The ball is a small one of the same size as that used in the wall game, and little more than half the size of the Association ball Taking a side of only eleven players, they arrange themselves as follows: first, the bully, consisting of a 'post,' ' back-up post,' and two or three 'side posts,' four or five in all; secondly, those outside the bully, viz. a 'corner' on either side of the bully corresponding exactly in position to the ' half-back' in the Rugby Union game (occasionally the third 'side post'is placed to play 'extra corner'), and a 'behind-the-bully' or 'flying-man,' the first of whose names defines his position, and thirdly, the 'behinds,' three in number, 'short behind,' 'long behind,' and 'goals.' The game is commenced by a bully in the centre of the ground, the players in the bully forming down under and over alternately; the ball is placed in the centre of the bully by one of the 'corners,' and the play begins.

The object of the players in the bully is to force the ball through their opponents, the ball being usually held tight and not kept 'loose' and moving as in the present style of Rugby Union play; the rest of the players await events in their respective positions. The bullies, as a rule, only last a few moments, and directly the ball is ' loose' and finds its way out at the side, the 'corner,' or if it finds its way out behind, the 'flying-man,' immediately starts off at full speed dribbling' it close in front of his feet towards the opponents' goal. The game now becomes essentially a dribbling one, and it is wrong for a forward to let the ball go more than a few paces in front of him. It is also essential to go as straight down the field as possible, though this is extremely difficult, since by so doing the player in possession of the ball has to get straight through the majority of his opponents.

One player, then, having got possession of the ball and begun dribbling it, the rest of his side follow in his wake, close behind and ready to take his place at the head of the pack the moment he falls, overruns, or loses the ball. The two bullies may be said at such a moment to resemble two packs of hounds, the foremost player sticking to the ball as long as he can, like a hound to the scent. It rarely happens, however, that one player can keep the ball very long; for either he kicks it too far in front of him, or loses it in a charge of the other side (and charging when in possession of the ball is a chief characteristic of the game), so that the opposing 'behinds' are sure to get a kick sooner or later. And as soon as this occurs, it is the duty of a good behind to lift the ball well and almost invariably to kick it as far and as high as possible, the higher the better, since his side has the more time to charge down the opposing behind, who would otherwise return it. And it may here be mentioned that the behind is supposed to take the ball exactly as it comes to him, to volley, half volley, or kick it whilst rolling, and it is this ready resource in taking the ball in any position and exactly as it comes to him wherever he is standing that makes the Etonian excel as a back when he tries his hand at the Association game.

The ball remains 'loose ' as a rule for a few minutes or more, the forwards charging the behinds and dribbling the ball when they get possession, and the behinds returning it whenever it comes over or through the bully until by a behind making an inaccurate kick, or the forwards being prevented from going straight down the field and so forced towards the side, the ball is impelled over the side boundary. A new bully is then formed some twenty yards in the play in a line with the spot where the ball went out. It is unnecessary to follow the various phases of the game between each bully, as the play is more or less of the same description; suffice it to say that it is, or should be, remarkably fast, and that the chief characteristics of a good 'forward' player are that he should be always 'on' the ball, should dribble always, never 'pass' the ball, be constantly 'backing up' when he is not playing the ball, and always prepared to charge his opponents, going straight at them, while the behinds should be able, as mentioned above, to kick hard and clean, and in any position, and with either foot.

There are two misdemeanours a forward can commit: 'sneaking' or 'cornering.' A player is said to be 'sneaking' or 'off-side' when he gets in front of the ball, and when on the ball being sent forward again either to him or in front of him, he goes on with it or in pursuit of it. He should wait till the majority of his co-forwards have come up level with him and so put him 'on side,' otherwise he is sneaking, and the penalty, if claimed and allowed, is a free kick for the claiming side from the place where the offence was committed. 'Cornering' is when a player is outside the pack or bully, and on the ball being kicked towards him well to the side of the main body of players, he proceeds to play the ball. The penalty, if claimed and allowed, is a bully where the offence was committed. The 'flying-man,' however, is allowed 'to corner,' the reason being that he acts in the double capacity of a forward and a behind.

A point is scored by the ball being forced down to the opponents' base or goal-line. If the player who is in possession of the ball is tolerably near the goal-posts, it is better play to shoot at once for 'goals,' and if this is done, a point is not un-frequently scored, small though the goal is, for the goal-keeper does not remain immediately in goals as in Association, but follows up the 'long behind' at a reasonable distance, and he may not use his hands.

If, however, there is no chance of shooting a goal from mid-field, the player with the ball runs it down to the goal-line and takes it along the line towards the posts, and then makes his shot, or more frequently endeavours to secure a minor point, called a 'rouge.' A 'rouge' is when an attacking player kicks the ball over the goal-line whilst in the act of charging an opponent, and himself or one of his side touches the ball before any of the other side. A rouge may also be obtained by one of the repelling side miskicking the ball behind the goal-line, or the ball going off one of the repelling side in any way over the goal-line, and one of the attacking side touching it first. It takes four rouges to equal one goal, and a rouge may be converted into a goal; for when a rouge is claimed and allowed, a bully is formed in front of the goals thus: the defending side form down one yard from the centre of the goals by one of their number, called 'post,' taking up his position in the centre with the ball between his feet, and three or four placing themselves close up behind him, with others called 'sides' on either side to support him; the remainder, some two or three, 'look out' to get the ball away when it becomes 'loose.' On the attacking side, four players, also called 'sides,' form down against the defenders' bully, two on either side, leaving a small gully in front of 'post' just large enough to admit some four of the attacking side, and these headed by one who is said 'to run in' charge in a compact body, one close behind the other, against the centre of the opponents' bully, so that when they have closed, the whole is one consolidated mass.