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Rugby. Photo by Hanson Lu on

Half-time, Stoppage, Extra-time: How Long is a Rugby Game

It said that Rugby is a game for hooligans played by gentlemen, while Football is a game for gentlemen played by hooligans. How true is this statement? Your guess is as good as mine. But one thing that we can be in unison is that it is a popular sport in many countries today and attracts big crowds, particularly with the emergence of 7s rugby which is quite entertaining. Rugby among women has also not been left behind as it is developing at a very fast rate after the introduction of Female World Rugby Competitions and the IRB 7s series, women’s edition. At the top level, the sport is still dominated by the traditional rugby powers of Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales.

Rugby is can be played at 15s, 10s 7s levels depending on your interest. The object of the game is to ground the ball behind the opponent’s try line, into what is called the in-goal area.  I is played both with the ball in hand and by kicking the ball. However, when the ball is being carried in hand it can only be thrown or handed off backward.

1. A Rugby Game Is Divided Into Two Halves

Traditionally, for the 15s game, a match is divided into two halves lasting 40 minutes each. The match begins with the kick-off, and each team tries to move the ball forward and score the most points by running with or kicking the ball. Unlike other sports, play is continuous, even when a player is tackled.  The best thing about rugby is that once the game ends, the rivalry on the pitch is forgotten with players from both teams mingling in a friendly atmosphere as they discuss the match’s highlights.

The rugby sevens match consists of two seven-minute halves. These 14-minute games are extremely quick and often allow rugby sevens teams to play two or three matches in a day. Sevens games generally take 20 minutes in real-time to complete, with a two-minute halftime and other injury and game stoppages included.

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2. Half Time Is A Mandatory Resting Period For Players

Each half in rugby is 40 minutes which is split by half-time. The half-time break has to last no longer than 15 minutes and teams go into the changing rooms. Coaches and players usually speak to discuss tactics on how to see the game out. This is a mandatory resting period after which players change sides on the resumption of the game.

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3. The Game Of Rugby Carries No Stoppage Time

Rugby game. Photo by Quino Al on

Play stops when the ball goes out of bounds, when a rule is broken or when a player is injured on the field. But the only time the clock stops is for an injury, according to the San Francisco Fog Rugby Football Club. Most of the time when play stops, the clock keeps ticking. The game carries no stoppage time and will end exactly in 80 minutes.

4. The Game Does Not Stop Automatically When The Clock Hits The Half-Time Or Full-time Mark

Rugby posts. Photo by Henry Be on

When the clock hits the half-time or full-time mark, the game will not stop automatically but will enter what we call the ‘final play’ scenario. This is where the game continues until a dead ball happens. The exception rule is a free kick or penalty to the team with ball possession will not end the game. The scoring team still has the opportunity to attempt a conversion if a try is scored.

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5. Extra Time In Rugby Is Only Used In Knockout Stages Of A Competition

Extra time is not given in any normal games even if there was an injury or any kind of incident to compensate for the time lost. In the knockout stages of rugby competitions, most notably the Rugby World Cup, two full-length extra time periods of 10 minutes each are played (with an interval of 5 minutes in between) if the game is tied after full-time. This is to allow for a winner to be determined in the game.

6. What comes after extra time in rugby?

In extraordinary times in a game when a winner is to be determined after the extra time and the teams are still tied, a sudden death period will take place with the first team to score any points declared the winner. The sudden death period will last no longer than 10 minutes. If a team fails to score during that time, there will be a kicking competition.