The object of the game is to score more points than your opponents in the 80-minute time frame allotted for each rugby match. The team with the greater number of points at full time is announced as the winner. Games may end as a draw.
The team with the ball must move the ball up the field in ‘phases of play’. The ball can never be passed forwards but players can run forwards with the ball or kick the ball forward to chase it down. The opposing team needs to stop the attacking team by tackling and trying to retain the ball.
Points can be scored in one of four ways:
- A try is awarded when a player places the ball down in their opponent’s dead ball area behind the goal. 5 points are awarded.
- A conversion is a free-kick that the team is awarded after a try to earn 2 bonus points. A successful kick needs to pass between the upper posts and top bar on the goal.
- A penalty kick will gain a team 3 points and is awarded to a team when the opposing team causes an infringement.
- A drop goal can be kicked out of the hand as long as the ball bounces first and can earn a team 3 points.
Conduct
The legend of William Webb Ellis, who is credited with first picking up the football and running with it, has doggedly survived the countless revisionist theories since that day at Rugby School in 1823. That the game should have its origins in an act of spirited defiance is somehow appropriate.
At first glance, it is difficult to find the guiding principles behind a game that, to the casual observer, appears to be a mass of contradictions. It is perfectly acceptable, for example, to be seen to be exerting extreme physical pressure on an opponent in an attempt to gain possession of the ball, but not wilfully or maliciously to inflict injury.
These are the boundaries within which players and referees must operate and it is the capacity to make this fine distinction, combined with control and discipline, both individual and collective, upon which the code of conduct depends.
Spirit
Rugby owes much of its appeal to the fact that it is played both to the letter and within the spirit of the laws. The responsibility for ensuring that this happens lies not with one individual – it involves coaches, captains, players, and referees.
It is through discipline, control, and mutual respect that the spirit of the game flourishes, and, in the context of a game as physically challenging as rugby, these are the qualities that forge the fellowship and sense of fair play so essential to the game’s ongoing success and survival.
Old-fashioned traditions and virtues they may be, but they have stood the test of time and, at all levels at which the game is played, they remain as important to rugby’s future as they have been throughout its long and distinguished past. The principles of rugby are the fundamental elements upon which the game is based and they enable participants to immediately identify the game’s character and what makes it distinctive as a sport.
Passion
Rugby people have a passionate enthusiasm for the game. Rugby generates excitement, emotional attachment, and a sense of belonging to the global rugby family
Solidarity
Rugby provides a unifying spirit that leads to life-long friendships, camaraderie, teamwork, and loyalty which transcends cultural, geographic, political, and religious differences
The contests are balanced in such a way as to reward superior skill displayed in the preceding action. For example, a team forced to kick for touch because of its inability to maintain the play is denied the throw-in to the lineout. Similarly, the team knocking the ball on or passing the ball forward is denied the throw at the subsequent scrum. The advantage then must always lie with the team throwing the ball in, although, here again, it is important that these areas of play can be fairly contested.
The team in possession aims to maintain continuity by denying the opposition the ball and, by skillful means, to advance and score points. Failure to do this will mean the surrendering of possession to the opposition either as a result of shortcomings on the part of the team in possession or because of the quality of the opposition defense; contest and continuity, profit and loss.
As one team attempts to maintain continuity of possession, the opposing team strives to contest for possession. This provides the essential balance between continuity of play and continuity of possession. This balance of contestability and continuity applies to both set piece and open play.
- The game is broken down into two 40 minute halves with a 10 minute rest period in between. The game carries no stoppage time and will end exactly on 80 minutes. (Juniors will normally play 30 minutes each half)
- Each team can start with 15 players and up to 7 substitutes. Players that have left the field are only allowed to return if they have been treated for an injury. (At Junior level teams will normally allow rolling subs)
- The field must be roughly 100 metres long and 70 metres wide with a minimum of a 10 metre dead ball area. The H shaped goal needs to be 6 metres wide with no restrictions on height.
