Rugby league gameplay

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Like most forms of modern football, rugby league football is played outdoors on a rectangular grass field with goals at each end that are attacked and defended by two opposing teams. The rules of rugby league have changed significantly over the decades since rugby football split into the league and union codes. This article details the modern form of the game and how it is generally played today, although rules do vary slightly between specific competitions.

A game of rugby league consists of two forty minute halves, played by two teams on a rectangular grass field 120 metres long and 58–68 metres wide, depending on the individual ground. In the middle of the field is the 50 metre "halfway" line. Each side of the field, on either side of the 50 metre line, is identical. 10 metres from the 50 metre line is the 40 metre line, followed by the 30, 20, 10 metre and goal or "try" lines. This makes up 100 metres of field that is used for general play. At the middle of each goal line is a set of goal posts in the shape of the letter "H", used for point scoring from kicks (drop goals, penalty goals, and conversions). Six to twelve metres beyond each goal line is the dead ball line. The area between these two lines is called the in goal area, and varies from field to field. The dead ball lines and the touch lines (side lines) make up the boundary of the field of play. If the ball (or any part of the body of a player in possession of the ball) touches the ground on or beyond any of these lines, the ball is said to be dead, and play must be restarted. This is done by one of two ways. If the ball goes dead, play restarts at the 20 metre line closer to where it went dead. If it goes into touch, a scrum is played.

All rugby league players must be particularly physically fit and tough because of the game's fast pace and the expansive size of the playing field as well as the inherently rough physical contact involved. Depending on his exact role or position, a player's size, strength and/or speed can provide different advantages (or disadvantages). Effective teamwork is also extremely important.

Players on the team with possession may pass the ball to one another while trying to reach the opposition's end of the field. A player may only pass the ball behind himself, or pass the ball sideways parallel to the trylines. Therefore, the rest of the players on the team in possession must ensure that they are "on side", and in a position to legally receive the ball by staying behind or in line with the passer. A pass deemed to have propelled the ball forward is called a "forward pass" and results in an immediate halt to play. A scrum will restart play, as "head and feed" of the scrum will be to the team who did not make the forward pass, a forward pass normally means that possession of the ball is ceded to the opposing side. Passes are also susceptible to interception by enterprising players on the defensive team who anticipate the pass and rush up to catch it, winning possession for their team.

The defensive team tries to stop the attacking team from scoring by tackling the player with the ball as quickly as possible to prevent him gaining more ground. A tackle forces a halt in play for as long as it takes the tackled player to return to his feet and play the ball. In that time, the defending team, with the exception of two markers, must move back a minimum of 10 metres towards their end of the field. The attacking team restarts play and continues with its next chance to score via the play the ball. After each tackle the attacking team should be closer to their opposition's end of the field. A 2012 New Zealand study found that over 659 tackles are made per game in professional rugby league. Of all the rugby league positions, averages the most tackles.

Since 1972, an attacking team has a set of six chances to score, often referred to as six tackles. The referee keeps track of how many tackles have been performed in each set of six. Some referees choose to shout the number of tackles (to avoid any players' confusion as to what point in the tackle count it is); however, this is not a requirement. When a side has used five tackles, the referee signals "fifth tackle" by raising an arm above his head with fingers spread, indicating that five of the tackles in the set have taken place and the next tackle will be the last. If a sixth tackle is made, a change over takes place. The defending and attacking teams switch roles, and the new attacking team starts its own set of six by playing the ball at the point on the field where the last tackle was made. Usually the attacking team kicks the ball onwards after the fifth tackle in either a last ditch attempt to score, or to force the opposition to start their next set of six tackles as far back as possible. An attacking team may also have seven chances to score in a special circumstance, governed by the zero tackle rule.

Following a completed tackle, all but two of the defending team (the markers) must retreat at least ten metres from the point at which the tackle is made. This distance is marked by the referee. Following the play the ball, defenders are permitted to advance to try to put pressure on the attackers and to reduce the distance they can make with the ball. If a defender who has failed to retreat 10 metres interferes with play, then he will be deemed to have been offside and this will result in a penalty to the attacking team. Equally, if a defender advances too quickly before the ball is played, then this will also result in a penalty to the attackers. When a player kicks the ball, his teammates must be behind him, or they will be called for offside if they interfere with the play.

During the play the ball it is customary for a player from the defending team, called a marker, to stand directly in front of the player playing the ball. If no marker is present, the tackled player may "tap" the ball on his boot to start the next play, instead of the normally required play the ball. As the tap is faster to perform than the play the ball, giving great advantage to the attack, there is almost always a marker. Usually the person who tackled the player becomes a marker because he is the closest to the tackled player. There may be a maximum of two markers for each play the ball, the second standing behind the first. The marker(s) must stand directly in front of the tackled player; not doing so will result in a penalty. A marker must also not move towards the ball until the play the ball has been completed, otherwise he will be penalised.

