own body weight and on his feet (he cannot, for instance, have a knee on the ground, on the tackled player or on team mate). This is often referred to as "jackling". If the tackled player doesn't release the ball in this situation (usually as there are none of his teammates protecting him/the ball), a penalty is awarded against them. If the opposing player attempting to pick the ball up is not supporting his own body weight, a penalty is awarded against them (i.e. to the tackled players team).

3) Players from both sides arrive at the tackle area at about the same time but neither can get their hands on the ball legally. They then try to push each other over the ball in order that the ball is "clear" and can be released to be picked up (this is referred to as a "counter ruck" if the tackling side are successful in this). HOWEVER, players can only join the "ruck" (the pile of bodies you referred to above) from behind the rearmost foot of the ruck (often called "through the gate") on their side (confused yet?), should a player from either side enter the ruck from the side, the opposing side will be awarded a penalty.

4) If when arriving at a ruck or tackled player, a player from either side "flops" over the ball onto the ground a penalty is awarded to the opposing side.

5) The tackling player must move away from the tackle as soon as it is completed - if he doesn't, a penalty is awarded to the opposing side (offence here is termed "not rolling away").

I really don't know if any of that is helpful and doubt that I have explained it very well but, I do think that most of the confusion to the casual viewer is around this aspect of the game and so, if you genuinely want to understand how it works, this would be the aspect to swot up on first.