- The field consist of the following markings; half way line, 5 metre line, 22 metre line, 10 metre line and dead ball line. Also included is a centre spot for restarting the game after a try, penalty or drop goal has been scored.
- The game must have one referee and two touch judges. It’s the referee’s job to time keep, make decisions throughout the game and keep order on the field. The two touch judges can assist the referee with decisions and also notify the referee when players are in touch (out of playing boundaries).
- The game will stop if a player is fouled, the ball goes out of play or a try or drop goal is scored.
- The defending team must tackle a player by grabbing a hold and pulling them to the floor. A tackle cannot be made above shoulder height and doing so will cause the referee to award a foul.
- Once the ball goes into touch a line out is called. Up to 7 players can enter a line out and any of these players can be lifted in order to catch the ball being thrown in. Both teams can compete to win the ball.
- A successful conversion, penalty or kick at goal only occurs when the player manages to kick the ball through the top section of the goal. If a player is unsuccessful the ball is still in play until it crosses one of the playing fields boundaries.
- Attacking players must remain behind the ball whilst active or run the risk of being called offside. Players not interfering with play can be in front of ball but must get back behind the ball before then again interfering with play.
Laws of the game
For a detailed overview of the World Rugby Laws of Rugby Union. You can read the laws and watch explanatory video examples to build your understanding of how the laws are applied on the field of play.
- Studded boots
- Forwards (bigger players) may well benefit from rugby boots as it helps with scrummaging
- Rugby or Soccer boots are fine for Backs
- Gum shields
- A well-fitted mouthguard will help to drastically decrease dental claims, orofacial traumas, and injuries.
- Always have a spare
- Loads available on Amazon
- Head guards or scrum cap
- is a form of headgear used by rugby players to protect the ears in the scrum, which can otherwise suffer injuries leading to the condition commonly known as cauliflower ears.
- Although originally designed for forwards they are now worn by players of all positions, even those who do not play in the scrum
- Kit
- Each team must wear the same coloured jerseys with matching shorts and socks.
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- Try – the main objective of the game, to touch the ball down in the opponent’s in-goal area (tryzone) for a score worth five points. Unlike American football, the ball must be touched to the ground for the points to be awarded. Tries are the origin of touchdowns in American football.
- Tryzone – the in-goal area where tries are scored.
- Conversion – a kick worth an additional two points offered to the scoring team immediately after a try. Conversions must be kicked in line with where a try was scored. In rugby sevens, players may not place the ball on a tee and must kick the conversion using a drop-kick (tossing the ball above the feet and kicking it before it hits the ground).
- Penalty – a kick worth three points awarded to a non-offending team when their opposition commits a penalty.
- Touchline (similar to sideline) – when the ball moves out of bounds or outside the field of play.
- Tryline – the goal line the separates the area where a try may be scored and the remaining field of play
- Tackle – A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is brought to the ground and held by one or more opponents. A ball carrier must release the ball immediately following the tackle. Unlike American football, play does not stop when tackles are made.
- Ruck – A ruck is when the ball is on the ground and at least one player from each team closes around it while on their feet. The ball cannot be handled in the ruck, players must move it until it reaches a teammate’s hindmost foot and can be picked up.
- Maul – When the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and one or more of his or her teammates bind on as well. The ball must be off the ground, a minimum of three players must be involved.
- Lineout – A means of restarting play after the ball falls out of the field of play (touchline). Forwards assemble in a line on each side where one team’s hooker throws the ball straight in the middle. Each team uses various formations to lift players up, retrieve the ball and put it back in play. Which team’s hooker throws the ball into the lineout is circumstantial.
- Scrum – A means of restarting play after an infringement. Each team’s forwards bind together and connect with an opposing team’s forwards. The ball is thrown into the middle of the tunnel by the non-offending team’s scrumhalf. Both team’s hookers use their feet to try and move the ball while also pushing the other team backwards until the ball reaches the hindmost leg of one of their teammates where they can claim possession.
