Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Rugby union at the 1981 Maccabiah Games was a new event. Rugby union in Israel dated back to the British Mandate period, but had suffered a low profile, however its inclusion in the Maccabiah was seen as a major shot in the arm, and it has been included ever since. Rugby union is a full contact team sport, a form of football which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. It is played with an oval-shaped ball, outdoors on a level field, usually with a grass surface, up to 100 metres (330 ft) long and 70 metres (230 ft) wide. At each end of the field is an H-shaped goal.