Why did rugby league split from rugby union?

In 1895 clubs met at the George Hotel in Huddersfield and broke away over 'broken-time' payments. They formed the Northern Union, renamed rugby league in 1922.

How many players are on a rugby league team?

Rugby league is thirteen-a-side, against fifteen in union and seven in sevens. The number 13 is the loose forward and number 1 the fullback.

What is the six-tackle rule in rugby league?

A team has six tackles in a set before handing over the ball, and it usually kicks on the last one. League used four tackles from 1966 and six from 1972.

How much is a try worth in rugby league?

A league try is worth four points, a conversion or penalty goal two, and a field goal one. A union try is worth five.

What happens at a play-the-ball?

The tackled player gets up and plays the ball, the dummy-half picks it up, and the defenders retreat ten metres. League has no rucks, so possession is kept.

When was the first Rugby League World Cup?

France hosted it in 1954, the first World Cup in either code. Rugby union's first World Cup followed in 1987.

Did American football come from rugby?

Yes. Walter Camp reshaped the rugby game and added the line of scrimmage, and touchdowns still echo tries. Canada's game also came from rugby, while Aussie rules began separately in Melbourne.

Rugby · Level 7: Upper-Advanced · Sub-level 7.4

Rugby League and the Other Codes

10 tests · 100 facts · updated 28 October 2026 · markdown

Rugby league came from a split in 1895, agreed at the George Hotel in Huddersfield. The clubs, from Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cumbria, wanted 'broken-time' payments, and they formed the Northern Union, renamed rugby league in 1922. League cut the number of players and added the play-the-ball. It is thirteen-a-side: number 1 is the fullback, 13 the loose forward, and the stand-off is union's fly-half.

Instead of rucks, league uses the six-tackle set. Four tackles came in from 1966 and six from 1972, and the last tackle is usually a kick. After each tackle the player rises and plays the ball, the dummy-half, often the hooker, picks it up, and defenders retreat ten metres. A try is worth four points against union's five, a conversion and a penalty goal two each, and a field goal one. Scrums are mostly uncontested and there are no lineouts. France staged the first World Cup in either code in 1954; union's came in 1987. Other codes grew from rugby too: Walter Camp added the line of scrimmage that shaped American football, and Canada's game, with its Grey Cup, also came from rugby.

The facts below cover the split, positions, the set, the play-the-ball, scoring, set pieces, competitions, code-switchers such as Robinson, the codes grown from rugby, and how union and league compare.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1The 1895 splitTake a test

The 1895 split.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
The George Hotel, Huddersfield.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
'Broken-time' payments.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Northern Union, renamed in 1922.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Renamed in 1922.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
League cut numbers and added the play-the-ball.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cumbria.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
1895, 1922, 1972, 1996.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
1871, 1895, 1996.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
The Huddersfield meeting.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 2League teams and positionsTake a test

Thirteen-a-side.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Number 1 is the fullback.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Thirteen is the loose forward.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Stand-off = fly-half.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Second-rowers sit behind.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Hookers often play dummy-half.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Stand-off and scrum-half.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
1, 6, 9, 13.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
15, 13, 7.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
A league side.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 3The six-tackle setTake a test

The six-tackle set.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Four tackles from 1966, six from 1972.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Last-tackle kicks.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Six tackles make a set.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Completion rate matters.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Hit-ups gain ground.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Extra chances.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Carry, carry, shape, kick.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
The count rises.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
Five tackles made.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 4The play-the-ballTake a test

The play-the-ball.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Dummy-half picks it up.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
The ten-metre retreat.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Speed of ruck in league.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Wrestle and slow.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
No rucks in league.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Possession is kept.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Tackle, rise, play, pass.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
At the ruck, ten metres at kick-off and play-the-ball.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
League restart.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 5Scoring in leagueTake a test

Four points.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Two points.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Two points.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Field goal, one point.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
One point.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Golden-point thinking.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Union try is five.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Score, kick, restart.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
4, 2, 1.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
One point late on.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 6League set piecesTake a test

Three-two-one.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Mostly uncontested.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
No lineouts in league.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Long kick-offs are typical.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Rewarded kick to touch.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Nothing to train.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Drop-out from the line.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Feed, out, pick, attack.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
Play-the-ball is constant.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
League scrum.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 7League competitionsTake a test

The NRL.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Origin since 1980.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Catalans Dragons play in Super League.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Wembley's Challenge Cup final.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
France 1954, the first World Cup in either code.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Union's came in 1987.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Grand Final.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
1954, 1987, 1993.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
Two states, two countries, many nations.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
Queensland maroon, NSW blue.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 8Switching codesTake a test

Robinson switched codes in 2000.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
A famous code-hopper.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
He joined Widnes in 1989.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Union was amateur until 1995.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Professional union drew league talent.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
League defence and attack.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Contested ball is new.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Sign, learn, play, select.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
Lineouts are newest.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
League to union.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 9Codes grown from rugbyTake a test

Walter Camp reshaped the rugby game.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Camp added the line of scrimmage.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
A set restart.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Canada's game came from rugby.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
The Grey Cup.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Aussie rules began separately in Melbourne.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Touchdowns echo tries.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
1871, 1895, 1906.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
15, 13, 11.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
Line of scrimmage.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Test 10Union and league comparedTake a test

Union contests the ball.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
The six-tackle set.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Set shapes.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Retreat changes the line.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Defence expertise.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Five against four.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Less set-piece time.
Source: General rugby union reference · recall
Order of a set.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
9, 13, 15.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied
Ruck against play-the-ball.
Source: General rugby union reference · applied

Questions people ask

Why did rugby league split from rugby union?: In 1895 clubs met at the George Hotel in Huddersfield and broke away over 'broken-time' payments. They formed the Northern Union, renamed rugby league in 1922.
How many players are on a rugby league team?: Rugby league is thirteen-a-side, against fifteen in union and seven in sevens. The number 13 is the loose forward and number 1 the fullback.
What is the six-tackle rule in rugby league?: A team has six tackles in a set before handing over the ball, and it usually kicks on the last one. League used four tackles from 1966 and six from 1972.
How much is a try worth in rugby league?: A league try is worth four points, a conversion or penalty goal two, and a field goal one. A union try is worth five.
What happens at a play-the-ball?: The tackled player gets up and plays the ball, the dummy-half picks it up, and the defenders retreat ten metres. League has no rucks, so possession is kept.
When was the first Rugby League World Cup?: France hosted it in 1954, the first World Cup in either code. Rugby union's first World Cup followed in 1987.
Did American football come from rugby?: Yes. Walter Camp reshaped the rugby game and added the line of scrimmage, and touchdowns still echo tries. Canada's game also came from rugby, while Aussie rules began separately in Melbourne.

Sources

World Rugby handbooks and coaching material, union and competition records; original questions authored, nothing reproduced. Numbered Laws belong to the Laws category.

General rugby union reference100