Table Rugby

[Maximus Decimus]

Anyone else play or used to play this great game? It's a little known fact that I'm the Johnathon Thurston of Table Rugby.

 

I always loved this as a kid and I've since introduced it to many other kids who end up obsessed with it. I'm even potentially going to start up a table rugby club at my school as the kids are so mad about it. 

 

After looking online there is a semi-official website that seems to come from the Union side of the fence. The game always seemed more like RL to me, limited number of tackles and more importance placed on the tries. A more accurate Union version would have 100 different infringements for which a 3 point penalty goal would be the result. 

 

I'm not sure if there are any codified rules but we always played up to 4 strikes of a 2p coin followed by a spin conversion. We also limit the scoring to the first to 12 points but I think this was just to give other people a go! 

 

 

[Sports Prophet]

at school, we used to fold a piece of paper into a sturdy right angle triangle with the hypotenuse no longer than say the length of your little finger above the knuckle and then sellotape it for extra strength for a "ball".

 

Four flicks to get over the edge without falling for a "try", then bring the "ball" back for a "conversion" by flicking the "ball" over "goalposts" constructed by your opponent with fists on the table, index fingers out and touching each other forming a "crossbar" and thumbs raised as "uprights".

 

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Three flicks to get to the edge of the table, then you had to flip the coin and catch it for a try (many knock ons here!). Usual spin and flip for a conversion.

We once made a Table Rugby board out of the reverse side of a dominoes board too. The felt gave it a grassy feel! May have to bring this back with a limited edition Super League coin!

[Maximus Decimus]

Three flicks to get to the edge of the table, then you had to flip the coin and catch it for a try (many knock ons here!). Usual spin and flip for a conversion.

We once made a Table Rugby board out of the reverse side of a dominoes board too. The felt gave it a grassy feel! May have to bring this back with a limited edition Super League coin!

 

Interesting little addition to the awarding of a try there. I suppose it can be necessary if you get two players that can almost score every time. Different surfaces can make it interesting, a bit like tennis. We've used outdoor wooden slatted tables that can be a bit unpredictable as well as indoor well polished surfaces that can float a bit like air-hockey sometimes. 

 

There is great prestige involved with somebody getting a 'one-er' which is obviously a goal straight from the initial hit which is used by the fist banging the coin which is dangling over your try line. I've often thought this should be awarded more points. 

 

I like the using the fists for the post idea from Sports Prophet, we always just used the thumbs for the crossbar and index finger for the posts and had a sort of floating posts. This leaves a lot of room for foul play as you can imagine. 

 

The one rule that causes as much anger as the strip in real rugby is pushing vs striking. Many an argument has been had over an alleged push near to the line. 

[bobbruce]

We used a match box and you had to stand it up and flick it over the sticks (your mates hands) for the conversion. Think we only had three flick in play though.

[Just Browny]

Five flicks, but using a 5p coin. Try awarded for a successful flip and catch, conversion with a spin and conversion. I think we occasionally allowed a drop goal (basically a flick from wherever you were on the pitch) but this was largely pointless.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Five flicks, but using a 5p coin. Try awarded for a successful flip and catch, conversion with a spin and conversion. I think we occasionally allowed a drop goal (basically a flick from wherever you were on the pitch) but this was largely pointless.

We tried to introduce a drop goal rule where you used a second coin, pressed down on the edge of the coin on the table to flip it over onto the held coin, then you had to flip the table coin over the posts. It was very difficult so no one ever did it. Worked best with a pound coin.

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Interesting little addition to the awarding of a try there. I suppose it can be necessary if you get two players that can almost score every time. Different surfaces can make it interesting, a bit like tennis. We've used outdoor wooden slatted tables that can be a bit unpredictable as well as indoor well polished surfaces that can float a bit like air-hockey sometimes.

Yeah we've used pub tables; school tables, which are a bit too polished like you say so fly with the slightest touch; the felt table slows it down making it easier to get over the line but harder to get up field. Pros and cons to all.

The one rule that causes as much anger as the strip in real rugby is pushing vs striking. Many an argument has been had over an alleged push near to the line.

Usually met with one of your mates knocking the tables so the coin falls off so you can't "ground the ball" with the flip and catch!

