Mini Rugby
Mini Rugby is a modified version for Rugby Union, to make the sport suitable to be introduced to children. The sport was developed in England, and is currently used at a junior level in England and Wales.
Junior rugby is played in three stages for children under the age of 13: mini tag rugby, mini rugby, and midi rugby. Mini rugby has two classifications based on age, under-9 and under-10.
Mini rugby is played in a field that is 60m x 35m in size. Matches are played for two 15-minute periods. A size 3 rugby ball is used for U9 division, and a size 4 is used for U10s. Each team has 9 players, with five forwards and four backs.
Five points are awarded for a try. Conversions are still not introduced at this level. Matches are more physical than mini tag rugby. Tackling is introduced in mini rugby and children also learn to hand the ball to teammates, rip it out of others hands, and how to go to the ground. Scrums are not introduced at this level, and kicking or hand-offs are not allowed.
Mini rugby is mainly played in England, and Rugby Football Union which governs junior rugby in the country, organizes several competitions through the year.
Similar Sports
- Rugby Union — a football code played on a grass field by two opposing teams with two H-shaped goalposts at opposite ends.
- Tag Rugby — a team sport similar to touch rugby in which instead of a tackle, a velcro attached tag is pulled off the ball carrier
- Touch Rugby — a team sport derived from Rugby Football, in which the tackling is replaced with just a touch.
Related Pages
- Complete list of sports
- Football Decoder — variations of what is called football around the world
- The Encyclopedia of Sports
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