Rugby basics: tries, scrums and the score
Rugby has a big following in Japan, from school teams to the national side. This lesson gives you the words for what happens on the pitch and how the score adds up, so you can follow a match and talk about it. Tap to hear any line. The bar at the bottom plays a hands-free drill for walking.
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25 rugby words
Each card shows a word and a line you'd hear watching a match. Most rugby words are katakana from English. Five reuse words from Everyday Japanese 1 and 3.
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How the score works
There are four ways to score. A match is two halves of 40 minutes.
| Japanese | Points / means | Say it |
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- Only backwards. You can't pass forwards; you gain ground by running or kicking. A forward pass is スローフォワード.
- Tries count with . is two tries: the same counter as for bottles in Everyday Japanese 2.
- ノーサイド. Japanese rugby keeps this old word for full time: when the whistle goes there are no sides any more, just players.
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Three patterns to use today
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Say it in Japanese
Say each one out loud before you reveal the answer. Getting close counts.