The sport of rugby is complex and requires strategy. The sport has drawn comparisons to football, but there are major differences like playing with an oval-shaped ball, having less padding, playing on a 110-yard field and there being 15 players on the field instead of 11.

Panther head coach Frank Graziano said that all rugby players should have one defining characteristic in order to be a good rugby player.

Certain things such as tenacity.

“Tenacity is something you can’t teach. It’s like a hard-working attitude,” Graziano said.

Once a player has the physical tools to play rugby, the next step towards playing rugby understands the different positions and how a typical possession would work.

First, the props literally “prop up” the hooker in a scrum. The hooker is the player in the heart of the scrum.

The scrum is a huddle with both teams crouched down side by side with locked arms and the game starts when the ball is thrown in between the players’ feet.

Two players make up the second row. These players crouch down and get in between the props and hooker to help push the opponents back in a scrum.

Flankers position themselves on each side of the scrum, while number eight, or the eight-man, keeps the ball from leaving the scrum.

When one team gets the ball, the scrum-half gets to control the tempo of the game. The scrum-half has the option of passing the ball back to either the forwards or backs. The forwards and backs jobs are to pass the ball back along a line of players who have enough speed to run down the other side of the field and score.

The speedier players are generally the wings and outside center. Five points are awarded for a try and the ball has to be touched down in the in-goal area for the try to count.

The point where the ball is touched down in the in-goal area is where the conversion kick will be made from on the field. For example, if a player scores a try on the left side, the two-point conversion kick will be on the left. And vice versa for a try scored on the right side or middle.

Graziano said rugby is a sport that combines running, passing and tackling.

“Rugby is the type of sport where the ball is passed or lateraled backwards in order to go forward,” Graziano said.

A good rugby player, Graziano said, has to have speed and some intangibles, like tenacity.

Sophomore wing Samantha Manto said the best part about rugby is anything they achieve is a direct product of the team working together.

“Hitting other girls is a part of the game, but when you get a good hit it feels really good to know you did your job,” Manto said. “It is fun when we win games knowing how hard we work and that we deserve it.”