Federation of International Touch (rugby)

From Academic Kids

International Touch Rugby is a version of Touch Rugby played under the rules of the sports governing body the The Federation of International Touch (FIT).

Contents

1 History

2 Basics

3 The players

3.1 Roles of the various positions

4 Mixed Touch

5 National Competitions

6 International Competitions

6.1 World Cup
6.2 Trans-Tasman Tests
6.3 Masters Games

7 Glossary of Touch terms

8 Touch on the Internet

9 Governing Bodies

9.1 International Bodies
9.2 National Unions

10 Other Websites

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History

Touch (also known as touch football and touch rugby) started in Australia as a social "park" game and as a training technique for rugby teams during the 1950s and 60s. As more people began to play Touch, organised competitions developed. The first official game of Touch was held by the newly-formed South Sydney Touch Football Association in 1968. Very soon other associations emerged and representative matches have been played since 1978.

The new sport quickly took hold in the traditional rugby states of Queensland, New South Wales and the ACT, but is now played Australia-wide. There are currently over 270,000 registered Touch players in Australia with approximately 500,000 schoolchildren also playing the sport. Touch is also very popular in New Zealand, and these two countries dominate international competition.

The game has also expanded rapidly in recent years, especially in the South Pacific and United Kingdom. The 1999 World Cup in Sydney attracting teams from over 20 nations including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, USA, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, England, Italy, Cook Islands, Fiji, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Tonga, Solomon Islands, Scotland, Wales, China and Chile.

One of the best aspects of the sport of Touch is its broad appeal. It is played by both sexes, and in age divisions from primary school children to over-50 masters. The mixed version of the game (where both male and female players are on the field at the same time) is particularly popular with social players.

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Basics

Touch is a minimal-contact sport based loosely on the rules of Rugby League. It is generally played on a grass field of 70 x 50 meters. A team has six or seven on-field players, as well as up to eight interchange players. It can be played by men's, women's, mixed or children's teams. Defensive players need only to touch (using minimal force) an attacking player in possession of the ball to force a play-the-ball. In other words, the "touch" takes the place of the tackle in rugby league. A touched player must stop and roll the ball between his/her legs where it is fielded by a team-mate (the "half"). If this player is then caught in possession, a turnover ensues. The ball may not be passed forward, and kicking is not permitted. Possession alternates between teams every six touches, unless an indiscretion or touchdown occurs earlier. The aim of Touch is to score a touchdown by running the ball forward, evading defensive players, combining passing moves with team-mates, and finally grounding the ball over the opponent's defensive line. Each touchdown is worth one point. There are no other methods of scoring.

A standard match is made up of two halves of 20 or 25 minutes each. If the scores are level after full-time, the match can be decided by a "drop-off" in which teams continually reduce the number of players on the field to a minimum of three until the decisive touchdown is scored.

At high levels, the game is played at an extremely fast pace and great fitness and athleticism are required. It is however a game that caters ideally for social players and is very enjoyable at all levels.

Touch is often played informally, rather like a pick-up soccer game might be played, since as a light contact sport there is no need for strict third-party refereeing.

Touch helps to develop essential skills and fitness for use both in rugby and other sports. Schools have used touch rugby as part of their curriculum to avoid the inevitable injuries that can stem from full contact rugby.

Touch also scores in the lack of required equipment. As kicking is not part of touch, posts are not required, and the game can be played with minimal facilities (a ball and a rectangular playing area). Barefoot and beach touch are also popular.

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The players

A team is made up of six (at higher grades and representative levels) or seven (at lower and social levels) on-field players. Teams can have up to eight interchange players, and there is no limit to the number of substitutions which can be made. Each player has different tasks and wears a number. Numbers however do NOT bear any relation to a player's position on the field.

The three positions are as follows:

Middle: 2 or 3 players
Link: 2 player
Wing: 2 Players

All players in both teams stand in a single line across the field facing their direction of attack. There is no fullback position or other defensive sweepers. Any breaks by the opposition can therefore only be caught by cover defence.

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Roles of the various positions

Middles are positioned in the centre of the field, between the two links. These players must be fit with excellent communication and ball skills. They give the team their "go-forward" to create opportunities for the outside players. Links are positioned between the middles and wings, one on each side of the field. They are often the most attacking players, with good anticipation, acceleration and evasive skills. One winger is positioned on each side of the field, outside the link and near the touchline. They are generally the main try-scorers with sustained speed, and good anticipation and support skills. Of course a player may end up in any position at various stages of a game, so skills in all areas are most important.

