Rugby is a fast paced and exciting sport, but the rules can seem confusing to a beginner.
Watching the sport, either on the TV or standing on the side lines watching your child play a rugby match, can leave you with more questions than answers.
However, rugby can be understood through a few simple concepts that will make your experience of watching the game much more enjoyable.
Before we go any further, we should clarify some terms.
When we say Rugby we are referring to Rugby Union, one of the two main codes of Rugby Football. The other is Rugby League, which has similar core rules but also some major differences. For more information this see our article “Types of Rugby – which is best for your child?”
Whilst understanding the rules is a great way of building your appreciation for Rugby, don’t worry if you don’t understand absolutely everything.
You can leave that for the players and referees and focus on enjoying the core parts of the game!
If you are pressed for time or believe you learn better from videos, check out
How do you score in rugby?
Like most team sports, the objective in Rugby is to score more points than the opponent.
The primary way of scoring points is by touching the ball down over an opponent’s tryline.
This is called scoring a “try” and is worth 5 points.
Following a try, the team has a chance to “convert” the try into an extra 2 points. They do this by attempting a kick between the goalposts, known as “conversion”.
There are different ways of doing this and different numbers of points that these scores are worth.
Another way to score is through a penalty kick or a drop goal.
A team takes a penalty kick after an infringement by the opposing team, and if successful, it is worth 3 points.
A drop goal, achieved by kicking the ball through the goalposts during open play, is also worth 3 point
How long does a rugby match last?
A standard Rugby Union match consists of two halves, each having 40 minutes of playing time.
There is a 15 minute halftime break between the halves.
The teams may play in extra time if the second half ends with a draw depending on how important the match is.
Unlike football (soccer) there is no concept of extra time added at the end of the game.
This is because in rugby the referee can pause the clock during the game to deal with injuries, fouls or other incidents.
The halves only end when play has ended. Play ends if the ball is knocked on, goes out of bounds or there is a score. This means that games can often go on a lot longer than 80 minutes.
What sort of pitch is rugby played on?
A Rugby Union match takes place on a rectangular field, like a football pitch. This is around 100 meters long and 70 meters wide.
A halfway line divides the field into two halves with each end having a try line and in-goal area.
At the centre of each tryline are the H-shaped goal posts.
Games are generally held on grass pitches although artificial surfaces are becoming increasingly common. For amateur teams grass surfaces are most common.
How many players are there in a rugby team?
Each team consists of 15 players, divided into two main groups: forwards and backs.
Each team also has 8 substitutes that they use to replace injured or fatigued players.
Starting Play:
The game begins with a kick-off from the centre of the field. One team kicks the ball towards the other, and the receiving team tries to catch it and launch an attack.
The team that kicked at the start of the first half receives the kick at the start of the second half.
The teams use the same process to start play after a score. This is referred to as a “restart” with the team that scored receiving the kick from their opponents.
Advancing the Ball:
Rugby Union is unique in that players can only pass the ball backward or sideways to their teammates.
Players can run with the ball, but they are pursued and tackled by the opposing team.
Tackles involve grabbing the ball carrier bringing them to the ground.
The other major way of advancing the ball is through kicks.
Teams often kick the ball up-field and run after the ball (known as “pursuing the kick”).
This has the advantage of gaining territory and putting pressure on the opposing team .
The offside rule for kicking in rugby
Players of the team who are kicking must stay behind the player who is kicking the ball.
Only when they have kicked the ball can they run past the position of the kicker.
For the opposing team, when a they receive a kick they must get onside by getting behind the catcher.
A good rule of thumb to use is that wherever the ball goes is generally where the offside line is.
Explaining the Ruck and the Maul:
When a player is tackled and brought to the ground, players form a “ruck” around them.
In a ruck, players from both teams contest possession of the ball. They attempt to drive over it and push the opposition backwards.
This gives the defending team a chance to steal the ball with a “turnover”.
To perform a legal turnover, the player must be legally in the ruck and supporting their own body weight.
This great video by Rugby Toolbox shows what happens when a ruck is formed:
Mauls also give a chance for the defending teams to win the ball.
Both teams form a maul when they bind together in open play and push against each other.
The team who wins a lineout ball often forms a maul as soon as the catcher lands on the floor. This gives them a chance to gain territory by pushing up-field.
Defending teams can also form mauls by binding onto the opposing team’s ball carrier in open play.
The defending team can win a turnover if they hold them up and stop them from moving forward.
This means the attacking team has to bind to their player to keep the maul moving and avoid the penalty. What is important is that the players are competing for a ball that is being held off the ground.
The Scrum:
Referees use scrums to restart play after certain infringements. In a scrum both sets of forwards bind together and compete for the ball.
The attacking team places the ball between them and they both push against each other.
To win the ball, it must make its way to the back of the team’s scrum.
Scrums can also result in penalties for either team. There are many ways that this can happen but it can be hard for a viewer to tell from watching alone. Generally they result from one group of forwards overpowering the other.
The Lineout:
When the ball or ball-carrier goes out of the pitch boundaries they are “in touch”.
Teams form a lineout to restart play when this happens.
The forwards of each team stand in two lines on the edge of the field or “touch line”.
The team that did not go into touch has a player throw the ball between the two lines.
The forwards from each team then lift a player who tries to catch the ball in the air.
If they catch it they can then either pass the ball to their team or hold onto to form a maul.
The Referee:
In a game of Rugby, the rules are enforced by a Referee. They have the power to award penalties and discipline players with red/yellow cards.
A penalty punishes minor transgressions and gives a team a chance to kick for 3 points or for territory.
A yellow card is for more cynical offenses such a deliberate foul. After receiving a yellow card, the offending player must leave the pitch for 10 minutes.
A red card is for more major foul play such as a dangerous tackle and sends the player off for the rest of the game.
Two linesmen assist the referee from the touchline.
They signal to the referee when a team has gone offside and when the ball is in touch.
Basic Rules Of Rugby – a summary
Rugby is such a fast paced game, with a very complex rule book and you certainly don’t have to understand it all to enjoy the sport.
We recommend watching a game, whether it is televised professional Rugby or your child’s amateur team, to see how all the things we have described fit together.
Before you go…… In this article, we have simplified the rules of Rugby Union. There are other types of rugby, which you can find out about in our article Rugby Union vs Rugby League