If the ball is dropped forwards by an attacker and hits the ground or another player, this constitutes a knock on and possession will be turned over. If the ball is dropped in a backwards motion, it will not be ruled as a knock on. Equally, if a player fumbles the ball but manages to regather it before it hits the ground or another player then play will be allowed to continue. This rule does not apply if a player is performing a drop kick.

If the defending team knocks on or touches the ball when it is in the air, and the ball is immediately regathered by the attacking team, the referee may elect to restart the tackle count in lieu of awarding a scrum; known as the zero tackle rule because the next tackle is counted as 'tackle zero' and not the usual 'tackle one'. The zero tackle rule cannot be used in a set that was started by the zero tackle rule. On awarding the zero tackle rule, the referee will shout "Back to zero!" or "Six again", and wave one arm over his head with fingers clenched into a fist, indicating the attacking side's next tackle is tackle zero. If a player collects the ball directly from an opposition kick in general play, the first time he is tackled does not register on the tackle count. If the receiving player kicks or passes the ball prior to being tackled then this does not apply.

The scrum is formed by the front row forwards of each side locking together, and packing down to push against each other. The second row forwards pack in behind the front rows, and each team's loose forward joins the scrum at the back. The ball is fed through the legs of one of the props by the halfback, who normally then retrieves it from the back of the scrum. The scrum was traditionally used as a mechanism where the two teams competed for possession of the ball. This has since changed with the introduction of fair, but uncontested scrums, where the ball is fed into the second row, instead of the front row, all but eliminating an effective competition for the ball. Because of these changes the scrum serves to simply remove the forwards from the play for a period, thus creating more space for the backs to attack the depleted defensive line. This is intended to give advantage to the side that is awarded the scrum. It is very rare for a team to win possession of the ball, despite not having the feed, though in such situations the referee may restart the scrum. A scrum can be awarded following a forward pass, knock on or the ball going over the sideline and into touch.

If the player in possession of the ball is tackled behind his own goal line, plays the ball over his own dead ball line, or grounds the ball in his own in goal area, his team is obliged to perform a drop kick from between their own goal posts. This kick must travel over the 10 metre line before it is touched by either team. The goal line drop out usually gives possession back to the opposing team. The drop kicking team might attempt to gain possession by executing a short kick and have their players attempt to reach the ball before the other team does; but this carries the risk that the other team could gain possession very close to the try line. The drop kicking team might also attempt to gain possession by kicking the ball so that it bounces before going into touch; in that event they would be awarded head and feed at the resulting scrum.

The standard disciplinary sanction in rugby league is the penalty. The referee may also award a penalty try, which is described in the section on scoring. If a team that has been penalised commits another offence (often by expressing dissent against the referee's decision), the referee may advance the position of the penalty 10 metres towards the offending team's goal line, and may also sin bin (temporary expulsion) or send off (permanent expulsion) the offending player(s). A rarely known law of Rugby League however is that a player may receive multiple yellow cards in a game and not receive a red card. The maximum possible number of yellows therefore are 7 yellow cards in a game for one player over different scenarios. Generally however two yellow card offences for the same reason will equal a red card even though it is not written into the laws of the game. In the United Kingdom, the referee uses penalty cards to signal a sin binning (yellow card) and a sending off (red card). In games played in the southern hemisphere, the referee raises both arms straight out with fingers spread (to indicate 10 minutes) for a temporary expulsion and simply points sent off players from the field of play.

The defensive team and attacking team carry out any number of tactics, within the rules, to achieve their short term and ultimately long term objectives. The tactics below are a basic guide to how the game is typically played. On occasions, enterprising teams may choose to deviate from the typical tactics to surprise their opponents.

Field position is crucial in rugby league.

Kicks in play can, if successful, result in rapid field advancement. Towards the end of the tackle count, the ball will often find its way to the best kicker on the team who will then return possession of the ball to the other side in the most favourable position for his team by kicking it down to the other end. These kicks are sometimes intended to go into touch (leave the field of play), resulting in a scrum to restart play. Scrums take a while to form, so this gives the attacking team a chance for a short rest before play resumes. Following a defensive penalty, a team with possession may gain field position by kicking for touch; that is, by kicking the ball on the full over either of the touch lines. Unlike Rugby Union, which brings the ball back into play with a line out, the team with possession retains the ball by putting the ball back in play with a tap, in line from where the ball crossed the touch line. This also gives that team a new set of six tackles. The 40/20 rule is a relatively new rule created to reward excellence in kicking for touch. When a player on the attacking team kicks the ball from behind his 40 metre line and it goes into touch between the opposition's 20 metre line and goal line after bouncing at least once within the field of play, a 40/20 is awarded. The usual decision to give the head and feed of the scrum to the non kicking team when the ball enters touch is reversed if the kick is a 40/20. As scrums are rarely competitive, a successful 40/20 virtually guarantees possession in an attacking position by effectively moving the team from their own 40 metre line to the position where the ball went out.

