Rugby league Rugby league football , usually called rugby league , is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field . One of the two codes of rugby football , it originated in England in 1895 as a split from the Rugby Football Union over the issue of payments to players . Its rules gradually changed with the purpose of producing a faster , more entertaining game for spectators . It is frequently cited as the toughest , most physically demanding of team sports . In rugby league points are scored by carrying or kicking the ball down the field , until it can be moved past the opponents ' designated goal line and touched to the ground ; this is called a " try " , and is the primary method of scoring . The opposing team attempts to stop the attacking side gaining points by preventing their progress up the field by tackling the player carrying the ball . In addition to tries , points can be scored by kicking goals . After each try , the scoring team gains a free kick to " try at goal " with a conversion for further points . Kicks at goal may also be awarded for penalties , and field goal s can be attempted at any time during general play . Rugby league is among the most popular sports in England , Australia , New Zealand , France , Tonga and Papua New Guinea where it is the national sport . The European Super League and Australasian National Rugby League are the premier club competitions . Rugby league is played internationally , predominantly by European , Australasia n and Pacific countries , and is governed by the Rugby League International Federation . The current World Cup holders are New Zealand . Etymology . " Rugby league football " takes its name from the bodies that split to create a new form of rugby football , distinct from that run by the " Rugby Football Unions " , in Britain , Australia and New Zealand between 1895 and 1908 . The first of these , the Northern Rugby Football Union , was established in 1895 as a breakaway faction of England ' s Rugby Football Union . Both organisations played the game under the same rules at first , although the Northern Union began to modify rules almost immediately , thus creating a new faster paced form of rugby football . Similar breakaway factions split from RFU - affiliated unions in Australia and New Zealand in 1907 and 1908 , renaming themselves " rugby football " league " s " and introducing Northern Union rules . In 1922 , the Northern Union also changed its name to the Rugby Football League and thus over time the sport itself became known as " rugby league " football . History . In 1895 , a schism in Rugby football resulted in the formation of the Northern Rugby Football Union ( NRFU ) . Although many factors played a part in the split , including the success of working class northern teams , the main division was caused by the RFU decision to enforce the amateur principle of the sport , preventing " broken time payments " to players who had taken time off work to play rugby . Northern teams typically had more working class players ( coal miners , mill workers etc . ) who could not afford to play without this compensation , in contrast to affluent southern teams who had other sources of income to sustain the amateur principle . In 1895 , a decree by the RFU banning the playing of rugby at grounds where entrance fees were charged led to twenty - two clubs ( including Stockport who negotiated by telephone ) meeting at the George Hotel , Huddersfield on 29 August 1895 and forming the " Northern Rugby Football Union " . Within fifteen years of that first meeting in Huddersfield , more than 200 RFU clubs had left to join the rugby revolution . In 1897 , the line - out was abolished and in 1898 professionalism introduced . In 1906 , the Northern Union changed its rules , reducing teams from 15 to 13 a side and replacing the ruck formed after every tackle with the play the ball . A similar schism to that which occurred England took place in Sydney , Australia . There , on 8 August 1907 the New South Wales Rugby Football League was founded at Bateman ' s Hotel in George Street . Rugby league then went on to displace rugby union as the primary football code in New South Wales and Queensland . On 5 May 1954 over 100 , 000 ( official figure 102 , 569 ) spectators watched the 1953 – 54 Challenge Cup final at Odsal Stadium , Bradford , England , setting a new record for attendance at a rugby football match of either code . Also in 1954 the Rugby League World Cup , the first for either code of rugby , was formed at the instigation of the French . In 1966 , the International Board introduced a rule that a team in possession was allowed three play - the - balls and on the fourth tackle a scrum was to be formed . This was increased to six tackles in 1972 and in 1983 the scrum was replaced by a handover . 