To unpathed waters, undreamed shores

As it is Rugby League World Cup time again, I felt it might be an idea to briefly cover the basics of the game for any new fans watching. The information is taken from here and here.

Somewhat worryingly, both of the rules pages start with the information that you're trying to score more points than the other team, but I'm going to assume that you can guess that.

The very basic rules of the game are that each team is given six chances to score. Each chance ends with a tackle (a tackle is a tackle when the referee calls "held"). If, after six tackles, the team have not scored, the ball is handed over to the other team who then get the chance to score with their six tackles.

There are 4 ways of scoring:

1 - A Try - A try is worth 4 points. It is similar to a touchdown in American football, except you actually have to touch the ball down with control and downward pressure. I've highlighted those last words because if you don't do them, the try will not be awarded to your team.

2 - A Conversion - A conversion is worth 2 points. They can be scored only after the team has scored a try. The kick is taken from a position perpendicular to the goal line where the try was scored. The ball must pass between the goalposts and over the crossbar. If the team scores a conversion after a try, it is referred to as a converted try.

3 - A Penalty Kick - Also worth 2 points. Often just referred to as a penalty, this is one of the two options a team captain can take when the referee awards his team a penalty. The other option is to receive another set of 6 tackles with which to try to score.

4 - A Drop Goal - worth 1 point. This is scored when the ball is kicked between the goalposts and over the cross bar in open play.

A match lasts 80 minutes, split up into 2 halves of 40 minutes. The time is kept by a separate time keeper who sounds a hooter to signal the end of each half. If you're really unlucky and playing at one of the French stadiums, it sounds like an air-raid siren.

Both teams will have 13 players on the pitch at any one time. As in ice hockey, there are rolling substitutions with no need for a stoppage in play. There is a limit on the number of these interchanges, with a maximum of 12 per team per game.

When passing the ball, it must go level or backwards. If the ball goes forwards, this is called a forward pass and the referee will award the other team a scrum and give them the ball. The team is said to have been "given head and feed at the scrum". A rugby league scrum is formed of 6 players from each team. The scrum half puts the ball into the scrum, and the hooker from his team hooks the ball backwards to gain possession of the ball for his team.

Scrums are also awarded for knock-ons. A knock-on is when the ball is dropped forwards by a player and hits the ground or another player.

A 40/20 kick is one where a player standing on or behind their 40-metre line gains ground by kicking the ball into their opponent's 20-metre area. As long as the ball has bounced inside the field of play before going out to touch (out of bounds) in the 20 metre area, the kicking team are awarded head and feed at the scrum. Therefore they will probably six more tackles to try to score. It is very rare that the team that gets the ball to put into the scrum don't have possession after the scrum.

If the ball goes out behind the posts after a 40/20 rather than going out in the 20 metre area, the non-kicking team are given 7 tackles to try to score a try.

Don't worry if you're not sure what's happened. The referees wear microphones and have a set of hand signals that they use to indicate what is going on. These have been handily summarised here.

The offside rule does nothing but cause everyone headaches but basically, the defending team have to be 10 meters away from the attacking team when they play the ball after the tackle, and the person on the attacking team receiving the ball from the play the ball must be directly behind their team-mate.

Obstruction is when one of the attacking team runs across the line of a defender trying to tackle their team-mate.

Tackles are not allowed to be above shoulder height. Above that it is a high tackle.

For something like that, or other foul play that is deserving of more than a penalty to the opposition, a referee can give one of 3 punishments:

1 - A yellow card - the offender has to spend 10 minutes in the sin bin. Their team has to play the 10 minutes with 12 players.

2 - A red card - the offender is sent off and cannot play for the rest of the match. Their team has to play the rest of the match with 12 players.

3 - The player is put on report - while better for the team in the short run because the player gets to stay on the pitch and carry on playing, it means the disciplinary panel will look at the offence and decide what punishment is appropriate. This can be anything from nothing to a 4 match ban.

I think that covers the important things.

This year, the women's rugby league World Cup is taking place at the same time, so please show the ladies some love.



While I am obviously cheering for the Lionesses, please enjoy this photo of Sarina Fiso (NZ captain) and Ruan Sims (Australia captain).

Or stabbed, given I am talking about fencing.

D, who is a different D to the usual, was complaining that several of the people at fencing hit too hard. Given that D is responsible for 75% of all the fencing bruises I have had since I got back to Birmingham, I find this hilarious. Obviously I don't say anything because D does not take well to criticism, constructive or otherwise.

It's even funnier when the person she complains about is the most technically correct fencer in the club. As in, literally, the guy the coaches tell me to watch to replicate his form. He's got perfect balance, and the only time he's ever hurt me is when, on lunging, he's hit a bruise that D has left. Okay, occasionally because of his height and my lack of the same, he flicks my mask wire straight off. Part of the problem is that what D thinks is due to strength is actually due to really good technique but she refuses to believe that because J is ... well he makes everything look easy. I have an unfair advantage because I know how hard J's Dad makes and has made him train, and as long as I have known him, which is not far off 7 years. But it's like, no, D, listen to what other people see when J fences. Learn. Become better.

Friends, Romans, people who know about Russian wildlife - for a bit in a story I require a Russian bird. I would prefer if it were something small and fluttery. Any ideas? The web has not been useful.