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Mixed Touch

Mixed is a very popular form of the game, especially at social levels. It involves three male and three female players on the field at the same time in the six-a-side version, of four male and three female in seven-a-side. There are no other rule changes, but different tactics and strategy can make it a quite distinct form of the game.

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National Competitions

In Australia, the main competition is the National Touch League (NTL) held each March at Coffs Harbour, NSW. 13 permits representing all parts of Australia compete in open, under-20 and over-age (Masters) divisions in men's, women's and mixed. As you would expect, this is very high standard Touch.

The permits have been designed to equalise competition between the traditionally strong Touch states of ACT, Queensland and NSW and the remainder of the country. There are currently 13 permit holders:

Sydney Rebels (NSW); Sydney Mets (NSW); Sydney Scorpions (NSW); Southern Suns (NSW); Northern Eagles (NSW); Hunter / Western Hornets (NSW); Gold Coast Sharks (Qld); Brisbane City Cobras (Qld); Rustlers (Central Qld, Sunshine Coast and south-west Qld); Tropical North Queensland Cyclones (Qld); ACT (Australian capital Territory); Crusaders (Victoria, SA and Tasmania); Barbarians (WA and NT). Note that the make-up of each permit is currently under review!

Interstate (State of Origin) matches between Queensland and New South Wales are also held approximately every two years.

School Sport Australia runs the National Championship Tournament and Exchange for Touch every year - the location moves from state to state. Most Australian States and Territories enter Boys and Girls teams in both the High School (15 and under) and Primary School (12 and under) divisions.

In New Zealand, the Regional Championships (competed for by the various provinces) is the highest domestic competition.

In Scotland, at Heriot-Watt University, two Sport Science Students, John Houston and Nick Grier, organized an Inter-University Touch Tournament. Originally taking place in the 3rd term '03, the first winners of "The Lopez Cup" came through the group stages unbeaten and won the final convincingly. From humble beginnings of only 8 teams the tournament is now a yearly success with 32 teams registering.

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International Competitions

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World Cup

Five Touch World Cups have been held to date.

1989 in Australia (Gold Coast); 1991 in New Zealand; 1995 in Hawaii; 1999 in Australia (Sydney); 2003 in Japan.

The number of participants has grown with each staging, however finals are almost always between Australia and New Zealand.

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Trans-Tasman Tests

There is also a regular program of Tests between Australia and New Zealand.

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Masters Games

Touch is a very popular sport at the various Masters Games events, see [www.mastersgames.com.au].

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Glossary of Touch terms

Touch shares many terms in common with rugby league and union (eg cover-defence, offside, intercept). Below are some Touch-specific terms. The list is not meant to be comprehensive, and there are some regional variations.

Buddy: two or three referees in control of the one game, alternating between central refereeing and touch judge duties.

Dump: a quick play-the-ball to further attacking opportunities from the ensuing play.

Fade: an angled run forwards and towards the wing/sideline in an attempt to draw defenders out of position.

Half: the player who receives the ball following the play-the-ball.

Phantom: a defensive player claiming a touch when no touch had in fact been made. Frowned upon by the vast majority of players.

Ruck: a basic attacking move intended to promote the ball down the field rather than specifically result in a touchdown.

Scoop: an attacking move following the dump, whereby a player runs from the half position in an attempt to get past the defensive line.

Solo: a single referee in control of a game on his/her own.

Snap: to beat (ie run past) your opposite number with the ball in hand.

Squeeze: a type of zone defence used to force attacking players to move the ball to the wings to gain and/or take advantage of an overlap (by which time the defence should have had time to re-align itself).

Switch: a "scissors" move between two attacking players.

Wrap: a variation on the switch move involving an additional pass back to the original ball carrier

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Touch on the Internet

Touch rugby leagues in South Africa and the UK: [1] (http://www.in2touch.com)

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Governing Bodies

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International Bodies

The Federation of International Touch (FIT) was formed at a meeting held in conjunction with the Australian National championships that were held in Melbourne in 1985. FIT Website (http://www.internationaltouch.com.au)

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