Sports like rugby: Which sports resemble rugby and how are they played?

Professional, amateur and traditional contact sports make up a large proportion of games played around the world. Rugby, hockey, basketball, soccer and boxing are some of the most famous professional contact sports. Dig into this article for a deep dive into the world of contact games and sports like rugby.

What sport is closest to rugby? Rugger is a high-impact, fast-paced ball sport. Sports Brief has used credible sources such as Traditional Sports and Topend to determine the most similar sports to rugby.

Are there sports like rugby?

Also known as Rugby Union, football, or rugger, the game reportedly originated in England during a football game. According to various sources, its inventor, William Webb Ellis, picked up the football and ran with it. However, indigenous games such as Yubi Lakpi predate the sport, which boasts over eight million followers globally.

What sports are like rugby?

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The game shares uncanny similarities with Rugby X, Rugby Fives Rugby League, Rugby League Nines, and Rugby League Sevens, with slight differences in gameplay, the number of players, timing, and more. Scroll down for other sports like rugby.

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10. Underwater rugby

• Year founded: 1961
• Place of origin: Germany
• Played in: Germany, America, Colombia, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Singapore
• Venue: Underwater

In addition to sharing names, underwater rugby is a team sport like rugby, albeit played in a pool. Other than the location of matches, other differences between the sports include scoring and gameplay.

How do you play underwater rugby? The sport is played by two teams of six players, with a referee on deck, one on scuba, and a free-diving referee. In the twenty- to thirty-minute match, the defending team members attempt to tackle the player in possession, preventing them from scoring.

9. Beach rugby

• Year founded: 1993
• Place of origin: Europe
• Played in: Italy, Europe, Asia, Africa, America
• Venue: Outdoor

Beach rugby gives its players the beauty of playing on tropical sandy beaches. The five-to-six-a-side game played on a rectangular field begins with a ground touch.

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To score a try, the player in possession must evade a tackle from the defending team. In rugby, players score a try when in possession grounds the ball over the opponent’s try line or goal line.

8. Wheelchair rugby

• Year founded: 1977
• Place of origin: Winnipeg, Canada
• Played in: Canada, Australia, Germany
• Venue: Indoor

Also known as murderball, wheelchair rugby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport played by athletes who use wheelchairs. Mixed-gender teams can play the Paralympic sport. It has a similar attacking strategy to tag.

Unlike Rugger, wheelchair rugby is played in an indoor arena similar to a basketball or volleyball court. To score, the player in possession must cross the opposing team's goal line with both wheels.

7. Touch rugby

• Year founded: 1968
• Place of origin: Australia
• Played in: The United Kingdom, Australia, Asia, Europe
• Venue: Outdoor

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The forty-minute game begins with a tap at the centre of the field. Like rugby, scoring occurs when the ball is placed on the ground beyond the try line.

What is the difference between touch and contact rugby? According to the Federation of International Touch, the game shares many similarities with rugby. What distinguishes the two is the touch required on a player's body, clothing or ball. Whenever a ‘touch’ occurs, play is restarted on the exact position of the touch.

6. Tag rugby

• Year founded: 1983
• Place of origin: Gibraltar
• Played in: The United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Kenya, Uganda
• Venue: Indoors

Tag is a popular sport synonymous with school playgrounds and Physical Education lessons. As a professional sport, two teams of five to seven battle for the most points by scoring as many tries as possible. Like rugby, players score by grounding the ball beyond the try line in tag.

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A video tutorial by Tag Rugby Coach revealed that the most significant differences between the two sports lie in the amount of touch or contact. Tag athletes are restricted from performing heavy contact against their opponents. To tackle an opponent in possession of the ball, the defending team members remove one or both Velcro tags attached to the sides of their shorts.

5. Yubi Lakpi

• Place of origin: Manipur, India
• Played in: Manipur, India
• Venue: Outdoor

Yubi Lakpi (Yubee-Lakpee) is a seven-a-side contact sport from Manipur, India. The sport, which translates to ‘coconut snatching,’ has been part of the Manipurian culture for centuries.

Like rugby, the traditional sport is played on a rectangular field with a 4.5-metre by 3-metre goal box. The seven-a-side game begins when a greased coconut is thrown into play. Each player, who is duly greased, must use their strength, wrestling-like skills, stamina, speed and quick reflexes to carry the coconut to the goal box.

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4. Aussie rules

• Year founded: 1858
• Place of origin: Melbourne
• Played in: Australia
• Venue: Outdoor

According to Goal, the sport is played in four twenty-minute quarters on an oval field. It is fast-paced and action-filled, with aspects of basketball, handball, rugby, and soccer.

An Aussie rules match begins with a battle for possession between opposing teams. Team members with possession can move the ball while bouncing it every 15 metres, hitting it forward with fists as in handball or kicking it. To score, the player in possession must kick the ball between four goalposts.

3. Gaelic football

• Year founded: 1880s
• Place of origin: Ireland
• Played in: Ireland
• Venue: Outdoor

Gaelic football, Gaelic, or GAA, is a sport like rugby with two teams of fifteen team members. Teams in possession drive the ball up the field in ways similar to AFL, such as kicking, carrying, bouncing, passing by hand and soloing. Players kick the ball into the opposing team's goalpost to score.

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What is the difference between rugby and Gaelic football? The Irish game uses a rounder ball compared to the one used in Rugger. Other differences include timing, gameplay, passing techniques, and the number of participants.

2. Lelo Burti

• Year founded: 1854
• Place of origin: Georgia
• Played in: Georgia
• Venue: Outdoor

Lelo, or Lelo Burti, is an ancient Georgian game recreated by ‘warring villages’. The sport is held once a year over Easter in Georgian villages. With the blessings of a priest, two teams of villagers push and jostle to get the 16-kilogram ball to the other side of the opposing village.

1. American football

• Year founded: 1869
• Place of origin: New Jersey, USA
• Played in: The United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Mexico, Japan, Canada
• Venue: Outdoor

American football and rugby union share slight similarities, such as the physical requirements of the sport, touchdowns, tackling, and aggression. While both are full-contact ball sports, AFL contenders don full-body protection gear, such as a helmet, mouthguard, chest and shoulder padding, and shin guards.

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To score a touchdown in American football, the ball can be on the opponent's goal line, above, or behind its plane. In Rugger, a try or touchdown is scored when the player touches the ball on the ground past the goal line.

Frequently asked questions

Throughout history, early civilisations have used sports to connect individuals spiritually and socially. Scroll down to delve into interesting facts about sports similar to rugby.

1. Are there different types of rugby?

According to the Rules of Sport, there are two main types of rugby: the traditional rugby union format and rugby league. Although both sports are seemingly indistinguishable, they differ in pitch dimensions, team numbers, tackling, and scoring techniques.

2. What Australian sports are similar to rugby?

Australia is home to Aussie Rules, football, and rugby league. As professional sports, these three mainstream games feature slight similarities.

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3. What American sport is similar to rugby?

Gridiron, or American football, is one of America’s major sports. Skills needed to play it, such as speed, strength, endurance, agility, coordination and tactical knowledge, are also required to succeed in rugby league.

Final word

Rugby union is one of the most famous sports on earth. Early and modern cultures worldwide developed several sports like rugby, which have a massive following.

READ ALSO: Sports like soccer: Here is a list of alternative sports to soccer

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