- Sin Bin – when a player is removed from the game and forced to sit out for 10 minutes (rugby fifteens) or two minutes (rugby sevens) for dangerous play or serious infringements.
RULES OF RUGBY SEVENS
A fast, high-scoring version of traditional rugby, sevens is played with two teams of 7 players who have 14 minutes to advance the ball into their opponent’s area of the field (pitch) and touch it to the ground for a score worth 5 points (try). As in the 15-a-side version of the sport, participants may only pass the ball backward or sideways with no blocking allowed; using phases such as lineouts, mauls, rucks, and scrums to retain possession during play. Kicking is the only way both teams can move the ball forward. Like rugby fifteens, the play also continues in rugby sevens.
After each try, worth 5 points, the scoring team is given an opportunity to kick the ball through the posts for an additional 2 points (conversion). Certain penalties also earn the non-offending team a kick through the posts, worth 3 points (penalty goal) if made. However, penalty goals are rarely seen in sevens.
- No shoulder pads or helmets in rugby.
- The ball must be pitched backward to your teammates. No forward passes. A team can pitch the ball back and forth to each other as many times as they wish.
- There is no blocking to assist your runner.
- Everyone runs with the ball and tackles equally. Unlike American gridiron football where two or three guys get all the glory and the rest of the team is never given the opportunity to prove themselves and run for a score, every player on the rugby field will run with the ball and tackle more than 20 times a game. If you were an offensive lineman and never ran the ball and never tackled, this game is for you! Everyone will be a running back and linebacker. When a set dead-ball scrum is formed, that is when the team will get in their set positions, but shortly after that when mass chaos breaks out, all players will run and tackle with the ball.
- When you are tackled you have one second to let go of the ball and purposely “fumble” the ball. Don’t touch it again until you are up from the pile and standing on your feet again.
- When you tackle someone, you can’t pick up the fumbled ball until you are on your feet. This is one of the most called penalties on new players. You must be standing up to pick up the ball. You cannot dive on a loose ball.
- When you are on defense, and a tackled player is put to the ground, you must make sure you are on your side of the scrimmage line before you engage in any physical contact with the other team. This is called offside and is one of the most called penalties for all levels of players. This happens when a defensive player is chasing down a runner from behind. The defensive player must run around the ruck pile and enter from the other side to give contact on the ruck pile. This is a very big yardage penalty if you get caught not being on sides on a loose ruck pile.
- The game will have 15 players from each team taking the field
- When your teammate pitches the ball to you as you are running down the field, and you accidentally drop the ball, that is a penalty. It is called a knock-on. The other team will get the ball automatically right there for their possession. As you can see, this is the kiss of death when you drop or knock on the ball deep in your own territory by their scoring end zone. This is why we run so many ball-handling drills in practice, to cut down on these penalties.
- There are no downs in rugby like there is in football. An offensive team may have the ball for 20 phases or downs in a row, if they can keep winning the ruck pile and push over the tackled player to win the ball and regain possession. It is very important to always be in support and chasing after your ball carrier at all times. When your offensive player is tackled and there is four offensive players running right behind the ball carrier, they should no doubt be able to push over the two or three defensive players at the tackle area or the ruck pile. On the other side of the coin, if no offensive players are in support and the ball carrier is tackled, the defense will simply step over the ball and the ball carrier to pick up the loose ball. The offensive player must release the ball in one second. The defensive team will just pick it up and run the other way if no offensive support is right there. It is very important to be in support and have four players right behind a ball carrier. One, you will be there for a pitch-pass; and two, you are there for a ruck over to win the ball.
The main types of rugby that use the traditional oval shaped ball are: rugby union (15 a-side), rugby union 7s, rugby union 10s, rugby league (13 aside), touch rugby, beach rugby, tag rugby, and wheelchair rugby.