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rugby
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Willie Le Roux of South Africa runs with the rugby ball as Owen Farrell and George Ford of England chase him during the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final in Yokohama.
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Billy Slater of Australia runs with the ball as Johnathan Thurston supports on the left and Jesse Bromwich of New Zealand moves in to tackle during the Rugby League World Cup Final. Rieko Ioane leads the New Zealand All Blacks performing the haka on the field before a rugby match, with teammates in black uniforms and a stadium crowd in the background.
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Rugby playing field Diagram comparing player positions and formations in rugby and Australian rules football, with labeled zones for scrummage, line-out, and positions such as fullback, wings, and centers on a green field. Wales-England rugby match South Africa's Francois Steyn runs with the ball during the rugby World Cup final against England, with teammates and an England player in pursuit on a crowded stadium field.
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Willie Le Roux of South Africa runs with the rugby ball as Owen Farrell and George Ford of England chase him during the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final in Yokohama.
Rugby World Cup Final, 2019 Willie Le Roux of South Africa runs with the ball under pressure from Owen Farrell (L) and George Ford of England during the Rugby World Cup 2019 Final between England and South Africa.

rugby

sport
Also known as: rugger
Written by
John Nauright
Professor of Sport Management, George Mason University. Co-author of Rugby and the South African Nation and Making Men: Rugby and Masculine Identity.
John Nauright
Fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
Britannica Editors
History

rugby, football game played with an oval ball by two teams of 15 players (in rugby union play) or 13 players (in rugby league play). Both rugby union and rugby league have their origins in the style of football played at Rugby School in England. According to the sport’s lore, in 1823 William Webb Ellis, a pupil at Rugby School, defied the conventions of the day (that the ball may only be kicked forward) to...

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