Rugby football, often just "rugby", may refer to a number of sports descended from a common form of football developed at Rugby School in England, United Kingdom. Rugby union, rugby league, American football and Canadian football are modern sports that originated from rugby football. Rugby league and rugby union are the only two sports referred to as "rugby" today.
Rugby league is played both as a professional and amateur sport in Australia, South Africa, France, Great Britain and New Zealand. It is widely accepted as the national sport of Papua New Guinea. There are semi-professional and amateur competitions of rugby league which take place in Russia, Serbia, Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Japan, Canada, the United States, Fiji, Cook Islands and Tonga. (For further information see: List of international rugby league teams.)
Rugby union, also a professional and amateur game, is dominated by nine "major" unions: France, Australia, England, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, Wales, Argentina and Scotland. Rugby union is the national sport in New Zealand, South Africa and Wales. Argentina's Los Pumas, having beaten many top eight teams such as England, Australia, Ireland, Wales, France, and having held the British and Irish Lions to a draw, are coming to be seen as a top six nation, arriving in third position in 2007's rugby world cup. "Minor" unions include Canada, Fiji, Georgia, Italy, Japan, Namibia, Portugal, Romania, Samoa, Spain, Tonga, the United States and Uruguay. In Malaysia, rugby union is played by campus students. (For further details see list of international rugby union teams.) Rugby union ranks as the national sport of Pacific countries such as Tonga and Fiji.