Touch rugby is a team sport that was derived from Rugby Union. In this sport, the tackling aspect of rugby is replaced with just a touch. The sport is played only at an amateur level, and games are conducted for men, women, and teams with players of both genders. The sport is also played at a junior level in schools. A similar sport is Tag Rugby. In this version, instead of a tackle, a tag attached by velcro is pulled off the ball carrier.

Touch Rugby is played in several different formats without any standardized rules. Most formats do away with the physical aspects of the rugby, like scrums, rucks and mauls. The sport is a popular social sport in England and Scotland, and is slowly gaining attention in parts of Australia and the United States.

touch rugby game touch rugby game

Some of the variations of touch rugby are:

  • Several formats exist based on the field size and the number of players per team.
  • Different formats exist based on the duration of each game.
  • Formats vary based on how and where the touch happened. Some formats require a touch with a single hand while others enforce a two-hand touch. Some formats require a touch to be below the waist level to be considered as a fair touch.
  • Formats of games are played without line-outs.
  • Some games are played without any kicks.