Rugby is a game in which the object is to carry the ball over the opponents’ goal line and force it to the ground to score.

The above description may sound simple - but there is one catch. In order to go forward, the ball must be passed backwards. The ball can be kicked forwards.

SCORING POINTS

Try - 5 points

A try is scored when the ball is grounded over the opponents’ goal line in the in-goal area.

A penalty try can be awarded if a player would have scored a try but for foul play by the opposition.

Conversion - 2 points

After scoring a try, that team can attempt to add two further points by kicking the ball over the crossbar and between the posts from a place in line with where the try was scored.

Penalty - 3 points

When awarded a penalty after an infringement by the opposition, a team may choose to kick at goal.

Drop goal - 3 points

A drop goal is scored when a player kicks for goal in open play by dropping the ball onto the ground and kicking it on the half-volley.

THE POSITIONS

Props

(1, 3) - Their primary role is to anchor the scrummage and provide lifting strength and support for the lineout jumpers. Also pivotal in rucks & mauls.

Hooker

(2) - The hooker has two unique roles on the pitch as the player who wins possession in the scrum and usually throws the ball in to the lineout.

Locks

(4, 5) - Locks win ball from lineouts and restarts. They drive forward momentum in the scrum, rucks and mauls providing a platform for attack.

Flankers

(6, 7) - Their key objective is to win possession through turn-overs, using physicality in the tackle and speed to the breakdown.

Number 8

(8) - The Number 8 must secure possession at the base of the scrum, carry the ball in open play, provide the link between the forwards and backs in attacking phases and defend aggressively.

Scrum half

(9) - Provides the link between forwards and backs at the scrum and lineouts. A true decision-maker, the 9 will judge whether to distribute quick ball to the backs or keep it close to the forwards.

Fly half

(10) - As the player who orchestrates the team’s performance, the 10 will receive the ball from the 9 and choose to kick, pass or make a break based upon split-second interpretation of the phase of play.

Centres

(12, 13) - The centres are key in both defence and attack. In defence they will attempt to tackle attacking players whilst in attack they will use their speed, power and creative flair to breach defences.

Wings

(11, 14) - The wings are on the pitch to provide the injection of out-and-out pace needed to outrun an opponent and score a try. Also important to be solid in defence.

Full back

(15) - Generally perceived as the last line of defence, the full back must be confident under a high ball, have a good boot to clear the lines and a enjoy the physicality required to make try-saving tackles.

KICKING

If a player chooses not to pass the ball to a team mate or run with it, that player may kick the ball instead. The kick can travel forwards, but any team mates in front of the ball at the moment the ball is kicked are out of play until either they retire behind the kicker or are played onside by a team mate. Retaining possession of the ball following a kick is a challenge.

Kicking strategies include:

• kicking into space, so that team mates have time to run onto the ball before an opponent can get to it
• kicking out wide, at an oblique angle to the field, so that the wing or outside centre can catch the ball
• kicking the ball to touch (off the field of play) resulting in a lineout with the throw-in to the opposition. This concedes possession of the ball but allows the kicking team to contest for the ball in a much more advantageous position on the field.

OPEN PLAY

The term ‘open play’ refers to any phase in the match where the ball is being passed or kicked between team mates and both teams are contesting for the ball. In open play, the team in possession tries to get the ball to players in space who can make forward progress towards the opposing goal line.

KICK OFF

Each half of the match is started with a drop kick from the centre of the half way line. The nonkicking team must be 10 metres back from the ball when it is kicked and the kick must travel 10m towards the opposition goal line before hitting the ground.

PASSING

A player may pass (throw the ball) to a team mate who is in a better position to continue the attack, but the pass must not travel towards the opposing team’s goal line. It must travel either directly across the field, or back in the direction of the passer’s own goal line. By carrying the ball forwards and passing backwards, territory is gained.

If a forward pass is made, the referee will stop the game and award a scrum with the throw-in going to the team which was not in possession at the time of the pass. In this way, a forward pass is punished by that team losing possession of the ball.

KNOCK-ON

When a player mishandles the ball, i.e. drops it or allows it to rebound off a hand or arm, and the ball travels forwards, it is known as a knock-on. This is punishable by a scrum to the opposition and therefore a turnover of possession.

TACKLE, RUCK & MAUL

As well as being an evasion game which requires creation and use of space, Rugby is also a contact sport. In fact, contact situations can be the very mechanism by which players create the space they need to attack. The three most common contact situations which occur in open play are tackle, ruck and maul.

