RUGBY originated in the nineteenth century, and is now one of the world’s most popular sports.
Here, we look at the ways you can score a try in rugby, and how many points they are worth.
A try is where an attacking player touches the ball down over the try line
What is a try in rugby?
A try in rugby is the primary way for teams to score points when playing the game.
There are two different codes in rugby, these are rugby union and rugby league.
In rugby union, a try is worth five points, with a conversion (a kick a goal) being taken afterwards that is worth two points. This means that a converted try is worth a total of seven points.
In rugby league, a try is worth four points, and a conversion is also worth two points. This means that a converted try in rugby league is worth a total of six points.
Rugby union is the more widely recognized sport of the two, with tournaments including the Six nations attracting millions of viewers around the world.
How do you score a try in rugby?
A try is scored where a player crosses the try line and touches the ball down, whilst maintaining control of it.
The ball must be grounded with the player scoring in control of it, otherwise the player will have been deemed to have dropped the ball and no score will be awarded.
A penalty try can be awarded if a player would have scored a try but for foul play by the opposition. A penalty try is now worth seven points with no conversion attempted.
Which team is the best rugby team in the world?
Ireland are the best international rugby union team as of February 2023, according to the official world rugby rankings.
South Africa are fourth in the rankings, but are the current world champions, having beaten England to win the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Australia are currently the top ranked international rugby league side, after winning the Rugby League World Cup in England in 2022.