Tag rugby

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Tag rugby, flag rugby league or flag rugby, is a non-contact team game in which each player wears a belt that has two velcro tags attached to it, or shorts with velcro patches. The mode of play is based on rugby league with many similarities to touch football. Attacking players attempt to dodge, evade and pass a rugby ball while defenders attempt to prevent them scoring by "tagging" – pulling a velcro attached tag from the ball carrier, rather than a full contact tackle. Tag rugby is used in development and training by both rugby league and rugby union communities.

Tag rugby comes in several forms with OzTag and Mini Tag being some of the better known variations. Tag rugby has the highest participation levels in Ireland and Australia.

History

According to sports writer Terry Godwin, writing in 1983, tag rugby was first developed in Gibraltar by the Gibraltar Rugby Union. Due to the lack of grass pitches, an alternative variant to rugby union was developed. A 10 inch cord was tucked into the waistband, and its removal by an opponent with a shout of "tag", was classed as a 'tackle'. If the attacking team had failed to score by the fourth 'tackle' the defending team were given possession of the ball.[1][nb 1]

The codified version of tag rugby was created and pioneered by physical education teacher Nick Leonard in England in 1990 following an idea given to by a former service man called Barry Johns. He described to Nick how navy servicemen on board ship or whilst playing on hard grounds overseas played the Gibraltar variant of rugby. Leonard then devised a set of rules suitable for children using belts and coloured ribbons attached by Velcro and organised the first ever schools Tag Rugby festival at UCP Marjons, Plymouth in 1991. This annual event celebrated its 20th festival in 2011.

Tag rugby variants

OzTag

OzTag is a non-contact form of rugby league. OzTag is a variation of British tag rugby. St George Dragons halfback Perry Haddock, introduced the sport in Australia while coaching the 1992 St George Jersey Flegg side. Together with Chris Parkes, the two took the sport to fields across Australia. Today, it is played by over 100,000 players in organised leagues across the country.

Games are usually played over 20 minutes a half. The normal dimensions of the field are 70 metres x 50 metres. Eight players in each team are allowed on the field at a time.

The attacking team has six plays or tags to try and score a try or take the ball down field as close to the line as possible. Like most versions of tag rugby, a tackle is made when one of two velcro stripes, known as tags, is removed from the ball carrier's shorts.

Players can pass and kick the ball and tries are worth one point and there are no conversions. Kicking in general play is allowed but it must: be below shoulder height of the referee and on zero count with no play-the-ball (from playing a knock-on advantage for instance) or after the 4th tag.

Mini Tag

Like all forms of Tag Rugby Mini Tag is historically based on rugby league, but under-7s Mini Tag has some rugby union features, like an unlimited tackle count. It does not have an equivalent of the six tags law and instead tackled players must off-load the ball. Under-8s Mini Tag on the other hand, retains a six tag law (RFU Continuum 3.5.g) which requires that on the 7th tag the referee will stop the game and give the ball to the other side. The restart is with a free pass.

Mini Tag is currently the only form of rugby permitted by the English RFU for under-8 and under-7 age groups. Mini Tag requires the use of a size 3 rugby ball and does not allow scrums, line-outs or kicking.

Tag rugby worldwide

Australia

Since its beginnings in 1992, OzTag (or Walla Tag) has grown in popularity across Australia in urban and rural areas. Twenty-eight teams participated in the first season in summer 1992–1993 playing in the Cronulla and St George areas of Sydney. Today, more than 80,000 players take part in OzTag competitions nationally.

There are Oztag competitions running all over Australia, with the largest areas located in Sydney, Brisbane and Canberra. Competing teams are in six divisions: women's open, mixed, men's open and men's over-30s, 35s, and 40s.

England

In 2003–04, the Rugby Football Union introduced Mini Tag into its junior development program called The Three Stages of the Rugby Continuum, replacing touch rugby.

Tag rugby also developed via IMBRL (Inter Message Board Rugby League) where message boards representing clubs took part in tournaments and friendly matches. Some developed into full-contact teams, others became tag teams and others folded. In 2008, a Tag Merit League was established based on the RL Merit League format. The league was developed with the intention to encourage new clubs outside the older IMBRL circuit to play tag rugby league. The Merit League operates on normal rugby league laws with tags taking the place of tackles.

In 2009 London based Try Tag Rugby began running adult tag rugby competitions throughout the capital. By the summer of 2011, over 1,000 players were regularly taking part in week night evening leagues across London at locations such as Finsbury Park, Gladstone Park, Wandsworth Town, Tooting Bec, Richmond, Hoxton, Highbury and Southwark Park. A charity tag rugby festival in conjunction with GOAL called the GOAL London Tag Rugby Championships took place in August 2010 and 2011. The third annual GOAL London Tag Rugby Championships is planned for August 18th, 2012, with over 30 teams from throughout the UK and Ireland expected to attend.

