Rugby

It’s one of the most fundamental parts of the UK’s sporting landscape – rugby is a relatively unique sport, with rugby league and rugby union players, and, by extension, fans, competing in two distinct sports.

Hence, rugby union, meaning ‘rugby league’ in the US, and rugby league, meaning ‘rugby union’ in the US, are not interchangeable.

The International Rugby League Board (IRLB), for instance, is the sport’s governing body here, but there is no such body for the more American-minded Union.

That is, while both sports contain a high level of contact (approximately 80%), the styles of play are vastly different. The rugby league style is more than likely to be seen at your local supermarket or sports bar, while the union style, as a result of player numbers being massively capped at professional levels, is viewed much more sporty, with lots of sporting touches – a rough reflection of American sports’ stark delineation of the sport.

For example, Rugby League matches are shown exclusively on Sky Sports – often by the time they reach the UK they have attracted far higher audiences than Union games.

That isn’t to say rugby union is an uncouth sport – as a group of Union players made clear after one of the US’s World Cup matches.

Sure, there’s too many US players who’ve never even tried the sport and so bring no understanding or expertise, but these ones are the exception, not the rule.

Because so many Union players compete in professional competitions such as the Premiership, Aviva Premiership, and Pro12, they are among the highest-paid athletes in the world.

But what is rugby?

In short, it’s a game, for anyone who loves rugby, and it will always have plenty of what people in other countries will no doubt call culture. It’s what people call ‘Union’, or ‘League’, in America.

This isn’t some silly, snobby European rugby culture – Rugby Union has traditionally been the second-most-popular sport in the UK, after Rugby League.

Furthermore, as USA Rugby’s Mark Halsey told Sportsmail last week, ‘In America, the two sports are generally considered separate – with USA Rugby placing a greater emphasis on the Union side of things – although at a club level there are plenty of individuals who still play both.

It’s worth noting the USA’s national league, the National Rugby Football League, runs a ‘Super League’, and therefore there are union players from Super League teams – so there are union players in Union.’

Rugby union has been recognized as a sport for 150 years, giving it plenty of opportunity to establish its own distinct identity. And thanks to the growth in popularity of the game in the US in recent years, and due to the relative success of the US national team, it has become the most-attended, popular and well-supported sport here.

This all makes it easier to understand the factors, beyond mere economics, that have made the growth of the sport in the US so steady and significant.

And, as international rugby continues to grow – there are 12 different nations and unions competing in the World Cup this year – it becomes even more fascinating.

Indeed, when the world sees all of the crowds of over 60,000 that Union fans have been able to fill stadiums for the men’s and women’s World Cup so far this year – alongside the growing numbers of union-loving sporting fans who’ve been able to attend live rugby league games in America, due to the relative success of USA Rugby’s pro league – it’s clear that all rugby’s different aspects of the game are well-served.