Tag Rugby

The Aim of the Game Tag rugby is a version of the full game of rugby played by children in primary schools. Because you are not allowed to tackle players (like you can in the full game) it is safer for young children. The aim of the game is to score as many tries (points) as you can and stop the other team from scoring tries. You have to be quick to switch from attack to defence. You need to work as a team, be able to run and dodge and be able to catch and throw the ball quickly.

The Teams Tag rugby is played between 2 teams of 7 players. There has to be a mixture of boys and girls in the teams. In games lessons, or when you are just playing with friends, you can just split the group into 2 equal teams.

The Ball The ball is an egg shape, made of rubber and is quite hard. It is about 30cm long and about 20cm wide.

Tag Belts The belt is attached around your waist with 2 strips of material hanging down, one on either side. They are attached with Velcro (a sticky material). If you haven’t got proper tag belts, you could use bands or strips of material tucked into the top of your shorts.

The Playing Area Try line The playing area is usually a grass pitch that is about 50m long and 30m wide. When we are practising, we often play across a quarter of a football pitch. At each end is the ‘try’ line (goal line). There are side lines. If the ball goes over the line it would be a free pass to the opposite team. Side Line Side Line Try line

Passing The Ball To pass, you must throw the ball to one of your team mates, but they must be diagonally behind you. If you pass the ball forward, it is a free pass to the other team.

How to Score You score by placing the ball over your opponents try (goal) line. You cannot dive or throw it over the line or it will not count. You must press the ball down, without dropping it, until the ball is placed on the ground. This is called ‘scoring a try’ and you get one point.

Some simple rules You can stop the other team by ‘tagging’ the player who has the ball. To tag you must pull off the opposition’s tag. You must hold it over your head, then shout “tag!”. The player with the ball must stop running and pass the ball to another player in their team. The tag is handed back to the player and they must attach it back onto their belt before rejoining the game. You can run with the ball in your hands

Tagging a player

Foul Play You cannot pass the ball forward and you can’t run off the pitch with the ball. You cannot kick the ball. You can intercept the ball but you can not touch or push the other players. If you do any of these things, it will be a free pass to the other team.

The following video should help you to understand it more. We hope you can understand our explanation and enjoy playing tag rugby. The following video should help you to understand it more.