They are two separate codes that split in 1895 over payments to players. Rugby union has 15 players a side; rugby league has 13. The biggest difference is the tackle: in union, both teams contest the ball at every tackle through the ruck, so possession can change hands constantly, whereas in league the tackled team retains the ball but must hand it over after six tackles.
There are four ways to score. A try, worth five points, is scored by grounding the ball over the opponents' goal line and is the primary objective. After a try, the scoring side attempts a conversion — a kick at goal from a spot in line with where the try was scored — worth two points.
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They are two separate codes that split in 1895 over payments to players. Rugby union has 15 players a side; rugby league has 13. The biggest difference is the tackle: in union, both teams contest the ball at every tackle through the ruck, so possession can change hands constantly, whereas in league the tackled team retains the ball but must hand it over after six tackles.
There are four ways to score. A try, worth five points, is scored by grounding the ball over the opponents' goal line and is the primary objective. After a try, the scoring side attempts a conversion — a kick at goal from a spot in line with where the try was scored — worth two points.
The forward-pass ban is the rule that shapes everything about how rugby is played. A pass must travel level or backwards relative to the player throwing it; a ball thrown or knocked forward results in a scrum to the other side. Because you cannot simply throw the ball ahead to a team-mate, the only legal ways to move it forward are to run with it or to kick it.
Both are contests that form after contact, but the key difference is whether the ball is on the ground. A ruck forms when a ball-carrier is tackled to ground and players from both sides bind over the ball; once a ruck is formed, players may not use their hands and must drive with their feet to win the ball for the scrum-half.
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