About Rugby > An Introduction

About Rugby

An Introduction

An adult-level rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (two halves of 40 minutes each) and is controlled by a single referee, two touch judges, and in most professional matches, a television match official (TMO), commonly called the video referee.

Each team alternately attacks the opposition goal or defends their own. These goals are marked at each end of the pitch by a pair of tall (typically 10 m or more) posts set 6 m apart, and connected by a cross-bar at 3 m above the ground, the whole forming the approximate shape of a letter H. The area behind each set of goal posts is called the "in goal area".

A typical passage of rugby takes the following form; one team gains possession of the ball, either from a restart kick, a set piece such as a scrum or line-out, a penalty or an intercepted pass.

Although the team in possession may choose to advance by kicking the ball forward, out of the hands the team in possession will usually seek to progress toward the opposition by running forward while carrying the ball. The ball may be passed from one player to another as long as the ball does not travel forwards. Any team mate in nearer the opposition goal than the ball carrier is out of the game, and must not interfere with play, which means that American football-style blocking is forbidden.

The team not in possession attempts to stop the ball carrier by tackling them which consists of grabbing hold of them and bringing them to ground. A tackled player must pass or release the ball, allowing the opposition to contest possession of the loose ball. Play does not stop unless there is an infringement of the Laws, or the ball/ball-carrier leaves the field of play.

If the ball goes into touch (out of the field of play), the game restarts with a line-out. If the game stops due to an infringement, play restarts with either a scrum, free kick or penalty kick (depending on the severity of the infringement) to the non-infringing team.

The attacking team may score by kicking the ball between the posts and above the cross-bar. The ball may only be kicked from the ground: either from a place kick following the award of a penalty or from a drop kick in open play. A successful kick at goal is worth three points.

The attacking team may also score by grounding the ball in the in goal area. This is called a "try" and is worth five points. After scoring a try, the attacking team are awarded a free kick at goal, called a conversion, worth two points if successful, from a point directly in line with where the try was scored, and any distance away from the posts along that line.

Tries are the main form of scoring, and the primary aim of most teams is to score tries. Drop goals and penalty kicks are usually augmentors, a safer option against a steadfast defence or to punish ill-disciplined opposition. On some (usually rare) occasions, a team may be awarded a penalty try, if their opponents commit a foul which is deemed by the referee to have illegally prevented a try, or if they have persistently stopped play close to the try line through foul play.

Source: Wikipedia

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