THE TACKLE

Only the ball carrier can be tackled by an opposing player. A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and is brought to ground, i.e. has one or both knees on the ground, is sitting on the ground or is on top of another player who is on the ground. To maintain the continuity of the game, the ball carrier must release the ball immediately after the tackle, the tackler must release the ball carrier and both players must roll away from the ball. This allows other players to come in and contest for the ball, thereby starting a new phase of play.

THE RUCK

A ruck is formed if the ball is on the ground and one or more players from each team who are on their feet close around it. Players must not handle the ball in the ruck, and must use their feet to move the ball or drive over it so that it emerges at the team’s hindmost foot, at which point it can be picked up.

THE MAUL

A maul occurs when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and one or more of the ball carrier’s team mates holds on (binds) on as well. The ball must be off the ground. The team in possession of the ball can attempt to gain territory by driving their opponents back towards the opponents’ goal line. The ball can then be passed backwards between players in the maul and eventually passed to a player who is not in the maul, or a player can leave the maul carrying the ball and run with it.

THE SCRUM

The scrum is a means of restarting play after a stoppage which has been caused by a minor infringement of the Laws (for example, a forward pass or knock on) or the ball becoming unplayable in a ruck or maul. The scrum serves to concentrate all the forwards and the scrum halves in one place on the field, providing the opportunity for the backs to mount an attack using the space created elsewhere.

The ball is thrown into the middle of the tunnel between the two front rows, at which point the two hookers can compete for the ball, attempting to hook the ball back in the direction of their team mates.
The team who throws the ball into the scrum usually retains possession, because the hooker and scrum half can synchronise their actions. Once possession has been secured, a team can keep the ball on the ground and in the scrum and attempt to drive the opposition down field. Alternatively, they can bring the ball to the hindmost foot of the scrum, where the ball is then passed into the back line and open play resumes again

The key player at the scrum is the scrum half. This player throws the ball into the scrum, moves to the hindmost foot of the scrum, and is usually the player who picks the ball up and passes out to the fly half who then distributes the ball to the back line. As soon as the scrum half picks the ball up, the opposition may contest for the ball and attempt to tackle whichever player is in possession.

THE LINEOUT

The lineout is a means of restarting play after the ball has gone into touch (off the field of play at the side). The lineout concentrates all the forwards in one place near to the touch line, so the backs have the rest of the width of the field in which to mount an attack. The key for the forwards is to win possession and distribute the ball effectively to the back line.

The forwards assemble in two lines, perpendicular to the touch line, one metre apart. The hooker throws the ball down the corridor between these two lines of players. Because the thrower’s team mates know where the throw is likely to go, that team has an advantage in retaining possession. However, with speed of thought and movement, the opposition can contest for the ball and the lineout frequently results in a turnover of possession. The player who successfully catches the ball can keep it and set up a maul, or can pass to the receiver (a player who stands next to the lineout to wait for such a pass) who then passes to the fly half and on to the back line.

To allow players to catch high throws in the lineout, it is permissible for the catcher to be supported by team mates while jumping to catch the ball. Safety is a prime concern here, and any player who is off the ground must be supported until that player returns to the ground. A player may not be tackled while in the air, and holding, shoving or levering on an opponent are all offences punishable with a penalty kick.

PENALTY AND FREE KICK

Infringements of the Laws which have a material and significant impact on the opposition are punished with the award of a penalty kick. If the place where the penalty is awarded is within range of the posts, the team will usually choose to kick for a goal from a place kick. The ball is placed on a kicking tee and the kicker attempts to kick it between the posts and over the crossbar. Three points are awarded for a successful kick. A team may choose not to kick for goal. Other options include a scrum, a ‘quick penalty’ to bring the ball into open play, or kicking for touch (where the kicking team has the throw in to the resulting lineout). A free kick is awarded for less significant offences. A team may not score points directly from a free kick. A team may opt for a scrum instead of a free kick.

OFFSIDE

Rugby’s offside Law restricts where on the field players can be, to ensure there is space to attack and defend. In general, a player is in an offside position if that player is further forward (nearer to the opponents’ goal line) than the team mate who is carrying the ball or the team mate who last played the ball. Being in an offside position is not, in itself, an offence, but an offside player may not take part in the game until they are onside again. If an offside player takes part in the game, that player will be penalised.