Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union or rugby league.
Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union or more often just rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in England in the first half of the 19th century. Rugby is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is played between two teams of 15 players each, using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field called a pitch. The field has H-shaped goalposts at both ends.
Rugby league football, commonly known as rugby league in English-speaking countries and rugby XIII in non-Anglophone Europe and South America, and referred to colloquially as football, footy or league in its heartlands, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 m (74 yd) wide and 112–122 m (122–133 yd) long with H-shaped posts at both ends. It is one of the two major codes of rugby football, the other being rugby union. It originated in 1895 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, as the result of a split from the Rugby Football Union (RFU) over the issue of payments to players. The rules of the game governed by the new Northern Rugby Football Union progressively changed from those of the RFU with the specific aim of producing a faster and more entertaining game to appeal to spectators, on whose income the new organisation and its members depended.
The France national rugby union team represents the French Rugby Federation in men's international rugby union matches. Colloquially known as Le XV de France, the team traditionally wears blue shirts with a Gallic rooster embroidered on the chest, white shorts and red socks in reference to the French national flag. Les Bleus mostly play home matches at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, near Paris. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship along with England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales. France have won the tournament on 26 occasions, winning the Grand Slam 10 times.
Union Sportive Arlequins Perpignanais, also referred to as USA Perpignan or Perpignan, is a French professional rugby union club founded in 1933 and based in Perpignan, in the Pyrénées-Orientales department. They compete in the Top 14, France's elite division of rugby.
Rugby Club Toulonnais, also referred to as Rugby Club Toulon or simply Toulon, is a French professional rugby union club based in Toulon and competing in the Top 14. Located on the French Riviera, in the Provence region, the club plays its home games at the 17,500-capacity Stade Mayol.
Piri Awahou Tihou Weepu is a retired New Zealand rugby union player. Weepu played most recently for Wairarapa Bush in the Heartland Championship. Generally Weepu played as a half-back but also played at first five-eighth on occasion. He has represented the New Zealand national side, the All Blacks, between 2004 and 2013. He first won national honours against Wales in 2004. In 2005 was called back into the All Blacks squad for the first Tri Nations test against South Africa, having missed selection for the 2005 British & Irish Lions tour. He represented the Hurricanes and Blues in Super Rugby, and Wellington and Auckland in the Mitre 10 Cup. He also had brief spells with several clubs in Europe. In October 2017, Weepu announced his retirement as a rugby player.
Jerry Collins was a professional rugby union player. Although he was born in Apia, Samoa, he grew up in New Zealand and played for the New Zealand national team, earning 48 caps. At club level, he played for the Hurricanes Super Rugby franchise in New Zealand, Toulon and Narbonne in the Rugby Pro D2, Ospreys in Wales, and Yamaha Júbilo in Japan. He played as a flanker and number eight, and was considered to be one of the hardest tacklers in the sport.
Marco Bortolami is a rugby union coach and retired Italian international player, whose career includes experience playing in the national top-level Italian, French, and English championships, before joining the then recently-born Pro14. Praised for his leadership skills, he captained all the teams he played for at professional level. At international level, he also captained the Italian side since 2002 till the 2007 Rugby World Cup, before being replaced in the permanent role by Sergio Parisse. He currently serves as head coach for Benetton Rugby in the United Rugby Championship.
Jean-Baptiste Poux is a former French rugby union footballer who played as a prop, and was capable of playing loosehead and tighthead. Poux began his professional rugby career at RC Narbonne in 1998 before moving to Toulouse, where he was a part of the side that won the 2003, 2005 and 2010 Heineken Cups. In 2013, Poux joined Union Bordeaux Bègles. Poux has also played for the France national team, and was included in their 2003, 2007, and 2011 Rugby World Cup squads.
Éric Anselme is a French former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, former head coach of RC Albi XIII in the Elite One Championship and of the U19 French national team. He played at club level for Toulouse Olympique and Leeds Rhinos Heritage number 1373. He has previously played for St Gaudens and Racing Club Albi XIII in the French Rugby League Championship competition.
Manoa Thompson is a Fijian former professional rugby league footballer. Primarily playing as a centre, he played his first grade career with the South Sydney Rabbitohs, Western Suburbs Magpies, and the Auckland Warriors in the NSWRL / ARL competition, as well as playing in the Super League for the Warrington Wolves. He represented the Fijian national team.
Tyrone Smith is an Australian-Tongan professional rugby union and rugby league footballer. He is currently signed to the French Rugby Pro D2 team RC Narbonne. Smith previously played Super Rugby with the Brumbies and Super League with the London Broncos/Harlequins RL. His usual position is centre (RU) or wing (RL).
Rugby union is a minor but growing sport in Cameroon. They were ranked 104th by the IRB as of August 2022.
Huia Edmonds is an Australian retired professional rugby union footballer. He played for the Waratahs, Stormers and the Brumbies in Super Rugby before earning four caps for Australia playing at hooker. He later played for Gloucester in England and RC Narbonne in France.
Racing Club de Narbonne Méditerannée is a French rugby union club that play in the third-level Nationale.
Luke Hume, nicknamed the "Bald Eagle", is an American former rugby union and rugby league footballer who plays for the USA Eagles and USA 7s rugby teams. He currently plays Wing and Fullback for Rugby United New York (RUNY) in Major League Rugby (MLR).
Jamie-Jerry Taulagi is a professional rugby union footballer of Samoan heritage. His usual position is fullback or wing. He has played for the Queensland Reds and Sunwolves teams in Super Rugby. He currently plays for Narbonne in the French Pro D2 competition.
Hussein M'Barki is a Moroccan former rugby union and rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. He played primarily as a fullback, but featured as a fullback, wing or centre during his rugby league career.
José Calle was a French rugby union and professional rugby league (RL) player who represented France (RL).
