Rugby, a highly physical game, is followed by millions of fans around the world. The objective here is quite simple: players are required to carry the ball over to the goal-line of the opposite side and force it to the ground to score.
While the task might sound easy, there are several rules attached to it. While moving forward, a player is required to pass the ball backwards. The players are allowed to kick the ball forward, but while doing this it needs to ensure that the kicker’s teammates remain behind the ball at the moment when the ball is kicked, according to World Rugby.
Such complex things carve out the need for disciplined teamwork as individual players can only make little achievements on the field. Players need to be fully aware about their teammates’ position to smoothly pass the ball forward towards the opponent side’s goal-line and eventually go on to win the contest.
Rugby: How It Started?
Rugby is played with an oval ball and the two teams can have 15 players for rugby union or 13 for rugby leagues. It found its origins in the style of school football in the town of Rugby in England. In 1823, a person named William Webb Ellis picked a ball using his hands and started running towards the opposite team’s goal line. This led to the introduction of rugby as a game.
A Guide to Major International Rugby Competitions
Being more than just a sport, rugby is played across multiple nations through a wide range of prestigious competitions, ranging from the coveted Rugby World Cup to the Six Nations. Altogether, these highlight the diversity, rich history and global reach of the sport.
Here is a comprehensive guide to the most significant international rugby tournaments:
Rugby World Cup
The idea to come up with a Rugby World Cup had been floating around for a long time. In March 1985, a proposal was given to the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB) during a Paris annual meet.
The inaugural men’s tournament was held in Australia and New Zealand in 1987. At that time, New Zealand emerged as the first team to win the tournament, registering a 29-9 victory over France. The tournament is contested every four years by some of the best nations worldwide.
Men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 is scheduled to take place in Australia from October 1 to November 13 in 2027. To make the sport even more accessible and inclusive, the expanded format will see players from the top 24 teams in the world, as per the official website.
On the other hand, the inaugural Women’s Rugby World Cup in 1991 featured 12 countries and was hosted in Wales. In the final match, USA registered a 19-6 over England. To avoid a clash with the men’s version, the next tournament was brought forward by a year to 1994.
The last Women’s Rugby World Cup was hosted by England from August 22 to September 27 this year. The host nation emerged victorious, defeating Canada 33–13 in the final.
Six Nations
Six Nations Rugby holds responsibility for organising the international rugby competitions on an annual basis. This includes men’s and women’s Guinness Six Nations, Under-20 Six Nations, Under-18 Festivals as well as the Autumn Nations Series.
England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales are part of it.
It was earlier called the Home Nations Championship or the Five Nations Championship. The tournament has been going on since 1883.
The Rugby Championship
Another major tournament in the world of rugby, this one is contested by Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa on an annual basis, the official website states.
SANZAAR, a joint venture between the participating nations, manages the tournament and has its office in Sydney. It was earlier known as Tri Nations, but got the name changed when Argentina joined in 2012.
The first ever Tri Nations event was held in 1996, with New Zealand emerging as the winners. South Africa bagged its maiden title in 1998, while Australia remained on top in 2000.
HSBC SVNS
This tournament features the best out of rugby sevens stars. All events under this showcase the 12 best men’s and women’s rugby sevens teams.
In May this year, World Rugby highlighted an evolved competition model for the tournament, especially designed for delivering financial sustainability, besides growing the global reach of rugby sevens.
Under the new three-division hosting model, the series has been expanded to 13 events from 10 earlier in 2026.
For the SVNS World Championship Series, the top 12 teams (both men and women) compete over three events to find out the annual world champions. Out of the 12 teams, eight are from Division 1, while the remaining four from Division 2.
Sandeep Sharma is the Chief Copy Editor for Storytailors, holding an overall experience of nearly a decade in journalism. He has previously served in organisations like IANS, ANI, Firstpost and DD India. He writes stories across multiple beats, including National, International, Entertainment and Sports.