Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

The 2007 Rugby World Cup is well underway and what a long way the game has come since its now legendary inception in 1823 when William Webb Ellis, a pupil at the school of Rugby, took the ball in his arms during a game of football. He ran, “with fine disregard for the rules of the game” and in that act created the now familiar game of rugby football.

For both newcomers to the game and seasoned fans the rules of the sport can often provide more of a talking point than the actual action. Luckily help is on hand for beginners from the Answers community where you can find out a brief summary of the rules, including the hand off and the complications of the scrum.

While Rugby’s popularity has grown in recent years it wasn’t until 1987 that the first of the five world cup tournaments took place. It was held in both Australia and New Zealand, and the All Blacks sealed their reputation as the one of the major players in the game by taking the first world title. Will it be their year this time around? Certainly they have fielded some of the best players of all time in the past, like Jonah Lomu, and will need to match those levels again to triumph.

Or will it be one of the northern hemisphere nations’ chance to take home the coveted Web Ellis trophy? Can England reign supreme in Paris and hold on to their world title? Who will take home the cup? It’s too early to call, but if you’re curious why not pose your questions in our rugby category. One thing is certain, between now and October 20th sweat will pour and many battles fought on the road to one team becoming the champions.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team