What are the differences between rugby league and rugby union?

Rugby, in its initial guise, has been played in England for more than 150 years, but split into two codes in 1895.

Rugby itself split off from association football, which banned things like carrying the ball with hands, instead remaining a part of rugby.

Rugby football as it was then known - differentiating from association football - had been played throughout the 1800s (and in other guises long before that), but its rules weren't first codified until 1845 at Rugby School in Warwickshire.

Below, we look at the differences between rugby league and rugby union.

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Scoring

In rugby union, penalties and goals are worth three points, creating more of an emphasis on the kicking game and territory. A try is worth five points and a conversion worth an extra two.

In rugby league, tries are worth four points, but penalties and conversions are worth two points with a goal worth one.

Number of players

In rugby league, 13 players are allowed on the field at any one time, two fewer than allowed in a rugby union match.

Though rules may alter slightly between competitions, rugby league permits four substitutes who can leave and enter the field on multiple occasions, for a total of 12 team interchanges. For example a player may enter the pitch on the 20th minute, leave in the 50th minute, and enter again in the 70th minute, using up three of the team's interchanges.

In rugby union, more substitutes are allowed to be named on the bench, but only eight changes are allowed to be made in a game, and once a player is subbed off, they can't then re-enter the field of play.

Gameplay

While the concept of rugby league and rugby union is broadly the same, there are differences in how the game is played that sets them apart.

In rugby union, lineouts are utilised when the ball goes out of play at the touchline, whereas in league, a scrum is used.

Scrums are one of the more notable differences between the two sports. While they're uncontested in league, they're an important part of union, with both teams battling for possession of the ball.

In league, the team in possession of the ball has six tackles with which to score before the ball is turned over to the other team, whereas in union, the team with the ball keeps it for as long as they remain in possession.

Tactics

While both games involve teams trying to score more points than the opposition, the way of going about that is different in league and union.

In union, territory is particularly important, which is why you'll often see kicking exchanges between the two sides as they both look to get the ball as far up field as they can as quickly as they can. In league, however, with the attacking team given six tackles to advance the ball as far as they can, you'll normally only see kicks on the final play before the ball is turned over to the opposition.

In union, the attacking team will often try and get within kicking range; a momentary lapse in concentration or loss of discipline from the defending team can result in a penalty being awarded, and with the penalty being worth three points - more than half of a try - attacking teams will often kick for goal, while in league, attacking teams usually attempt to score a try.

Why did rugby league and rugby union split?

In short, money. Both games were contested at amateur level in the 1800s, meaning players couldn't earn money from playing the game, but when a selection of Yorkshire clubs opted to pay their players as compensation for missing work (broken time payments), supported by clubs from Lancashire, the Northern Rugby Football Union was born.

Rugby union, governed by the Rugby Football Union, would remain an amateur game, banning players who made the switch to rugby league until its professionalisation in 1995.