It’s simple ... but complex
Rugby is a game in which the object is to carry the ball over the opponents’ goal-line and force it to the ground to score. The above description may sound simple – but there is one catch. In order to go forward, the ball must be passed backwards. The ball can be kicked forwards, but the kicker’s team-mates must be behind the ball at the moment the ball is kicked.
This apparent contradiction creates a need for fine teamwork and great discipline, as little can be achieved by any one individual player. Only by working as a team can players move the ball forward towards their opponents’ goal-line and eventually go on to win the game.
Rugby has its unique aspects, but like many other sports it is essentially about the creation and use of space. The winners of a game of rugby will be the team of players who can get themselves and the ball into space and use that space wisely, while denying the opposing team both possession of the ball and access to space in which to use it.
The field of play
Players & Positions
Scoring points
A try is scored when the ball is grounded over the opponents’ goal-line in the in-goal area. A penalty try can be awarded if a player would have scored a try but for foul play by the opposition. A penalty try is now worth seven points with no conversion attempted.
When awarded a penalty after an infringement by the opposition, a team may choose to kick at goal.
After scoring a try, that team can attempt to add two further points by kicking the ball over the crossbar and between the posts from a place in line with where the try was scored. The conversion kick can be taken either as a place kick (from the ground) or a drop kick. In rugby sevens, due to the amount of time available for the conversion, drop kicks are taken, as shown in the video opposite.
A drop goal is scored when a player kicks for goal in open play by dropping the ball onto the ground and kicking it on the half-volley.
Open Play
Open play
The term ‘open play’ refers to any phase in the match where the ball is being passed or kicked between team-mates and both teams are contesting for the ball. In open play, the team in possession tries to get the ball to players in space who can make forward progress towards the opposing goal-line.
Kick-off
Each half of the match is started with a drop kick from the centre of the halfway line. The non-kicking team must be 10 metres back from the ball when it is kicked and the kick must travel 10m towards the opposition goal-line before hitting the ground.
Passing
A player may pass (throw the ball) to a team-mate who is in a better position to continue the attack, but the pass must not travel towards the opposing team’s goal-line. It must travel either directly across the field, or back in the direction of the passer’s own goal-line.
By carrying the ball forwards and passing backwards, territory is gained.
If a forward pass is made, the referee will stop the game and award a scrum with the throw-in going to the team which was not in possession at the time of the pass. In this way, a forward pass is punished by that team losing possession of the ball.
Knock-on
When a player mishandles the ball, i.e. drops it or allows it to rebound off a hand or arm, and the ball travels forwards, it is known as a knock-on. This is punishable by a scrum to the opposition and therefore a turnover of possession.
Kicking
If a player chooses not to pass the ball to a team-mate or run with it, that player may kick the ball instead. The kick can travel forwards, but any team-mates in front of the ball at the moment the ball is kicked are out of play (offside) until either they retire behind the kicker or are played onside by a team-mate who was behind the kicker.
Retaining possession of the ball following a kick is a challenge. Kicking strategies include:
· kicking into space, so that team-mates have time to run onto the ball before an opponent can get to it.
· Kicking out wide, at an oblique angle to the field, so that the winger or outside centre can catch the ball.
· Kicking the ball to touch (off the field of play) resulting in a lineout with the throw-in to the opposition. This concedes possession of the ball but allows the kicking team to contest for the ball in a much more advantageous position on the field.
Tackle, Ruck & Maul
As well as being an evasion game which requires creation and use of space, rugby is also a contact sport. In fact, contact situations can be the very mechanism by which players create the space they need to attack. The three most common contact situations which occur in open play are tackle, ruck and maul.
The tackle
Only the ball carrier can be tackled by an opposing player. A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and is brought to ground, i.e. has one or both knees on the ground, is sitting on the ground or is on top of another player who is on the ground. To maintain the continuity of the game, the ball carrier must release the ball immediately after the tackle, the tackler must release the ball carrier and both players must roll away from the ball. This allows other players to come in and contest for the ball, thereby starting a new phase of play.
The ruck
A ruck is formed if the ball is on the ground and one or more players from each team who are on their feet close around it. Players must not handle the ball in the ruck, and must use their feet to move the ball or drive over it so that it emerges at the team’s hindmost foot, at which point it can be picked up.
The maul
A maul occurs when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and one or more of the ball carrier’s team-mates holds on (binds) as well (a maul therefore needs a minimum of three players). The ball must be off the ground. The team in possession of the ball can attempt to gain territory by driving their opponents back towards the opponents’ goal line. The ball can then be passed backwards between players in the maul and eventually passed to a player who is not in the maul, or a player can leave the maul carrying the ball and run with it.
The lineout
The lineout is a means of restarting play after the ball has gone into touch (off the field of play at the side). The lineout concentrates a selection of forwards in one place near to the touchline, so the backs have the rest of the width of the field in which to mount an attack. The key for the forwards is to win possession and distribute the ball effectively to the backline.
The forwards assemble in two lines, perpendicular to the touchline, one metre apart. The hooker throws the ball down the corridor between these two lines of players. Because the thrower’s team-mates know where the throw is likely to go, that team has an advantage in retaining possession. However, with speed of thought and movement, the opposition can contest for the ball and the lineout frequently results in a turnover of possession.
Reproducir Vídeo00:12
The player who successfully catches the ball can keep it and set up a maul, or can pass to the receiver (a player who stands next to the lineout to wait for such a pass) who then passes to the fly-half and on to the backline.
The assistant referee signals that the ball is in touch and which team has the throw in.
Offside
Rugby’s offside Law restricts where on the field players can be, to ensure there is space to attack and defend. As illustrated in this section of the World Rugby Laws site, in general, a player is in an offside position if that player is further forward (nearer to the opponents’ goal-line) than the team-mate who is carrying the ball or the team-mate who last played the ball. Being in an offside position is not, in itself, an offence, but an offside player may not take part in the game until they are onside again. If an offside player takes part in the game, that player will be penalised. In a tackle or ruck situation, offside lines are created at a tackle when at least one player is on their feet and over the ball, which is on the ground. Each team’s offside line runs parallel to the goal line through the hindmost point of any player in the tackle or on their feet over the ball, as illustrated here.
Advantage
The advantage Law allows the game to be more continuous and have fewer stoppages. Sometimes, during a game, an infringement of the Laws may be committed where a stoppage in play would deprive the non-offending team of an opportunity to score.
Even though the Laws state that the non-offending team should be awarded a penalty, free-kick or scrum, they are given the opportunity to continue with open play and attempt to score a try. In this instance, the referee will allow play to continue rather than penalise the offence.