Scott Delaney wrote a nice, concise summary. You can read it here.

An article that explains why rugby is a safe game for youth (and, by an extension of logic, adults) is here.

"This is Rugby" gives you a photographic idea of what rugby is like with our club. You can read that here.

There are also some good introductory articles on The Rugby Reader's Review.

And finally, for more sites, take a look at this site's links page.

Common reasons you might give for not playing rugby - by Brigham

It's dangerous and violent - I might get injured. You might, but you might thoroughly mess up a knee playing a friendly game of basketball in a carpeted gym, too. (This happened to a friend of mine.) Or throw out a shoulder simply tossing a Frisbee. (Another friend; he required four months of shoulder therapy!) Think of it this way: if you're going to injure yourself, you might as well get some bragging rights out of it!

Sure, rugby is a full contact sport, like football. But unlike football we don't play with hard pads and helmets, and don't make a practice of head-butting one another. There's a certain tackling mentality involved with wearing protective equipment, and a mentality associated with not wearing it. We'll teach you how to tackle and be tackled safely - well, as safely as possible. By the way, it is true that rugby players are generally injured less than are football players. And, since there are no long forward passes (or, indeed, forward passes of any kind), it's rare that you'll have to tackle - or be tackled by - someone getting up a full head of steam down a long field. (By the way, we call a field a "pitch.")

Rugby players are drunken goons out to kill one another. There's an element of this (especially in collegiate clubs), but on the whole rugby gets rather bad press and there are a lot of misconceptions about it. Western Suburbs RFC is located in and gets players from Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland - a rather affluent area. Our players expect to go to work Monday morning after matches in a fashion that will allow them to do their jobs. Drinking? Sure - it's been observed that rugby matches are played in three halves, two on the pitch and one afterwards in the pub. But nobody will compel you to drink.

My family won't be welcome. Western Suburbs wives and children are fixtures at matches and the after match parties. Babies abound.

The equipment is expensive. What equipment? All you really need is a jersey, rugby shorts, soccer-style socks and rugby boots (and you can use soccer shoes to start). Look here for equipment suppliers in Northern Virginia.

The rules are too confusing. It looks like utter chaos on the field! True, the rules are rather complex, and viewing a match without realizing what they are, rugby does look a bit senseless. (Remember, this game was invented by English schoolboys!) But there are indeed rules, and we'll teach them to you; actually, you don't have to know a lot of them to begin to play. And after awhile a match will begin to make an odd sort of sense, and you'll see that those guys are crashing into one another for a reason!

I'm too old. To quote Groucho Marx, "You're only as old as the girl you feel." I started at age 42 having never played any sport. (Here's an account of my first season.) And I have been to Old Boys matches and have seen players past the age of 60 on the pitch! In Western Suburbs players are teenagers, in their 20's, 30's 40's and even 50's. You can play if you want to. You might not assume this, but rugby is indeed a lifetime sport. But don't take our word for it. Check this out.

I'm not big and/or fast enough. Rather unique in this respect, rugby is a game for all sizes of players. If you're as wide as you are tall and not especially fast, you might play on the front or second row. If you're husky, you might be a forward. If you're fast and/or agile you might be a back. No matter what your size there's a position for you in this game.

I'm not athletic enough. That why practice exists. We will teach you how to play and you will gain fitness, which, of course, extends benefits into other aspects of life. (See below.) You'll become athletic enough if you aren't already.

I'm nervous about fitting in with a bunch of rugby professionals. True, the game has become open and professional - people do make money playing it. But nobody in Western Suburbs does. Don't confuse us with the international test match rugby you may have seen on television! We're a Division II club, which means that we strive to balance competitive play with social play. The chances are good you'll find a place with us that matches your level of athleticism.

I'll just wind up on a bench. Only if you want to. Western Suburbs plays an a-side, a b-side and an Old Boys side. ("Old Boys" are defined as being players over 35.) If you want to play rugby you will play rugby. Then again, if you don't and you only want to come to practice for fitness, you can do that, too.

Yet another good reason to play rugby!
Click here to see why rugby is better than tennis, soccer or bull-fighting.
Click here to see more reasons why rugby is better.