The men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 is rugby union’s pinnacle event. It is contested every four years by the world’s best nations. It will be held from 1 October-13 November, 2027. So of you may want to know the meanings of rugby words used in our game.
Australia will welcome 24 teams to a “nationwide festival of rugby” with the aim of kicking off a new era of rugby for Australia, Oceania and the game globally and making rugby more accessible, relevant and inclusive, to boost its fanbase and participation globally.
So before the tournament kicks off, familiarise yourself with some of the rugby words you will need in your vocabulary. If y0u want to learn the origin of the word origin of rugby read this post.
Tackle
A player uses physical contact to tackle an opponent to block their progress and take them to the ground. If you get hurt in the tackle it is important not to show any pain (fundamentally different to soccer).
Sidestep
A sidestep is a manoeuvre by an attacking player to quickly change their direction to evade a tackle. The Maori sidestep (made famous by Jonah Lomu) involves running straight over the top of the tackler. This is also known as running through the player. Sometimes the defeated tackler is known as a “turnstile” as their arms spin like one.
Ruck
Ruck originated from “ruckus” a noisy commotion or disturbance. In rugby, a ruck is a situation immediately after a tackle when players from both teams contest the ball on the ground. It is the most technical part of the game where fast action and skills are needed to win the ball. The NZer Richie McCaw was famous for winning rucks while appearing to do so legally.
Scrum
A scrummage was originally used to describe a disorderly situation. However, a rugby scrum is a structured set piece where the forwards (a team has eight forwards and seven backs) bind together to contest possession of the ball.
Hollywood pass
In rugby players pass the laterally (a forward pass results in play stopping and a scrum to form). A flashy, and high-risk pass is known as a Hollywood pass because it is unnecessary and intended just to show off. They often backfire in giving the ball to the other side.
Hospital pass
Another sub-optimal pass, a hospital pass makes the receiving player vulnerable to being tackled aggressively. It’s called a hospital pass because it often results in the recipient getting injured. I once played outside a player nicknamed “Dr Death” for the prevalence of his hospital passes.
Sin bin
When a player commits a serious foul, they may be sent to the sin bin for ten minutes (also known as the “naughty chair”). The referee shows them a yellow card (sometimes known as “the cheese”). More serious fouls invoke a red card removing the player from the game (or for 20 minutes with a replacement).
Rugby tragic
The Australian team, the Wallabies, have won the RWC twice but it is decades ago. They go in as underdogs. However, some diehard Australian rugby fans still believe we have a chance under our reincarnated super-coach, Eddie Jones.
I am a rugby tragic. We have a deep emotional connection to rugby and may display extreme enthusiasm, to the point of prioritising rugby over other aspects of our lives.
How will we do?
Enjoy the RWC27 armed with your rugby words.
I originally wrote this post for RWC23 (9 September 2023). I predicted it was going to have some big surprises and that they were not going to be good ones for Australia–sadly we had our worst result. As the host and with a slightly better lead up we should do better this time.