Rugby Scoring Calculator
| Year | Try Value | Conversion Value | Penalty Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1886 | 1 point | 1 point | 1 point |
| 1893 | 2 points | 1 point | 1 point |
| 1900s | 3 points | 2 points | 1 point |
| 1992 | 5 points | 2 points | 3 points |
Total Points:
Ever watched a rugby match and wondered why scoring a touchdown is called a try? It doesn’t sound like a score. It doesn’t even sound like a win. It sounds like a failed attempt. And that’s exactly where the word came from.
The Original Meaning of a 'Try' in Rugby
In the early 1800s, rugby wasn’t about touching the ball down to score points. Back then, the only way to earn the right to kick for goal was to get the ball over the opponent’s goal line. That action-getting the ball past the line-was called a try. It wasn’t a score. It was a chance. A try at kicking the ball through the posts.
Imagine this: two teams brawl over a muddy ball in a field near Rugby School in England. One player grabs it, dives forward, and plants it across the goal line. The crowd cheers. Not because they scored, but because now their team gets a shot at kicking the ball through the uprights. That moment? That was a try.
The goal kick was worth one point. The try? Nothing. Just a privilege.
When Did the Try Become a Score?
For decades, tries meant nothing on their own. But as the game evolved, so did the rules. By the 1870s, teams started realizing that getting the ball over the line was harder than kicking a goal. Kicks were getting easier with better balls and flatter fields. So the value of a try began to rise.
In 1886, the Rugby Football Union officially gave the try a value of one point-still less than a goal. But the shift had started. By 1893, tries were worth two points. Then three. Then four. And by 1992, the try became worth five points, while conversions dropped to two. Today, a try is the most valuable play in rugby.
The name stuck. Even though a try is now the main way to score, we still call it a try. Not a touchdown. Not a goal. Not a score. A try. It’s a linguistic fossil. A word that outlived its original purpose.
Why Not Call It a Touchdown Like American Football?
You might wonder: why didn’t rugby just rename it? After all, American football uses “touchdown” to describe the same action. The answer? Tradition. Rugby has deep roots in British school culture. Names like try, conversion, penalty, and scrum were carved into the game’s identity before it became a global sport.
When rugby spread to New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, and France, those terms came with it. Players didn’t need to learn new words. The language was already part of the game’s soul. Even today, if you ask a kid in Wellington or Pretoria why they call it a try, they’ll say, “Because that’s just how it’s always been.”
The Try in Modern Rugby: More Than Just a Word
Today, a try isn’t just a scoring method-it’s the heartbeat of the game. Teams build entire strategies around creating space to get the ball over the line. Speed, timing, decoy runs, offloads, and pinpoint passes all serve one goal: setting up the try.
Think of the 2019 Rugby World Cup final. South Africa’s Makazole Mapimpi scored a try in the 66th minute. That wasn’t just five points. It was the turning point. The moment the game shifted. And the commentators didn’t say, “He scored a touchdown.” They said, “Mapimpi gets the try.” Because in rugby, that’s what it’s called.
Modern tactics have made tries more complex than ever. The “chip and chase,” the “switch,” the “overlap”-all designed to break the defensive line and get the ball grounded. A try now requires precision, athleticism, and teamwork. It’s the ultimate team play.
Why the Term Still Matters
Calling it a try isn’t just tradition. It’s a reminder of where rugby came from. It connects today’s high-speed, high-tech game to muddy fields in 19th-century England. It’s a word that survived because it carried meaning beyond its original use.
Compare it to soccer’s “goal.” It’s descriptive. It tells you exactly what happened. But “try”? It’s mysterious. It’s poetic. It’s a word that asks you to look deeper.
When you hear “he got a try,” you don’t just hear a score. You hear a story. A story of struggle, persistence, and the chance to take a shot at something bigger.
How the Try Changed Rugby Forever
The rise of the try as the primary scoring method changed the entire nature of rugby. Before, the game was dominated by kickers. After, it became a game of runners, passers, and ball carriers. The forward pack stopped just pushing. They started creating platforms. The backs stopped waiting. They started attacking.
Modern rugby is faster. More open. More exciting. And it’s all because the try became more valuable than the kick.
That’s why you’ll never hear a coach say, “Let’s just kick for goal.” You’ll hear, “We need to get over the line.” Because the try is no longer a try-it’s the point.
Other Rugby Terms That Sound Weird (But Make Sense)
The word “try” isn’t the only odd term in rugby. Here are a few others:
- Scrum: Originally a way to restart play after a minor rule break. Now a brutal, tactical battle of strength.
- Lineout: Not a line of players throwing the ball. It’s a strategic lift-and-catch contest.
- Conversion: A kick after a try. Not called a “bonus point” or “extra.” Just a conversion. Like you’re converting a chance into points.
- Knock-on: When you drop the ball forward. Not a fumble. Not a bad pass. A knock-on.
These terms don’t sound logical. But they’re part of rugby’s culture. They’re the language of the game. And once you understand them, you start to see rugby differently.
What Happens After a Try?
After a try is scored, the scoring team gets a chance to kick for extra points. That’s called a conversion. The kick must be taken from a spot directly in line with where the try was scored. If the try was scored wide, the kick is harder. If it’s in the middle, it’s easier.
That’s why teams often try to score near the posts. It’s not just about the five points. It’s about the two extra points you can get after.
And if the defense stops the try? They get a penalty or a scrum. The game resets. But the try? It’s still the goal.
Final Thought: A Try Is More Than a Word
It’s not just a scoring method. It’s a piece of history. A cultural artifact. A word that survived because it meant something deeper than its definition.
Next time you watch a match and hear, “He’s got a try!”-remember: that word carries 200 years of rugby. Of mud, of grit, of kicks that never went through, and of players who kept trying.
Why is a try worth five points in rugby?
A try is worth five points because, over time, rugby shifted from a kicking-heavy game to a running and attacking game. As tries became more common and harder to stop, their value increased. In 1992, the International Rugby Board raised the value from four to five points to make tries the most important scoring method and encourage more open play.
Is a try the same as a touchdown in American football?
Functionally, yes-both involve grounding the ball in the opponent’s end zone. But the rules, timing, and context are different. In American football, a touchdown is worth six points and is always followed by a conversion attempt. In rugby, a try is worth five points, and the conversion is optional and taken from a different spot. The word “try” also reflects rugby’s history, while “touchdown” is purely descriptive.
Can you score a try from a penalty or free kick?
No. A try can only be scored from open play. If you kick the ball through the goal line during a penalty or free kick, it’s not a try-it’s a penalty goal or drop goal attempt. To score a try, the ball must be grounded by a player who has been carrying or passing it during active play.
What happens if a player is tackled before grounding the ball?
If a player is tackled before they ground the ball, the try doesn’t count. The ball is dead, and play restarts with a scrum to the attacking team if they were in possession when tackled. The player must clearly and legally ground the ball with downward pressure for the try to be awarded.
Why don’t other sports use the word “try”?
Because rugby’s origins are unique. The word “try” comes from 19th-century English school sports where scoring was secondary to opportunity. Other sports like soccer, basketball, or American football developed their own terminology based on direct action (“goal,” “field goal,” “touchdown”). Rugby kept its old terms because its culture values tradition over clarity.