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MONTHLY NEWS July 1997 Japanese Children Learn Tag Rugby |
About 50 elementary school students were introduced to tag rugby, a variation of rugby football that doesn't involve full body contact, in an event sponsored by the Japan Rugby Football Union in May. The new sport is perfect for youngsters and female players, the JRFU says, since it doesn't involve tackling or forming scrummages.
Atsushi Oyagi, a former star player who led the Kobe Steel rugby team to several national championships, taught and gave advice to the young participants on how to play the game. Tag rugby was developed in South Africa. It is played between teams with four to seven members to a side using an ordinary rugby ball. It's called tag rugby because each player wears two 30-centimeter (12-inch) tags on each side of his or her waist. Defenders must pull the tag of the player holding the ball and yell "tag!" instead of tackling. The player with the ball must then stop within three steps and pass the ball to a teammate within three seconds. Because full contact is avoided, injuries can be prevented, and young players can enjoy it just as they do a game of tag, according to the JRFU. Fourth-grader Takuma Anzai said he was nervous at first, but gradually grew accustomed to the new rules, shouting "Tag!" louder than anyone else. "I really had a good time, and I'm glad we won," he said after a practice game. Oyagi, who resigned from active play last year, said "I hope that tag rugby will encourage more kids to play and enjoy ordinary rugby. And I also hope they'll become familiar with the sportsman-like spirit of the full-contact sport, which requires players to make an effort not to injure their opponents.
Photo: A young rugby player goes for a try. (Asahi Shogakusei Shimbun) 
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