Rugby is a sport played by 2 teams of 15 players each, in which a ball is moved with the hands and feet. First played at Rugby School in England in 1823, the game flouted the rules of the day governing soccer by allowing players to take the ball in their hands. Rugby was initially played with a round ball. The oval ball was adopted in 1851. The first club, Guy's Hospital, was formed in 1843, and it was only in 1871 that the first rules were codified, under the name of Rugby Football. In 1877, the number of players went from 20 to 15, and in 1886, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales founded the International Rugby Football Board (IRFB), which established the rules of play. England became a member four years later. In 1895, a split led to the creation of sport in 1990, at the Paris Games, and remained so until 1924. In 1910, the first Tournament of Five Nations brought together the four IRFB member teams and France only joined the federation in 1978.

How A Match is played
A team is made up of 15 players on the field and 7 substitutes. The ball may be moved with either the feet or the hands. Each team attempts to score points by placing the ball in the opposition's in-goal area by hand, or by kicking the ball between the uprights of the goal posts above the crossbar. A match consists of 2 40-minute halves, with an interval lasting not longer than 10 minutes. At the kickoff, the team that gains possession of the ball by winning the toss kicks the ball into the opponent's zone from the center spot. The ball must cross the opposition's 10m line to be considered in play.

In today's sporting world - having qualified as sports physiotherapists is a lucrative career. Apart from the national teams in cricket, football, hockey, rugby, etc. the lower ranks like the gymkhanas, clubs and even corporates are employing these sports physiotherapists to ensure the well-being of their players fitness and mental abilities. This career has a good future ahead as there are many club teams who are in dire straits and in want of these physiotherapists.

The Saifee Hospital located in South Mumbai has come as a blessing to all sports persons. The hospital, a multi-specialty unit, now has Asia's first sports therapy rehabilitation system PrimusRS. For sportsperson who are often dogged by injuries and are unable to judge the seriousness of it in time, the PrimusRS provides an accurate measurement of their fitness levels and also ensures a better understanding of muscle performance anatomy.

Sports rehabilitation is gaining importance in India which is evident in the way such an elaborate system has been installed for the same. This system helps monitor the speed and the power of a sportsperson and instead of seven months needed for recuperation, the sportsperson can be completely rehabilitated in a shorter span.

Thus, a sports physiotherapist can play a vital role in conditioning the complete psychological and physiological makeup of a player who needs rehabilitation due to some injury.

Another World Cup Football has come and gone. After a month long extravaganza of exciting matches played in twelve cities in Germany - it is now left for FIFA to clean up this beautiful game. First and foremost, there are a number of players of this generation who will be retiring. Among these are the renowned players like Cafu, Luis Figo, Zinadine Zidane, Oliver Kahn and Nakata from Japan. From the various teams who had displayed their talents and skills - there were a few Rising Stars who shot into prominence. They were Lucas Podolski (Germany), Fernando Torres (Spain), Ruben (Holland), Luca Toni (Italy), Ribery (France), Hargreaves (England), and not forgetting Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany). Looking ahead - it is now hoped that these youngsters will be in a position to fill the void. The one thing that left a demoralizing impression was the refereeing aspect. At the start of the competition - FIFA came down with strict adherence to the laws of the game and instructed the referees not to be lenient with the laws.

Some examples were also demonstrated like tackling from behind, elbowing while jumping for the ball, shirt-pulling, tripping players inside the penalty area and simulation (diving). With this in mind the referees whipped out the yellow card for the slightest offence. In some cases it brought the matches to disrepute and the referees came in for criticism from the players, coaches and public. Midway through the competition - FIFA began to sing another tune and instructed the referees to go easy on the yellow cards - with the result a lot of confusion had taken place. In the light of what has happened - looking ahead FIFA should ensure that there is uniformity, consistency and the referees go about their duties with a sense of maturity. All this augurs well for the good of the game.