The Rugby League was formed in 1895 when 21 clubs decided to break away from the Rugby Football Union. Initially it was known as the Northern Rugby Football Union but since 1907 it is known as the Rugby League.
They took this step in opposition to a decree of the RFU which banned rugby matches on fields where entry fee was charged. Under the RFU, rugby was an amateur sport and did not offer any money to the players. The league became more popular with more than 200 teams joining it by the turn of the century. The Rugby League International Federation is the governing body of this league.
Rugby League is a team game, with each team consisting of 13 players. It is a full-contact team game and is played on a rectangular field. The game is played over two halves of 40 minutes each. The aim of this game is to score as many ‘tries' as possible. When the attacking team crosses the opposing team's in-goal and grounds the ball a try is scored. After scoring a try, the team is awarded a kick which can earn them two more points if converted. The team has to score the try within a set of six tackles. In them the opposing team tries to tackle the player who is running forward with the ball. If they fail to do so the team usually kicks the ball deep into their opponents half who begin this entire process again from the spot they pick up the ball.
Rugby League in over 30 countries in the world. This format of the game is immensely popular in the Oceania region, especially in Australia and New Zealand.Northern part of England, Eastern Australia and Papua New Guinea are some of the other regions where there is a great following of this game. The Rugby League International Federation is working at promoting this game in mainland Europe.
The league suffered a setback after the Second World War when the French government banned the sport and illegally seized all their assets. Since the beginning of this century, this game has found a solid footing in Georgia, Holland, Germany, Estonia, Malta, Serbia, Argentina, Jamaica, Samoa and Tonga.
