Tag rugby, age 5+
Noncontact, using tag belts; tackles are replicated by pulling off a tag. Great for learning the basics – passing, evasion and fitness. There are no set pieces (lineouts or scrums). Pitches are small. Team sizes grow with age; mixed until age 11.

Touch rugby, age 14+
Noncontact: tackles are replaced by a ‘touch’, taking away a major barrier for some. Involves lots of aspects of contact rugby, but without set pieces or kicking. Typically six-a-side, and mixed gender. Can be played indoors or outdoors.

Sevens, age 14+
This short, seven-a-side form of the game is played on a full pitch, usually in the summer season. It’s physically challenging, with full contact, but at a smaller scale: scrums are three a side, and lineouts are two a side. Genders play separately (contact rugby is never mixed).

Fifteens, age 14+
The rugby most people know from TV and international tournaments. It is played at about 2,000 rugby clubs and in schools and universities. Full-contact, full pitch, full-size set pieces.

XRugby, age 14+ The newest format. It’s seven-a-side, played widthways across the pitch. This is contact rugby, but adapted, removing some intensity and speed of contact. Scrums involve no pushing – and there’s no lifting in the lineouts. Tackles must be made below a certain height. This all makes it easier for someone who is new to rugby, or less fit.

Where to start? Visit findrugby.com to find a club near you, or o2touch.co.uk for your nearest O2 Touch centre.