Highest governing body | Rugby League International Federation |
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Nicknames | Nines, Football, Footy, League |
Characteristics | |
Contact | Full |
Team members | 15 (9 on field + 6 interchange) |
Mixed gender | Single |
Type | Outdoor |
Equipment | Football |
Venue | Rugby league playing field |
Rugby league nines (or simply nines) is a version of rugby league football played with nine players on each side. The game is substantially the same as full rugby league, with some differences in rules and shorter games. Nines is usually played in festivals, as its shorter game play allows for a tournament to be completed in a day or over a single weekend. It has become more popular than the similar rugby league sevens (rugby league with seven players to a side), with many tournaments using nines to distinguish it from rugby union sevens.
The laws of the game are the same as standard rugby league laws with the following exceptions.
Danny Buderus, an Australian rugby league player (currently playing for NRL team Newcastle Knights) has prepared a blueprint for a new rugby league nines format, with the intention of taking rugby league to a more global market,
The major rule changes that differ from regular National Rugby League games are as follows:
Thailand - TRLA
Bangkok 9s - October Phuket 9s - October
United States