Rugby For All
Rugby Union is a physically inclusive game, where all shapes and sizes compete on equal terms on the pitch. However, it is not just about the fastest or the strongest, there are both fun and serious forms of the game to suit all ages, genders and abilities.
The Rugby Football Union is committed to widening participation and developing all forms of the game, and there are many ways to use the oval ball.
Rugby does not always have to be ultra-competitive, rugby for leisure has a place in the game too.
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Touch – minimal contact for all ages, genders and skills, where the tackle is replace by a two-handed touch.
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Tag – RFU’s official introduction to the game for youngsters where tackles are made by grabbing a removable tag from the ball carrier. Also adapted to 15-a-side and for new and lapsed players.
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Beach – who said summer rugby was the reserve of rugby league. Sun, sea and sand is a great setting for tag and touch rugby, and the soft surface is a forgiving introduction to the sport.
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Sevens – Once an end-of-season throw about, sevens is now an international sport played by many countries. Fewer players on the same size pitch means less physicality, more speed.
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Tens – Designed to slow the game down for mixed abilities, a useful way to develop skills for the game in a less intense environment.
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Veterans and Golden Oldies – if the passion and desire for the game remains in later life, there are opportunities for both over-35s and over-50s to continue playing the game they love.
Wheelchair Rugby
Originally called ‘murderball’ and associated with the phrase ‘chess with violence’, wheelchair rugby is the world’s fastest growing wheelchair sport.
The fast-paced, exciting team game was developed in Canada in the 1980s and involves armoured wheelchairs often crashing into one another on the hardwood court. The sport was adapted specifically for quadriplegics – those with functional impairments to both upper and lower limbs – who could not play wheelchair basketball.
The game in Great Britain is growing rapidly and is administered by Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby. Globally the sport is overseen by the International Wheelchair Rugby Federation.