1967 saw the first professional Sunday matches of rugby league played . The first sponsors , Joshua Tetley and John Player , entered the game for the 1971 – 72 Northern Rugby Football League season . Television would have an enormous impact on the sport of rugby league in the 1990s when Rupert Murdoch ' s News Corporation sought worldwide broadcasting rights and refused to take no for an answer . The media giant ' s " Super League " movement saw big changes for the traditional administrators of the game . In Europe it resulted in a move from a winter sport to a summer one as the new Super League competition tried to expand its market . In Australasia , the Super League war resulted : long and costly legal battles and changing loyalties , causing significant damage to the code in an extremely competitive sporting market . In 1997 two competitions were run alongside each other in Australia , after which a peace deal in the form of the National Rugby League was formed . The NRL has since become recognised as the sport ' s flagship competition and since that time has set record TV ratings and crowd figures . Rules . The objective in rugby league is to score more points through tries , goals ( also known as conversions ) and field goals ( also known as drop goals ) than the opposition within the 80 minutes of play . If after two halves of play , each consisting of forty minutes , the two teams are drawing , a draw may be declared , or the game may enter extra time under the golden point rule , depending on the relevant competition ' s format . The try is the most common form of scoring , and a team will usually attempt to score one by running and kicking the ball further upfield , or passing from player - to - player in order to manoeuvre around the opposition ' s defence . A try involves touching the ball to the ground on or beyond the defending team ' s goal - line and is worth four points . A goal is worth two points and may be gained from a conversion or a penalty . A field goal , or drop goal , is only worth one point and is gained by dropping and then kicking the ball on the half volley between the uprights in open play . Field position is crucial in rugby league , achieved by running with or kicking the ball . Passing in rugby league may only be in a backward or sideways direction . Teammates therefore have to remain on - side by not moving ahead of the player with the ball . However the ball may be kicked ahead for teammates , but again , if they are in front of the kicker they are deemed off - side . Tackling is a key component of rugby league play . Only the player holding the football may be tackled . A tackle is completed when that player ' s progress is halted , or he is put to ground . An attacking team gets a maximum of six tackles to progress up the field before possession is changed over . Ball control is also important in rugby league , as a fumble of the ball on the ground forces a handover , unless the ball is fumbled backwards . The ball can also be turned over by going over the sideline . Positions . Players on the field are divided into forwards and backs , although the game ' s rules apply to all players the same way . Each position has a designated number to identify himself from other players . These numbers help to identify which position a person is playing . The system of numbering players is different depending on which country the match is played in . In Australia and New Zealand , each player is usually given a number corresponding to their playing position on the field . However , since 1996 European teams have been able to grant players specific squad numbers , which they keep in irrelevance to the position they play , similarly to association football . Interchanges ( generally referred to as " The Bench " ) are allowed in the sport , and are typically used when a player gets tired or injured , although they can also be used tactically . Each team is currently allowed four substitutes , and in Australia and New Zealand , these players occupy shirt numbers 14 to 22 . There are no limitations on what players must occupy these interchangeable slots , and interchanged players may re - enter the field of play again following a second interchange . Generally , twelve interchanges are allowed in any game from each team , although in the National Rugby League , this was reduced to ten prior to the 2008 season . If a team has to interchange a player due to the Blood Bin rule or due to injury , and this was the result of misconduct from the opposing team , the compromised team does not have to use one of its allocated interchanges to take the player in question off the field . Backs . The backs are generally smaller , faster and more agile than the forwards . They are often the most creative and evasive players on the field , relying on running , kicking and handling skills , as well as tactics