50 Rugby Union Quiz Questions and Answers.

Here we go with 50 pub quiz questions and answers on international rugby union.

If you are looking for questions for your quiz on this subject, or perhaps including this as a guest round, I’m sure you’ll find some ideas within this list.

Pub Quiz Questions – Rugby Union

Easy

1. Q: How many points is a try worth in rugby union?
   A: 5 points
2. Q: What is the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the Six Nations Championship?
   A: The Six Nations Trophy
3. Q: Which country won the first Rugby World Cup in 1987?
   A: New Zealand
4. Q: What is the maximum number of players allowed on the field per team in a rugby union match?
   A: 15 players
5. Q: Which position is known as the “fly-half”?
   A: Number 10
6. Q: Which team is known as the “All Blacks”?
   A: New Zealand
7. Q: How long is each half in a standard rugby union match?
   A: 40 minutes
8. Q: What is the primary color of the Italy rugby union team’s home kit?
   A: Blue
9. Q: When Ireland play England in the Six Nations Championship, the winner of that game is awarded what trophy?
   A: Millennium Trophy
10. Q: In 2003, which rugby player won BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award?
    A: Jonny Wilkinson

Medium

11. Q: What year did Italy join the Six Nations Championship?
    A: 2000
12. Q: Which team won the Rugby World Cup in 2019?
    A: South Africa
13. Q: What is the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the Rugby Championship?
    A: The Rugby Championship Trophy
14. Q: In rugby union, what is a “knock-on”?
    A: When a player accidentally knocks the ball forward with their hand or arm.
15. Q: Which country has won the most Rugby World Cups?
    A: New Zealand
16. Q: Who was the top try scorer in the 2023 Six Nations Championship?
    A: Damian Penaud
17. Q: What is the main role of a “scrum-half”?
    A: To link between the forwards and the backs, and to feed the ball into the scrum.
18. Q: How many points is a successful conversion worth?
    A: 2 points
19. Q: What does a referee signal with a raised arm and blowing the whistle?
    A: A penalty
20. Q: Who won the 2023 Six Nations Championship?
    A: Ireland

Hard

21. Q: Which stadium is known as the home of Welsh rugby union?
    A: Principality Stadium (formerly Millennium Stadium)
22. Q: Who is the all-time leading points scorer in international rugby union?
    A: Dan Carter
23. Q: What is the maximum width of a rugby union field?
    A: 70 meters
24. Q: How many players form a scrum in rugby union?
    A: 8 players from each team (16 total)
25. Q: Who was the captain of the England team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup?
    A: Martin Johnson
26. Q: What year did rugby union become a professional sport?
    A: 1995
27. Q: Which country is traditionally awarded the Wooden Spoon in the Six Nations?
    A: The team that finishes last in the tournament.
28. Q: Which team has the most Six Nations titles?
    A: England (question correct on 22/05/24)
29. Q: In rugby union, what does the term “Garryowen” refer to?
    A: A high, tactical kick aimed to be contested in the air by chasing players.
30. Q: Which two teams compete for the Calcutta Cup?
    A: England and Scotland

Very Difficult

31. Q: Who scored the winning drop goal for England in the 2003 Rugby World Cup final?
    A: Jonny Wilkinson
32. Q: How many matches did New Zealand win consecutively in the Rugby World Cup from 2011 to 2015?
    A: 14 matches
33. Q: Who was the coach of the South Africa team that won the 2019 Rugby World Cup?
    A: Rassie Erasmus
34. Q: Which French player holds the record for the most points scored in a single Six Nations match?
    A: Christophe Lamaison
35. Q: What is the maximum height for the goalposts in rugby union?
    A: There is no maximum height; the posts must extend at least 3.4 meters above the crossbar.
36. Q: Which rugby union player has won the most Rugby World Cups?
    A: Richie McCaw (2 – 2011, 2015)
37. Q: What year did the British and Irish Lions first tour?
    A: 1888
38. Q: What is the length of the in-goal area in a rugby union field?
    A: Between 10 and 22 meters
39. Q: Who was the youngest player to ever play in a Rugby World Cup?
    A: George North
40. Q: Which team did Japan famously defeat in the 2015 Rugby World Cup?
    A: South Africa
41. Q: Who holds the record for the most tries scored in Rugby World Cup history?
    A: Jonah Lomu
42. Q: What is the record for the most points scored by a single team in a Rugby World Cup match?
    A: 145 points (by New Zealand against Japan in 1995)
43. Q: Which rugby union player has the record for the most international caps?
    A: Alun Wyn Jones
44. Q: How many Rugby World Cups have been won by teams from the Southern Hemisphere?
    A: 9 (as of 2023)
45. Q: What is the name of the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual match between the British and Irish Lions and New Zealand?
    A: The Tom Richards Trophy
46. Q: In what year did the Women’s Rugby World Cup officially start?
    A: 1991
47. Q: Which player has scored the most points in a single Rugby World Cup tournament?
    A: Grant Fox (126 points in 1987)
48. Q: Who is the highest try scorer in Six Nations history?
    A: Brian O’Driscoll
49. Q: Which team has the record for the longest unbeaten streak in international rugby union?
    A: New Zealand (18 consecutive wins)
50. Q: What year did the first Rugby Championship (formerly Tri Nations) take place?
    A: 1996
    
    

Hopefully there is something there that will inspire you to write some quiz questions on the subject of Rugby Union.

Credit: Original version of cover photo by Hansonluu: https://unsplash.com/@hansonluu