Tambo rugby (Japanese 田んぼラグビ? tambo ragubii , from 田んぼ tambo 'rice field' ) is a Japanese form of tag rugby played in flooded (and muddy) rice fields . It is played by men and women, adults and children together. Smaller, lighter players have some advantages, as larger, heavier players tend to sink in the mud. A simple try is worth one point, a diving try is worth two. The playing season is May to August, between rice-harvest and planting. ^[1]

The game was invented by Nobuyuki Nagate in Fukuchiyama , near the Inland Sea northwest of Kyoto, in 2015, after a typhoon had flooded local rice farms, and many of the first players were farm-women. From Fukuchiyama it spread to neighboring communities, and within a few years Japan's local and national rugby teams joined in, winning about half of their matches. In 2019, 15 events were held nationwide. ^[1]

References [ edit ]

External links [ edit ]

• Rice-field rugby in Japan! Video on tambo rugby from the website of the 2019 Rugby World Cup