World Rugby is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international competitions, such as the World Rugby Sevens Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens, the World Under 20 Championship, and the Pacific Nations Cup.
The minutes of the first formal meeting of the IRFB, from a meeting attended by Lyle and McAlistair of Ireland, Carrick and Gardner of Scotland, Mullock and Lyne of Wales
Japan playing Tonga in the Pacific Five Nations, 2006.
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union or more often just rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in England in the first half of the 19th century. Rugby is simply based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends.
South African Victor Matfield takes a line-out against New Zealand in 2006.
Rugby School in Rugby, Warwickshire, with a rugby football pitch in the foreground
James Ryan, captain of the New Zealand Army team, receiving the Kings Cup from George V
Sébastien Chabal (far left) in number eight position before entering the scrum