and set plays , to break the defensive line , instead of brute force . Generally forwards do the majority of the work ( hit - ups / tackling ) . Usually , the stand - off half and scrum half are a team ' s creative unit or ' playmakers ' . During the interactions between a team ' s ' key ' players ( stand - off half , scrum half , full - back , loose forward , and hooker ) , the stand - off half and scrum half will usually be involved in most passing moves . Forwards . The forwards ' two responsibilities can be broken into " normal play " and " scrum play " . For information on a forward ' s role in the scrum see rugby league scrummage . Forward positions are traditionally named after the player ' s position in the scrum yet are equal with respect to " normal play " with the exception of the hooker . Forward positions are traditionally assigned as follows : Rugby league worldwide . Rugby league is played in over 30 nations throughout the world , 27 are ranked by the RLIF and a further 11 are unranked . The strongest rugby league nations are Australia , England and New Zealand . The Rugby League World Cup is the highest form of representative rugby league and currently features 14 teams ( ordered by RLIF rank ) ( 1 ) Australia , ( 2 ) New Zealand , ( 3 ) England , ( 4 ) France , ( 5 ) Wales , ( 6 ) Papua New Guinea , ( 7 ) Fiji , ( 8 ) Samoa , ( 9 ) Tonga , ( 10 ) Scotland , ( 11 ) USA , ( 12 ) Ireland , ( 13 ) Italy and ( 16 ) Cook Islands . ( 14 ) Lebanon , ( 17 ) Russia and ( 22 ) South Africa have previously contested in World Cups . The current World Champions are New Zealand , who won the 2008 Rugby League World Cup . Prior to this , Australia had won every World Cup since 1975 . The game is particularly popular in the nations of the South Pacific . Rugby League is the 3rd most attended sport in Australia [ } and neighbouring [ [ Rugby league in Papua New Guinea | Papua New Guinea ] ] is the only country to have rugby league as its [ [ national sport ] ] . This has led to officials from that country lobbying to have a team admitted to the [ [ National Rugby League ] ] , Australia ' s elite club competition which also features a team from Auckland , New Zealand ' s biggest city . The popularity of the code in New Zealand has led to the possibility of another team from the South Island entering the competition as well . Rugby league is the dominant winter sport in the eastern Australian states of New South Wales , Queensland and Australian Capital Territory , The game is also amongst the predominant sports of [ [ Rugby league in Tonga | Tonga ] ] and is played in other Pacific nations such as [ [ Samoa ] ] and the [ [ Cook Islands ] ] . In Australia , and indeed the rest of the region , the annual [ [ State of Origin series ] ] ranks among the most popular sporting events . The [ [ Rugby League European Federation ] ] are responsible for developing rugby league in [ [ Europe ] ] and the [ [ Northern Hemisphere ] ] , while the [ [ Asia Pacific Rugby League Confederation ] ] are responsible for developing rugby league in the [ [ Asia - Pacific | Asia - Pacific region ] ] . The [ [ Rugby League European Cup ] ] and [ [ Rugby League Pacific Cup ] ] are both run by the RLEF and APRLC respectively and are used as a stepping stone to the [ [ Rugby League Four Nations ] ] with Australia , New Zealand and England , the fourth team being decided by who wins the Pacific and European Cup , and rotates each year from Europe to the Pacific . [ [ File : Leeds Rhinos 001 . jpg | thumb | left | A game between [ [ Leeds Rhinos ] ] and [ [ Hull F . C . ] ] academy sides in England , May 2009 ] ] In England , rugby league has traditionally been associated with the northern counties of [ [ Yorkshire ] ] , [ [ Lancashire ] ] and [ [ Cumbria ] ] where the game originated , although its popularity has also increased elsewhere . Currently , two of the fourteen [ [ Super League ] ] teams are based outside of these traditional counties : [ [ London Broncos ] ] and [ [ Catalans Dragons ] ] . Figures published by the [ [ Rugby Football League ] ] showed an 81 % increase in women playing the sport in the twelve months prior to October 2008 , as well as an increase in juniors of both genders nationwide . Over 40 , 000 players were registered by the RFL as of October 2008 with an overall participation rate in the game doubling in the last four years to well over 285 , 000 by late 2009 . France first played rugby league as late as 1934 , where in the five years prior to World War II , the sport ' s popularity increased as Frenchmen became disenchanted with the state of French rugby union in the 1930s . However , after the Allied Forces were defeated by Germany in June 1940 , the [ [ Vichy regime ] ] in the south seized assets belonging to rugby league authorities and clubs and banned the sport for its association