Basic Rugby Rules

The rugby playing field is called a ‘pitch’. Per regulations, the pitch should be 100 meters long by 69 meters wide, which in the U.S. is 328 feet long and a little over 226 feet wide, which is a little bit shorter, but quite a bit wider than an American football field. The sidelines are called the ‘touchlines’ and the goal areas are designated by a ‘try line’ at the front and a ‘dead ball line’ at the back. The total depth of the goal areas at each end of the pitch should be between 32.5′ and 72 feet, with the goal posts set a little over 18 feet apart and with the crossbar at a height of 3 meters, or almost 10 feet. The actual height of the vertical posts are completely up to the owner of the field or the club or school at which it is located. The other lines that delineate the pitch are the solid half-way mark with a 10-meter (32.8′) dashed line set on each side which are used to judge kickoffs and then a solidly marked 22-meter line in front of each try line.

Incredibly, there are also three different versions of the game, named according to the number of players on the field for each team. There is a fifteen-man version called “Fifteens”, which is the most common, and then a game called “Sevens” and a game called “Tens” Fifteens is composed of two 40-minute halves while Sevens is played over two 7-minute halves. Tens is rarely played at all.

In Fifteens, the “match” will have two groups of players, the forwards and the backs. Each specific position has an assigned number and particular responsibilities:

Forwards are, by position number:

1. Prop
2. Hooker
3. Prop
4. Lock
5. Lock
6. Flanker
7. Flanker
8. Number 8

Backs are, by position number:

1. Scrumhalf
2. Fly half
3. Wing
4. Inside Center
5. Outside Center
6. Wing
7. Fullback

As in football, a coin toss will determine which team kicks off first. The kicking team’s forwards line up on the halfway mark, while the opposing team’s forwards spread out behind the 10-meter line in front of the try line in order to receive the kick.

Unlike football, any member of the team can be the kicker and the match starts at the ref’s whistle. The kick must travel forward at least 10-meters and it must land within the pitch boundaries. The forwards on the same team with the kicker will move down the field, hoping to catch the ball themselves, while the opposing team’s forwards will also attempt to successfully catch the ball. The person in possession of the ball will normally be surrounded by his or her teammates to prevent the opposing team from tackling him or her and losing possession of the ball. The second half is started the same way with the teams’ starting positions on the field being reversed.

If the ball is caught and held up off the ground, any two or more players that have grouped together in order to protect the ball is called a “maul”. If, on the other hand, the ball goes to ground, that same group of players would be called a “ruck”. The “maul” and “ruck” are important when it comes to setting up imaginary ‘offside lines’ at the rear of each team’s maul or ruck and which extend to each touchline (sideline). At this point, any player running into this zone from behind this line, who is not joining the ruck or the maul is considered “offside” and a penalty is awarded to the other team. This is the most common penalty during a match and if the penalty is awarded within goal-kicking range, the team captain can decide to have the kicker attempt an uncontested place kick for three points from the “mark” determined by the referee. If a goal is scored as a result, play begins again at the “halfway mark”. Otherwise, a “drop kick”, which is a kick performed with the ball being dropped and then kicked after it hits the ground, restarts the game from the 22-meter mark.

Other penalties include ones for violent play, barging, obstruction, not releasing the ball or for diving over a collapsed ruck and can incur a range of different types of penalty kicks or free kicks.

The fly half is normally the person who determines all the moves the backs will run, kind of like the quarterback in American football. Unlike football, these maneuvers are clearly defined as loops, switches, dummies and miss passes. When the ball is being run, any player who is tackled to the ground must release the ball immediately so that both teams now have a chance at recovery. This is a calculated move though, one in which the tackled player will attempt to get it closest to his own teammates. Then, whoever recovers the ball makes the decision to pick it up or move it on the ground, forming a new maul or ruck. Throughout play, each time that a new maul or ruck is formed, it is called a “phase of play”.

A goal is scored for 5 points when a player crosses the try line with the ball, between the goal posts and then touches the ball down to the ground. If the ball crosses the try line but the try on the goal is unsuccessful because the player loses the ball to the opposing team, the match is restarted from the 22-meter mark.

The “scrum” comes into play much like the line of scrimmage in American football. A scrum is set on each forward movement. The difference is that if one team loses the ball during a tackle or when running and receiving a pass (knocking-on) the other team can recover the ball, if done quickly, and play will continue. If not recovered by the other team, then a “scrum” is set where the referee sets the mark.

The other most common part of rugby is the “line out”. This occurs when a ball has been kicked or thrown out of the bounds and the forwards of each team line up around the spot indicated by the “touch judge”. The ball is thrown in, somewhat like basketball, using a per-determined code to designate the intended receiver and with the fly half calling the play.

Unlike football, rugby can end in a tie, as the time constraints are adhered to strictly.