In 1823, William Webb Ellis used his hands to pick up a ball in a soccer match and ran with it to the goal. That day, rugby was born. There are two primary forms of rugby union: rugby fifteens and rugby sevens.
Rugby is a high-intensity, physical team sport originating from 1823 England, played with an oval ball on a grass pitch. Two teams (typically 15 players each in union) compete to score points by running, passing backward, and kicking the ball to ground it behind the opponent's try line.
The difference between rugby and American football
The playing rules are very different between American football and rugby. 15 players take to the field in rugby while American football limits that to only 11. A player can be subbed in and out at any time in American football. Rugby uses a 23-player squad and a substituted player cannot return to the field again.
A rugby pitch is a rectangular, typically grassy, field (or artificial turf) designed for rugby union, featuring specific, standardized markings for scoring and play. It is 100 meters long between try lines, with 6-22 meter in-goal areas at each end and a width of 70 meters. Key markings include the halfway line, 22-meter lines, and 5-meter/15-meter lines for lineouts.
Dimensions: The main playing area is 100x 70m (maximum 100m x 70m, minimum 94m x 68m). Including the in-goal areas, the total length can be between 106m and 144m.
Below is the dimension for a standard rugby field :
Each country or region has its own standards, and some international organizations also establish competition rules and lighting design rules. World Rugby is the international governing body for the sport of rugby union, responsible for organizing major tournaments like the Rugby World Cup, setting the laws of the game, and overseeing 134 national unions. Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, it was formed in 1886 and focuses on global growth and governance.
The primary standards referenced worldwide include :
(1). EN12193
(2). AS 2526
(3). RP-6-22
(4). JGJ 153-2016
(5). Lighting design guidelines from World Rugby
We will take European EN12193 standards requirements as an example for reference.
DIN EN 12193 for sports lighting defines the minimum lighting requirements in tables for all sports.
Below is the basic requirements for non-broadcasting Rugby fields:
| Class | Ehor Ave lux | U2 hor | GR max | Ra min |
| Class I | 500lx | 0.7 | 55 | >70 |
| Class II | 200lx | 0.6 | 55 | >60 |
| Class III | 75lx | 0.5 | 55 | >60 |
Typically, there are 3 lighting arrangement for football fields: two-side poles placement, four-corner poles placement, and hybrid. Hybrid lighting arrangement is usually for a broadcasting level.
This is guidance principles for 2-side poles placement for non-televised :
This is guidance principles for 2-side poles placement for with-televised :
This is guidance principles for 4-corner non-televised poles placement :
Since each venue is designed independently without a standardized placement for lighting fixtures, specific lighting designs must be tailored to each individual situation.
When providing lighting design solutions, we must first determine whether television broadcasts are required, as lighting specifications for televised events are significantly more stringent.
The primary distinction lies in the fact that for venues without television broadcasts, we need only consider horizontal illuminance. However, for venues with television broadcasts, our primary focus shifts to vertical illuminance. This difference results in significant variations in the lighting design solutions required for each scenario.
Below is an AGI32 simulation with 6poles target 500lx average:
Pole arrangement: 2-side
Pole Qty: 6 poles
Pole height: 20m
Floodlight Qty: 52nos
Floodlight Wattage: 1500W/1800W
Below is an AGI32 simulation with 4 poles target 500lx average:
Pole arrangement: 2-side
Pole Qty: 4 poles
Pole height: 20m
Floodlight Qty: 52nos
Floodlight Wattage: 1500W/1800W
The sports flood lights available on the market can generally be divided into two categories: one is retrofit 1-to-1 type, typically designed with a one-piece heat sink, and the other is modular designed type, typically from 300W to 600W per module.
The design concept of R5 is to replace traditional HID one-to-one when refurbishment, particular attention should be paid to weight and dimensions.
There are 2 models which is designed with a one-piece heat sink, just different shapes. R5 is round while M6 is rectangular in shape.
R5 has 3 different sizes: 600-800W, 800W-1200W, 1200W-1500W
M6 also has 3 different sizes: 750W, 1000-1200W, 1500W
If the heat sink is used ACD12 die-casting alloy, the size and weight would be substantial, far exceeding that of traditional metal halide lamps, if maintaining the same dimensions would result in worse heat dissipation. Therefore, we employ a more reliable solution, using AL1060 cold-forging alloy.
| Model | Wattage Range | Features |
| R5 | 600W~800W 800W~1200W 1200W~1500W | One-piece AL1060 Cold-forging heat sink with up to 237W/(m.K) standard thermal conductivity coefficient, which is double higher than ADC12 die-casting, which only has 96W/(m.K) |
| M6 | 750W 1000W~1200W 1500W | One-piece AL1060 Cold-forging heat sink with up to 237W/(m.K) standard thermal conductivity coefficient, which is double higher than ADC12 die-casting, which only has 96W/(m.K) |
There are a few modular designed Sports Flood lights in the market, from 300W to 600W per single module. Because it is more flexible and less tooling investments.
| Model | Wattage range | Features |
| M5 | 500W single module | ADC12 Die-casting |
| M8 | 800W single module | ADC12 Die-casting |
| M4 | 600W single module | Body material: AL1060 Cold-forging, M4 has better heat dissipation abilities than M5 and M8, hence, M4 can be more compact under the same wattage comsuption which is very important for sports floodlights because of less EPA |
M5 is more economical than M8, while M4 has better heat dissipation management abilities due to AL1060 heat sink.
R5 1500W