Good ol' Coin Rugby!

[Wellsy4HullFC]

Actually, on that note, we always called it Coin Rugby rather than Table Rugby because we also had Coin Football (3 coins, had to flick one coin through the gap between the two other coins until you scored a goal at the other end).

But you couldn't call it Table Football because that's a different game (Fußball Table like in Friends). We often wondered if you could make a Table Rugby like that and market it to pubs.

[EdinburghExile]

Thought you meant Subbuteo rugby - not seen that in quite a long time!

[Maximus Decimus]

Thought you meant Subbuteo rugby - not seen that in quite a long time!

 

i can't even fathom how that would be played!

[Viking Warrior]

we used half a matchbox, and playing on the paving stones in the street, a try was awarded if you could get the matchbox to settle on your opponents line (edge of paving stone) and then a conversion was by flicking the box over your mates hands which were forming a set of posts,

[EdinburghExile]

i can't even fathom how that would be played!

Pretty similar to football actually if I remember right. Same figures, flick the ball backwards of course. Now you mention it, I can't remember exactly how it would work in getting the ball over the line. For goal kicking though, there was a bloke specially designed who pivoted on one leg, and with a flick of the head, the other leg comes through and toe-pokes the ball (hopefully through the sticks). For scrums, there's a scrum thingy with a hole in the top - drop the ball in and it comes out in a random direction.

 

My dad had (has?) a copy.

[chuffer]

We used a match box and you had to stand it up and flick it over the sticks (your mates hands) for the conversion. Think we only had three flick in play though.

Yeh we used to play match box rugby too....you got a shot at goal if, following one of your flicks upfield, it landed on either the half way line, try line, 10 yrd or 22 yrd line...or if your opponent flicked it out of play

[Just Browny]

Actually, on that note, we always called it Coin Rugby rather than Table Rugby because we also had Coin Football (3 coins, had to flick one coin through the gap between the two other coins until you scored a goal at the other end).

But you couldn't call it Table Football because that's a different game (Fußball Table like in Friends). We often wondered if you could make a Table Rugby like that and market it to pubs.

 

Penny soccer and penny rugby

[Niels]

I loved Subbuteo Rugby, I had 3 teams, Leeds, Wigan and Workington Town.

The rules were a hybrid of both codes but more based on Union because kicking was a key strategy as running with the ball was difficult, the ball had to stay within 2 inches of the player.

I think tackles were based on Union also with turnovers.

Therefore playing a game using league tactics of running were hard to win with. It was better to kick out of defence.

There was a scrum machine also and ten players had gaps to throw the ball for lineouts.

[longboard]

Yeh we used to play match box rugby too....you got a shot at goal if, following one of your flicks upfield, it landed on either the half way line, try line, 10 yrd or 22 yrd line...or if your opponent flicked it out of play

 

We used to play matchbox rugby on a table with pull out leaves. Three flicks to score a try. Conversions 'kicked' by resting the box on thumb and fore finger over the posts made by the opponent's hands.

 

It would sometimes result in fights. There was no sinbinning.

[Hopping Mad]

I loved Subbuteo Rugby, I had 3 teams, Leeds, Wigan and Workington Town.

The rules were a hybrid of both codes but more based on Union because kicking was a key strategy as running with the ball was difficult, the ball had to stay within 2 inches of the player.

I think tackles were based on Union also with turnovers.

Therefore playing a game using league tactics of running were hard to win with. It was better to kick out of defence.

There was a scrum machine also and ten players had gaps to throw the ball for lineouts.

 

Manufacture of Subbuteo Rugby ended in 1983. The bits and pieces are very collectable these days.

 

Apparently, fewer than 800 Huyton teams were made.

 

http://www.peter-upton.co.uk/rugby.htm

[EdinburghExile]

Manufacture of Subbuteo Rugby ended in 1983. The bits and pieces are very collectable these days.

 

Apparently, fewer than 800 Huyton teams were made.

 

http://www.peter-upton.co.uk/rugby.htm

Fewer than 800? I suppose a dozen fits that description!

[Pbach]

at school, we used to fold a piece of paper into a sturdy right angle triangle with the hypotenuse  

No need for that sort of language, thank you.