with the left - wing [ [ Popular Front ( France ) | Popular Front ] ] government that had governed France before the War . The sport was unbanned after the [ [ Liberation of Paris ] ] in August 1944 and the collapse of the Vichy regime , although it was still actively marginalised by the French authorities until the 1990s . Despite this , the national side appeared in the finals of the 1954 and 1968 World Cups , and the country hosted the 1954 event . In 1996 , a French team , [ [ Paris Saint - Germain Rugby League | Paris Saint - Germain ] ] was one of eleven teams which formed the new European Super League , although the club was dissolved in 1997 due to its failure to run at a profit and poor attendances . In 2006 , the Super League admitted the [ [ Catalans Dragons ] ] , a team from [ [ Perpignan ] ] in the southern [ [ Languedoc - Roussillon ] ] region . They have subsequently reached the [ [ 2007 Challenge Cup Final ] ] and made the play - offs of the 2008 [ [ Super League XIII ] ] season . The success of the ' Dragons ' in Super League has initiated a renaissance in French rugby league , with new - found enthusiasm for the sport in the south of the country where most of the [ [ Elite One Championship ] ] teams are based . The early 21st century has seen [ [ Template : Rugby League Playing Nations links | other countries ] ] take up the game and compete in international rugby league with efforts being made by the [ [ Rugby League European Federation ] ] to expand the game to new areas such as [ [ Germany ] ] , [ [ Sweden ] ] , [ [ Norway ] ] and [ [ Hungary ] ] . Domestic competitions . The two most prominent fully professional leagues are the Australasian [ [ National Rugby League ] ] and the European [ [ Super League ] ] and to a lesser extent the French [ [ Elite One Championship ] ] . Domestic leagues exist below the NRL and Super League , especially on a state or county level , in Australia the semi professional [ [ Queensland Cup ] ] and [ [ NSW Cup ] ] , which provides players to various NRL teams , and the [ [ Championship ( rugby league ) | Co - operative Championship ] ] , which is a semi - professional competition for clubs in the [ [ United Kingdom ] ] . The [ [ Championship 1 ] ] is the third tier of British rugby league which has intentions to expand the game beyond its northern heartlands , [ [ Northampton ] ] , [ [ Bristol ] ] , [ [ Coventry ] ] , and [ [ Hemel Hempstead ] ] have been named as potential teams for the 2013 season . [ [ Netherlands | Dutch ] ] rugby league club Rotterdam Spartans will operate as a semi - professional team that will aim to compete as a fully professional club in the European Super League by 2021 . Rugby league is currently played in the United States through the semi - professional [ [ American National Rugby League ] ] ( AMNRL ) which involves 12 teams , 6 from the Atlantic and 6 from the Pacific Conference as well as developing teams from [ [ Utah ] ] , [ [ Chicago ] ] and [ [ Atlanta ] ] . The [ [ USA Rugby League ] ] ( USARL ) was formed as a split from the AMNRL in 2011 and involves 9 teams situated across the East Coast from [ [ Boston ] ] to [ [ Jacksonville ] ] the USARL ' s 7 developing teams features 1 from the East Coast in [ [ Pittsburgh ] ] and 6 from the West Coast - [ [ Seattle ] ] , [ [ Denver ] ] , [ [ Los Angeles ] ] , [ [ Orange County , California | Orange County ] ] , [ [ Dallas ] ] and [ [ Houston ] ] . Jamaica also have plans to include a professional team , the [ [ Hurricanes Rugby League ] ] in one of the American league ' s by 2013 . The game is played semi - professionally in Papua New Guinea , where it is the official national sport . The [ [ Papua New Guinea National Rugby League | Bemobile Cup ] ] has provided many players to the Papuan national team , such as [ [ Menzie Yere ] ] and [ [ Charlie Wabo ] ] , who have gone on to play professionally in England . The government is also lobbying for an NRL expansion franchise . Both Australia and Europe have their own domestic cup tournaments . The Rugby Football League ' s [ [ Challenge Cup ] ] is contested by amateur and professional teams . In Australia , the [ [ State of Origin series ] ] is a domestic tournament , played between [ [ New South Wales Rugby League | New South Wales ] ] and [ [ Queensland Rugby League | Queensland ] ] teams . New South Wales also has a one - match [ [ City vs Country Origin ] ] annually . In New Zealand clubs teams challenge for the [ [ Rugby League Cup ] ] . Asia is about to enter the Rugby League family with the announcement of Thai Rugby League launching a domestic 6 team league in May 2014 . External links . [ [ Category : Rugby league | ] ] [ [ Category : Team sports ] ] [ [ Category : Ball games ] ] [ [ Category : Sports originating in England ] ] [ [ Category : 1895 introductions ] ] [ [ Category : Football codes ] ]