Try Tag Rugby are the UK's official delegates of the Oz Tag Football Federation, whose members include OzTag Australia and NZ Tag Football. Try Tag Rugby hosted Oztag Australia in July 2011 when the Australians visited London for two separate three match series. The Australians took on the London Residents at mixed, men's and men's over 30s level on July 16, winning each match comfortably. On July 17, OzTag took on Try Tag Rugby's England mixed team and Try Tag Rugby's Great Britain & Ireland men's and men's over 30s teams, again winning each 3 game series comfortably. Try Tag Rugby play their London competitions under OzTag rules.

Ireland

The Irish Tag Rugby Association (ITRA) introduced adult tag rugby to Ireland in 2000 in association with the Irish Rugby Football Union when the first ever league was run for 36 teams. Their league is known as Volvic Tag [1]. The Irish Rugby Football Union [2] began to run its own tag rugby leagues in 2007 following a split with ITRA.

The sport has become particularly popular in Ireland and in 2007, over 28,000 players in the two programmes making up more than 1,700 teams took part in tag rugby at 50 venues all over the country. This increased in 2008 and 2009.

There are four major types of tag rugby played there. They include men-only leagues, women-only leagues, mixed leagues (in which a minimum of three players must be female), and vets league (over-35s). Each type is usually played in four different ability categories ranging from A league (the most competitive) through B, C, and beginners league (the most inexperienced and usually the least competitive). Veterans leagues comprise of teams of players all over 35 yrs old.

Many companies pay for or sponsor company teams as a method of recreation hence this format of rugby's popularity and its non-contact nature makes it playable for mixed sex and age teams and inter-office competitions.

The Pig 'n' Porter Festival is held each July in Old Crescent RFC, Limerick. It is the largest single Tag Rugby tournament in the world with up to 150 tag teams taking part each year for the top prize. The tournament regularly attracts teams from England Scotland France and Holland.

New Zealand

In 2003 the New Zealand Rugby Union established "Rippa rugby" – a variant of tag rugby – as a developmental game for young children, and for primary school tournaments.[2]

KIWITAG is the original administration of Tag Rugby in New Zealand.[citation needed]

  • 1993–98 The game is played in pockets throughout the country – however no governance structure, common goals or standard rules in place
  • 2005–2007 Auckland Kiwitag Inc. established and recognised by the majority of the sports participants as the interim governing body of Tag Rugby throughout New Zealand.
  • 2008–2009 – New committee and chairman elected. Thus ensuring that the original established administration continues to govern the sport of Tag Rugby.

Tonga

Tonga National Tag Team is the Tonga national tag team also know as Laione Hau. Established in October 2011, The first official national Tonga Tag team participated in the Pacific Cup hosted by New Zealand in February 2012. All variants of Tag Rugby and Flag Football are played in Tonga.

USA

Tag is known as flag rugby league or flag football in the United States. The American version of the rules is known as Eagletag.

International tag rugby league festivals

After the success of the inaugural Rochdale Swarm International Mixed Tag Rugby League Festival, the event returned for its third year on 28 May 2011.

In 2009 and 2010 Teams from France, Ireland, Scotland and Wales entered alongside teams drawn from Rochdale Fijians and the local Asian Community, plus Kiwi and Aussie exiles. This was complemented by teams from all across England. The Festival was a non-contact, mixed gender 7-a-side competition, where at least 2 of the 7 are from the opposite sex.

With an unprecedented demand for places it is the biggest ever adult Tag Rugby League Festival held in the UK.[3]

The Pig 'n' Porter Tag Rugby festival, the largest in the world, is held each July on the grounds of Old Crescent Rugby Club, Limerick, Ireland. Over 120 teams take part in the weekend event. The popularity of the event can also be attributed to the aprés tag festivities which include a hog roast and live music.

The Malta International Tag Rugby Festival was launched in 2011 with seven teams competing in the inaugural edition from England, Scotland, France and the Maltese islands of Malta and Gozo. London's Try Tag Rugby All-Stars won the 2011 edition, Montpellier finished second.

See also

External links

Australia

England

France

Ireland

Tonga

United States

Footnotes

Notes
  1. ^ Despite several sites reporting that tag rugby was invented by Perry Haddock in Australia around 1990, Godwin's wrote about the topic seven years prior. Godwin does not mention when the sport began on the island, but he does explicitly use the term "Tag Rugby" to describe the game.
References
  1. ^ Godwin, Terry (1983). The Guinness Book of Rugby Facts & Feats (2nd ed.). Enfield: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 186. ISBN 0-85112-264-7. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ Small Blacks Rippa rugby
  3. ^ http://www.pitchero.com/clubs/rochdaleswarmtagrugbyleagueclub/
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