Tries up, penalties down
Top-ten Tests in 2026 average 8.1 tries and just 1.5 penalty goals.
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Rugby union is one of the world's great team sports. Here's the two-minute version, and where this site fits in.
1 · The game
Run it, pass it back, ground it
Two teams of 15 play for 80 minutes. You can run or kick the ball forward, but you may only pass it backwards or sideways.
Ground the ball over the line for a try (5 points) and kick the conversion (2). Penalties and drop goals are worth 3. When a player is tackled, both sides fight for the ball on the ground, so play keeps flowing.
2 · How it differs
Not league, not gridiron
Rugby league has 13 players, hands the ball over after six tackles, and a try is worth 4. American football allows forward passes, blocking and helmets, and stops after every play.
Sevens is the same game with 7 a side and 14-minute matches, and it's the version played at the Olympics.
3 · Where it's played
From Auckland to Dublin
The strongest nations are New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland, France, England, Australia, Scotland, Argentina, Wales and Italy. Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Japan and Georgia are rising.
The big events are the Six Nations in Europe (Feb–Mar), the Rugby Championship in the south (Aug–Oct) and the Rugby World Cup every four years. The next one is in Australia in 2027.
4 · This site
Every Test since 1871
A match between two nations is called a Test. We hold every result back to the first one, Scotland v England in 1871, plus rankings, head-to-heads, trophies and player stats.
Start with the 60-second videos below, then pick a team from the menu to dig in.
Next big Test: Ireland v Argentina (Nations Championship · Round 4), Fri 6 Nov. Then: the Nations Championship finals at Twickenham (27–29 Nov) and the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. All fixtures →
The data in 60 seconds
Short videos on the stories hiding in the numbers. Tap to play.
How often does the favourite win?
76% of the time since 2000. When it is too close to call, only 59%.
Japan v Fiji: the trend
Fiji won 11 of the first 12 meetings since 2003. Japan have won 2 of the last 5.
Rugby's scoring explosion
Top-ten Tests averaged 19 points in the 1960s. In the 2020s it's 50.
Who has the biggest pack?
Twenty years of starting eights by weight, with the top three trading places.
Who beats who?
Scotland have played New Zealand 33 times and never won. Wales v France is dead level.
Six Nations title race
143 years in 60 seconds. England and Wales are level on 39 titles each.
Most Test wins of all time
England led for decades. New Zealand moved ahead for good in 2012.