Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
📖

Rugby league

sports Maturity 7-9 Vital Level 3 Next article →

Rugby league is a fast and exciting full-contact sport.

WIN Stadium trial match
WIN Stadium trial match

Two teams of thirteen players compete on a rectangular field. At each end of the field, there are H-shaped posts. The main goal is to score more points than the other team. Players use an oval ball to move across the field. They want to score tries, goals, or field goals. This sport is very popular in many different countries around the world.

Rugby League Formation and Positions
Rugby League Formation and Positions

Scoring points is the most important part of the game. A try is the main way to score. A player earns four points by touching the ball to the ground behind the goal line. After a try, the team gets a free kick called a conversion. This kick is worth two points. Players can also kick field goals, which are worth one point. Sometimes, a team gets a penalty kick worth two points.

Ftwins
Ftwins

Moving the ball requires teamwork and skill. Players can only pass the ball sideways or backward. They cannot pass the ball forward to a teammate. The defending team tries to stop them by making tackles. A tackle is complete when the ball carrier cannot move forward anymore. An attacking team gets six tackles to move the ball up the field. After a tackle, the player must stand up and roll the ball back with their foot. This step is called the play-the-ball.

Leeds Rhinos1
Leeds Rhinos1

The history of the sport began with a big split in England. In 1895, twenty-two clubs met at the George Hotel in Huddersfield.

The George Hotel, Huddersfield - geograph.org.uk - 676033
The George Hotel, Huddersfield - geograph.org.uk - 676033

They formed the Northern Rugby Football Union. These clubs wanted a faster game for people to watch. They also wanted to pay players who had to miss work to play. By 1906, the rules changed to use thirteen players instead of fifteen. This made the game very different from rugby union.

Challenge cup 1897
Challenge cup 1897

Today, rugby league is played all over the globe. The National Rugby League is a top competition in Australia and New Zealand. In Europe, teams play in the Super League. The sport is the national sport of Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands. There are even World Cups for the sport. The first one was held in France in 1954. There is also a Women's Rugby League World Cup. Even people with disabilities can play through wheelchair rugby league.

Manu Vatuvei (26 October 2008)
Manu Vatuvei (26 October 2008)
387 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (8)
File:The George Hotel, Huddersfield - geograph.org.uk - 676033.jpg
The George Hotel, Huddersfield -...
File:Challenge cup 1897.jpg
Challenge cup 1897.jpg
File:WIN Stadium trial match.jpg
WIN Stadium trial match.jpg
File:Leeds Rhinos1.jpg
Leeds Rhinos1.jpg
File:Rugby League Formation and Positions.jpg
Rugby League Formation and Positions.jpg
File:Ftwins.jpg
Ftwins.jpg
File:Manu Vatuvei (26 October 2008).jpg
Manu Vatuvei (26 October 2008).jpg
File:Thomas Bosc 2013 (1).JPG
Thomas Bosc 2013 (1).JPG
More to explore

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.