Tackling the Laws of Rugby
Rugby is governed by laws, not rules. The laws of the game are designed to produce an entertaining and free-flowing contest for possession in an attempt to score the most points.
The laws of rugby are constantly evolving and are the same all over the world, wherever the game is played. In general, the laws governing play are straightforward about what’s allowed:
Advantage: Simply means that when one team makes an error the other team can try to capitalize on it, instead of the referee immediately stopping the action. If the players can’t capitalize on the error, play restarts where the original mistake took place.
Offsides: Rugby’s offside law restricts where on the field players can be, to ensure there is space to attack and defend. In general, a player is in an offside position if that player is further forward (nearer to the opponents’ goal line) than the teammate who is carrying the ball or the teammate 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 on-side again. If an offside player takes part in the game, that player will be penalized.
Forward pass or knock on: Sometimes an attack which seems to be heading towards the try line will be stopped by the referee’s whistle. If a pass has gone forwards, or a handling error has resulted in a knock-on, a scrum will have been awarded to the non-offending team.
Failure to release player or ball: After a tackle, the tackler must immediately release the ball carrier, and the ball carrier must immediately release the ball. Failure on either of these counts limits a fair contest for possession. If release does not occur within a reasonable time frame, the referee will award a penalty to the non-offending team.
Failure to roll away: Any players on the ground when a ruck or maul is formed must immediately roll away from the ball, so as to allow continuity of play for the team in possession. Failure to do so will result in the award of a penalty to the non-offending team.
Joining ruck/maul from the side: When joining a ruck or maul, all players must do so from behind the feet of the last teammate. If they join from the side, they are in an offside position and taking part in the game, then this will immediately be penalized, then a penalty will be awarded to the opposing team.
Un-playable ball in ruck or maul: If the ball becomes un-playable in a ruck or maul, e.g., underneath players on the ground, but neither team is at fault, the referee will award a scrum to the team who was in possession before the ruck or maul was formed.Specific offsides laws exist for different phases of play, but essentially players can’t be involved if they’re in front of a teammate who last played the ball or are behind the ball when the opposition has it.