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Arena Rugby is a variant of Rugby Union, or to be more specific a variant of Rugby Sevens, in which the rules of the game remain the same but matches are played in an indoor arena. The sport originated in the United States, created to cater to an American audience.

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Arena Rugby is played in an indoor arena with an astroturf surface. The dimensions of the field are much smaller than the field used for playing rugby sevens. The playing area, a few feet away from the sidelines, is surrounded by barricades that enables play to resume quickly when a player goes out-of-bounds. The ball used is the same as the rugby ball used for playing rugby union.

The game play and scoring is exactly the same as Rugby Sevens. The only major difference in scoring is that, in Arena Rugby, the only way of scoring is by means of tries.

Arena Rugby is not a very popular sport. It has a minor presence only in the United States. Most tournaments conducted are only at a club level. An attempt to promote the game at a bigger level under the banner of World Arena Rugby was started in early 21st century, but it quickly fizzled out due to the lack of interest in the league.

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Similar Sports

• Rugby 7s — a variation of rugby union with fewer players and played over a shorter time period.
• Rugby Tens — also known as ten-a-side and Xs, is a variant of rugby union that originated in Malaysia, and is popular in many Asian countries.
• Rugby X — a variant of rugby sevens, though with teams of five on a ¼ sized pitch with shorter matches.
• Rugby Union — a football code played on a grass field by two opposing teams with two H-shaped goalposts at opposite ends.

Related Pages

• About Rugby Union
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports