.


A brief description of the significant rules:

.
  1. Rugby is a full contact team sport that is closely related to the original roots of soccer. Play is largely continuous, with stoppages only as necessary for injuries, ball out-of-play, and infractions. Each point below has a video clip attached - click on the image to run the click or enlarge the image. There is a close-button below the clip; click on an enlarged image to shrink it again.
    2. .


    The Players:

    .
  2. Teams are divided into Forwards and Backs for restarts, but players from any position will be found anywhere on the field during open play. The jersey number (of the starters) corresponds to the position of that player, with forwards wearing 1 through 8.




  3. Backs wear 9 through 15.
    4. .
    For additional information on Rugby Players, Click Here
    .


    Principles of Play:

    .
  4. The Try: The primary method of scoring is a "Try", which requires that the ball be carried over the goalline and touched to the ground under control. This should really be called a "Touch-down", and an American Football touchdown should be called a "try", but history didn't work out that way. A Try is 5 points. The scoring team has the opportunity to try for a Conversion (2 points) - a kick for goal, taken directly out from where the ball was touched down. A Try scored under the goal posts is therefore much easier to convert than a Try close to the touchline, which would be at an acute angle. Team scores in the 30-60 range are common.
    5. .
  5. Try by a Prop: Any player can score a "Try". Usually, one would expect the faster backs to be scoring most of the trys, but even the heavier props (front-row forwards) can score a try - sometimes they are just too massive to stop!
    6. .
  6. Try from a Loose Maul: One common method of scoring a try involves a massive push by the forwards with the ball over the goalline (also called the deadball line). This push can result from a set scrum, a maul resulting from a lineout, or a maul resulting from open play. Here is an example of a try being scored from a maul resulting from a line-out close to the opponents' goal-line.
    7. .
  7. Rugby Spiral Pass: Players can carry the ball with their hands or kick it with their feet. The ball can be kicked forward, but cannot be thrown forward. The typical rugby pass is an underhanded spiral.
    8. .
  8. Forward Pass: If the ball is thrown forward, it is ruled a "forward pass" and penalized as a minor infraction. There are occasions when the ball actually moves forward without being "thrown" forward; this is legal, and based on the fact that a player running forward may throw the ball backwards, and yet still have the ball move forward with respect to the field. This is called the "Momentum Rule".
    9. .
  9. Knock-On: A ball fumbled forward off the hands is called a "knock-on", unless the player catches the ball before it hits the ground or an opponent. A knock-on is penalized as a minor infraction with a Set Scrum (see below). Kicking the ball forward (in Aussie Rules, they call that "soccering the ball") is OK.
    10. .
  10. Obstruction: You are allowed to tackle the player with the ball, but may not tackle or block a player without the ball. This becomes a problem when a player decides to run behind some of his teammates, essentially putting them offside; it is an infraction if they end up blocking the path of an opponent to the ball-carrier. In addition, once a player has kicked the ball forward, you are not allowed to step into the path of the kicker, who is chasing after the ball both to try and catch it, and to put more of his teammates onside.
    11. .
  11. Cannot Hold onto the Ball on the Ground: You must release the ball when you are tackled and held. The tackler cannot pick up the ball unless he is still on his feet. If both players go down, the player to get back to their feet first has the first opportunity to (legally) pick up the ball. You can't use your hands to try to grab the ball if you are on the ground in a "loose ruck", which occurs when at least one player from each team is on the ground with the ball. A standing player can reach in to grab the ball, but once you are not supporting your own weight with your feet, you may not put your hands on the ball. Generally, the ball-carrier is allowed a little leeway to push the ball backwards to his own players, unless there is an opponent on his feet trying to reach the ball; then, you must release the ball. Of course, while you are standing and trying to reach in for the ball, players from the other team are trying to do the same, and players often "join" the ruck with considerable force, trying to dislodge players from the other team from this "pile-up".
    12. .
  12. Set Scrum: Minor infractions are penalized with a Set Scrum, which consists of the 8 forwards from each team (called the "pack"), in a formation with three players in the front (two props and the hooker - the "front-row" players), four in the second row (two locks and, outside of them, two flankers), and the number 8 in the rear. The two packs meet at the front row, holding on to each other ("bound"), and meeting under control (ha!). The ball is rolled into the middle of the scrum (into the tunnel between the two front rows of the two packs) by the attacking team (the opponents of the team that committed the infraction), and the real scrum starts with both packs trying to push the other team's pack off the ball. Packs often weight, in total, about 1 ton, so there is a lot of force exerted on the front row where the two packs meet. Because of the extreme force exerted onto the shoulders of the 3 front-row players (players #1, #2, and #3), those players must be specially certified as being trained and competent to play that position.
    13. .
  13. Scrum Collapse: Despite the special training of the front-row players, scrums often "collapse", which can be very dangerous, especially for those front-row players. A significant amount of time is wasted in a typical match trying to set and reset the scrum to get a clean restart. The IRB (International Rugby Board - Rugby's equivalent of FIFA) is constantly tweaking the procedure for the set scrum.
    14. .
  14. Uncontested Scrum: Occasionally, a team is unable to field 3 certified front-row players. Because of the dangers of a collapsed scrum, an "uncontested scrum" must be used to restart play; this is something like an uncontested dropped ball. Unlike a dropped ball, an uncontested scrum is unusual enough that the players usually need to be reminded not to push. The Uncontested Scrum rule resulted from a situation when a non-certified college player went into the front row, and died from a broken neck.
    15. .
  15. The Lineout: Ball out-of-play across the touch-line results in a "Line-out" restart - the ball is thrown in perpendicular to the touchline between two rows of players, one row for each team, with equal numbers (reduce to equate :-). Note, the original soccer Laws required the throw-in to be perpendicular to the touchline. In fact, the origin of the term "touch-line" comes from the original soccer law that the team which was first able to "touch" the ball got the throw-in. Part of this tradition is preserved in Rugby, where the team taking the line-out may take a quick line-out as long as their players are the only persons to touch the ball. If an opponent or a spectator touches the ball, play is restarted with a "ceremonial" line-out).
    16. .
  16. Offside: Offside is defined by the ball. If you are ahead of the ball, you are offside. Therefore, there is no blocking, and impeding is frequently called. When the ball is kicked forward, any player from the kicking team that was ahead of the kicker is offside until either the kicker (or any player who was behind the kicker) passes you, or the opponent catches the ball and runs at least 10 meters. An exception to the offside rule is when a maul has formed (players from each team locked together, with the team with possession trying to push the maul, and the ball, towards the opponent's goalline, and the other trying to prevent that from happening) - any player in the maul is considered onside, and the offside line becomes the back foot of the last player in the maul.
    17. .
  17. Penalty Kick: Major infractions result in a "Penalty Kick", which is taken from the spot of the infringement, or directly behind that spot. The kicking team has the option to "kick for goal" (kick the ball between the goalposts and over the crossbar for 3 points), or kick to touch and take the line-out from where the ball crosses the touchline. Penalty kicks of 50-60 meters are not uncommon, even from acute angles along the touchline. You can always move the kicking point back from the "mark", but not sideways towards the middle of the field. Major infractions include "deliberate" offside ("unintentional offside" results in a set scrum - I guess rugby referees are allowed to read "intention"), playing the ball in a ruck with your hands when you are not on your feet, not releasing the ball when you are tackled, not getting out of the way when you are on the ground in an offside position (equivalent to "Interfering with an opponent"), and dangerous tackles.
    18. .
  18. The Legal Tackle: A legal tackle in rugby must involve: trying to wrap the opponent with your arms; not tackling a player who is in the air; tackling the player below the shoulders; and not "inverting" the player so their feet are above their head. (For completeness, I should include that, as in soccer, you need to judge the tackle based on the age of the players and the level of competition.) Here are some examples of legal tackles.
    19. .
  19. Dangerous - Spear Tackle: Some tackles which are dangerous, and should be penalized by a "Penalty Kick". Here are examples of the "Spear Tackle", where the player's feet are lifted above his head, and he is "driven" into the ground, head first. Needless to say, this can be very dangerous, and should result in at least a Penalty Kick, if not a Yellow Card (10 minutes in the Sin-Bin - your team plays short) or a Red Card (your team plays short).
    20. .
  20. Dangerous - No Arms Tackle: (Shoulder Charge) Here are examples of the "No-Arms Tackle", which is equivalent to a shoulder charge. This should result in a Penalty Kick and, in more extreme cases, also a Yellow Card or a Red Card.
    21. .
  21. The Clothesline 'Tackle': Here are examples of the "Clothesline", where the arm is extended at neck/head level to hit the ball-carrier. Not only is this not a legal tackle (no attempt to wrap the arms around the ball-carrier), it is dangerous. In more violent cases, this should result in not only a Penalty Kick, but also a Yellow Card or a Red Card.
    22. .
  22. The High 'Tackle': A close relative of the "Clothes-line Tackle" is the "High Tackle", where an attempt is made to use the arms to wrap the ball-carrier (i,e, this is not a "No-Arms Tackle"), but the contact is made above the shoulder. Again, in more violent cases, this should result in not only a Penalty Kick, but also a Yellow Card or a Red Card.
    23. .
  23. The 'In-The-Air Tackle': Finally, here are some examples of "In-The-Air Tackles", where a player is tackled when jumping to catch a kicked ball. Many of these cases are also a "No-Arms Tackle" (i,e, shoulder charge). One point to observe is how the body of the tackle player rotates from the momentum of the tackle. This is dangerous (potential for the tackled player landing on their head). However, these give excellent examples of how momentum imparted from outside (the tackler) can affect the movement of the tacklee (the ball-carrier). This change in momentum is a useful way, in all sports, to determine whether a player was really hit, or was "enhancing" or "simulating" the contact.
    24. .

    For more information see:
  24. International Rugby Board
  25. Rugby Union Laws