Why is it called a try in rugby? How scoring points got its name as Six Nations gets underway

Have you ever stopped to deliberation astir wherefore scoring is called a "try" successful Rugby? As the Six Nations unfolds, let's dive into the intriguing origins down the term

As the 2025 Six Nations Championship is underway, fans tin expect edge-of-the-seat enactment arsenic they bask crunching tackles, offloads, and, of course, tries.

But person you ever paused and wondered - wherefore precisely is it called a effort successful rugby? After all, the connection sounds much similar an effort alternatively than an existent achievement.

It’s a word that mightiness look a small unusual to the uninitiated and those unfamiliar with the sport, truthful arsenic the yearly planetary rugby national contention kicks off, let's unpack its origins, its improvement and spot however it became an integral portion of the game’s fabric.

The root of try

In its infancy, rugby was little of a structured athletics and much of a chaotic brawl with a ball. Back then, the nonsubjective wasn’t to people points by grounding the shot implicit the opponent's extremity line. That was conscionable the commencement of it.

Rewinding to the 19th century, touching the shot down beyond the enactment didn’t straight gain you points. It simply gave you the close to effort to footwear for goal.

And the footwear was the lone mode to score. Hence the word ‘try’ was born. Touching the shot down gave you a effort to people a goal.

The improvement of rugby's scoring system

Of course, arsenic the crippled evolved, truthful did the rules. When the Rugby Football Union (RFU) formalised the rules successful 1871, the effort was officially recognised arsenic the archetypal measurement successful scoring. Then, the kicker was needed to person it for points to count.

However, with time, the powers-that-be decided that grounding the shot implicit the enactment was worthy of points successful its ain right. By the 1900s, the effort earned its three-point value. Later successful 1995, its worthy was accrued to five.

But the sanction stuck. Like an aged nickname from schoolhouse that someway follows you into adulthood, 'try' clung on, adjacent though its meaning had shifted completely. It’s a relic of rugby’s scrappy origins, embedded successful each people from Twickenham to the Stade de France. Today, a effort isn’t conscionable astir scoring – it’s the infinitesimal that defines a game.

Tries: From a specified effort to a fragment of history

Think of Gareth Edwards ’s jaw-dropping effort against Scotland successful '73 — inactive talked astir arsenic 1 of the top ever. A infinitesimal of idiosyncratic brilliance, it showcased speed, skill, and determination that specify a genuinely memorable try. Moreover, Jonah Lomu 's barnstorming runs astatine the '95 World Cup near defenders successful his wake.

More recently, we've seen unthinkable tries successful the Six Nations, similar Jacob Stockdale's spot and pursuit against Wales successful 2018, a infinitesimal of audacious accomplishment that sealed a Grand Slam for Ireland. These tries, and countless others, are much than conscionable five-point scores - they're present a fragment of history.

As you tune into the Six Nations this twelvemonth and you witnesser a try, you volition present cognize wherefore it’s called so.