You don’t have to know every rule in the book to enjoy a game of Rugby Union. This is music to our ears with the game reaching pitch fever after the Wallabies made the World Cup semi-final.
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The Australian team are hot favourites to win against Argentina when they play at Twickenham, England this weekend. A win will see the team face off against either the New Zealand All Blacks or South African Springboks in the final for the Web Ellis Cup.
Australia has a long-standing rivalry with both New Zealand and South Africa. These three teams are known as the tri-nations and consistently dominate the top of the table in the world rankings.
The All Blacks are the incumbent world champions, defeating France in the 2011 final on home soil at Eden Park, Auckland. Even without the hometown advantage the formidable side lead by Richie McCaw will be hard to beat – good thing they’re easy on the eyes.
The Wallabies have faced several controversies during the World Cup. Most significantly in the quarter final where the referee awarded them a penalty in the final minutes of the game against the ruggedly handsome Scottish team. They went on to score and win the match 35 -34, sending the last UK hopeful packing.
English Princes William and Harry have made headlines during the tournament for their terse glances during an England vs. Wales match where they supported opposing sides. Harry donning the white guernsey for England and William sporting Welsh red, for whom he is a patron. A member of the Royal Family will present the trophy to the winning side at the culmination of the World Cup. In previous years it has been Queen Elizabeth II, although that may change this year.
If the Wallabies win the World Cup it will be their 3rd title in four outings. They previously won in 1999 and 1991 where they infamously nicknamed the Web Ellis Trophy ‘Bill’, after the father of Rugby, William Webb Ellis. The slogan ’Bring Back Bill’ was coined for their 1999 cup campaign.
Looking ahead to the match against Argentina, the Wallabies have a robust rivalry with Los Pumas, although not on par with the trans-Tasman animosity.
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Key players to look out for are:
Israel Folau and former skipper David Pocock who are returning from injury. Israel made headlines after he played representative football in all three major Australian football codes, AFL, Rugby League and Rugby Union.
Coming off the bench these players will be pivotal if Australia is to have a chance of winning.
Wallabies captain Steve Moore and senior squad member Matt Giteau will both celebrate their 100th cap as a Wallaby this weekend. This is a milestone achievement in the game and signifies over a decade of representing Australia.
If you’re having trouble working out the terminology here are a few keywords to help:
Try – Add five points to the scoreboard if the ball touches the ground on or over the white horizontal line that aligns with the goal posts.
Converted Try – After a try is scored, the team will have a chance to kick for goal to further their lead, if they successfully kick the ball over the crossbar of the goal posts an additional 2 points are added to their score after the 5 gained for the try.
Knock On – The ball must always be thrown backwards. If it touches the hand of a player and moves in a forward motion this is called a knock on. The referee will issue a turnover and give the ball to the opposition. Knock’s usually happen if a catch is dropped or the ball is fumbled.
Scrum – The huddle both teams form in the middle of the pitch. The attacking side will ‘feed’ the ball into the scrum by throwing it under the legs of the players. Their team mates will then attempt to kick the ball out of the huddle to their free feeder also known as the ‘fly-half’.
Still feeling baffled? Just remember this simple phrase, “Aussie, Aussie Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi.”
