Rugby X

Not to be confused withRugby tensorTen man rugby.

Rugby X

Highestgoverning body	World Rugby
Nicknames	X, Rugby X
Characteristics
Contact	Full Contact
Team members	five
Mixed-sex	Separate competitions
Type	Team sport,indoor, variant ofrugby union

Rugby Xis a variant ofrugby union,or more preciselyrugby sevens,in which teams are made up of five players, typically threeforwardsand twobacks.Matches are much shorter, usually played for ten minutes, without any half-time break.

The game was invented byBen Ryanas variant of rugby sevens with more speed and action, and was first launched on 29 October 2019 as a six teams international tournament inThe O2 Arena,London.

The rules (law variations) are similar torugby sevensand are approved byWorld Rugby.

Rules

The game is intended as a fast-paced version ofrugby sevens,but contrary to this seven-a-side version, its rules vastly diverge from therugby unionclassic rules:

• The pitch is half-sized compared to rugby sevens, with 55m x 32m dimensions plus 5m run offs.
• There are five players per side plus seven rolling substitutes that are allowed to come in at breaks in play following tries.
• The only score is the try; there are no conversions, drop goals or penalties. Tries are worth 5 points unless touched down within the "max zone", a 15-m wide space in the middle of the in-goal area. Tries in that area are worth 7 points.
• Kick-offs are replaced by tap starts on the scored-upon team's 5m line, with the opposing team standing 10m back.
• Chip kicks allowed but not box kicks, up and unders or any kick over 10m in height (referee is supposed to receive real time notification using ball tracking technology)
• Lineouts are replaced by quick throws made by a substitute.
• Scrums consist of three players per team with no pushing. Hooking the ball is allowed.
• Drawn matches are settled by a ‘one on one’ involving one defender on 5m line and one attacker 30m from goal with a ball. The attacker has 10 seconds to score. It is played as per a sudden death penalty shoot out – if Team A scores, Team B must then score or Team A wins the match.

History

The project was initially launched byBen Ryan,former Olympic gold medalist Fiji's coach, with the cooperation of bothWorld RugbyandRFU;the first tournament being held inLondon,England.

Tournaments

• 2019 Rugby X Tournament
  • Sides includedFrance,Ireland,United StatesandEnglandnational sevens teams for the women's tournament andFrance,Ireland,United States,EnglandandArgentinanational sevens teams plus aBarbarian F.C.invitational team for the men's tournament.
  • The women's tournament was won byEnglandand the men's tournament byArgentina.

External links

• Rugby X official website
• Rugby X on the olympic channel
• Rugby X official youtube channel
• Godwin, Hugh (23 May 2019)."RugbyX: The exciting new 5-a-side format hoping to be rugby's answer to T20 cricket".i-news.
• Willacy, Gavin (4 November 2019)."Rugby X is neither league nor union, but it might just catch on".The Guardian.