In addition to trying to break the defensive line with the sheer force of a hit up, players attempt to breach the opposing team's defence through combinations of plays, using speed, passing and/or kicking.

Most rugby league tries result from back line movements which involve deft passing between attacking players to move the ball out quickly to the wings or centres. If the ball movement is quicker than the defensive line's ability to shift to cover the outer attackers, resulting spaces towards the side of the field give opportunities for the faster wingers and centres to score out wide. The most skilful forwards will, during a hit up, look to release the ball to a supporting player before the tackle is completed; known as an off load. The hit up, if successful, should create spaces in the defensive line due to defending players having been drawn into the tackle. This creates opportunities for the supporting players to breach the defensive line while the defence is busy trying to contain the initial hit up. A 'dummy' is a move in which the player with the ball pretends to pass to a teammate, but retains the ball and continues to run with it. The aim of this move is to take advantage of defenders that like to rush up on players who are about to receive the ball. This in effect draws the defending player(s) into the 'supposed' receiver of the ball leaving the player with the ball, unmarked. Generally, defensive players are assigned a player (or rather a position) which they must account for in defence. Manoeuvres by players on the attacking team are sometimes aimed at foiling this defensive system. A 'run around' occurs when player A passes the ball to player B, and then circles behind him to receive the ball again from him. This play is designed to take advantage of those defenders who will follow the 'player' and not the 'position' thus luring one or many defenders out of their respective positions in the defensive line, leaving the defensive line punctuated by gaps. The defending team must try to move laterally with the ball across the field to ensure all attacking players remain marked. A 'face ball', 'second man play' or 'cut out pass' is a pass that travels through the air in front of one or more attacking players (who do not catch it) to another player further down the line. Defenders may mistakenly focus on the next player in the attacking line, who does not receive the ball, potentially leaving the actual ball receiver unmarked.

A chip kick can be used to put the ball behind the defensive line so that either the kicker himself or a teammate can chase or regather it. Sometimes the kicker himself will attempt to regather after an extremely short chip kick over or past the defenders whilst running towards them. Upon kicking, a player is deemed to have relinquished possession of the ball and thus may not be tackled or interfered with by the defence. The kicker's already existing momentum as he runs towards the opposition's in goal area gives him an advantage over defenders who must turn and chase. However this chip and regather is risky as it is difficult to perform successfully and good defending fullbacks will usually be lurking behind the defensive line, waiting for just this type of kick. The grubber is more commonly used in a similar play. The grubber kick is commonly performed when close to the in goal area; the grubber kick causes the ball to roll along the ground which at times, makes the ball jump up into a perfect catching position, easier than catching a punt or other kick. The rolling on the ground gives chasers more opportunities to regather the ball, rather than waiting for the ball to fall back to earth. The rolling also slows down the ball, allowing the kicker to place the kick so that it comes to rest inside the in goal area. The bomb (or up and under or Garryowen) is a kick that goes high into the air. Both teams watch and wait for the ball to come down, and both teams usually having an equal chance at regathering it.

When a side is defending they must prevent metres lost. They must defend against ball runners and kickers.

The easiest way to do this is to select the largest players from the team to do most of the tackling; A larger tackler will force back an attacking player much easier than a smaller tackler. In preventing metres lost it is also important to 'wrap up the ball' to prevent the attacking player who is currently hitting the ball up from offloading. Offloading causes second phase play.

Defending players aim to spread across the field in a single line and stop the attacking players from breaking this line. The 'Slide Defence' and the 'Umbrella Defence' tactics aim to curb the number of breaks in the line. The 'sliding defence' requires that gaps are left at either edge of the field at the end of the defensive line, which aims to squeeze more players around the area of play. This allows the line to be at its strongest around the position of play, thus leaving the attacking side less opportunity to run through the line. Should the attacking side move the ball towards one edge of the field in an attempt to go around the defensive line, then the entire defensive line will move in that direction; this is known as sliding. Because defenders remain on the inside shoulder of attacking players, slide defence effectively uses the touch line as an extra defender. One of the main disadvantages of sliding defence is that it gives the attacking team more time and space with the ball. The 'umbrella defence' (or 'up and in' defence) requires that players do not spread across the entire field. The defensive line is particularly vulnerable on the edges around the wings, therefore the best defensive measure in this case is a preventative measure. That is, the aim becomes to prevent the attacking team from going to the wings or to disrupt any passes towards the edge of the field. This requires that defensive players (wingers or centres) on the edge of the defensive line move up faster than those in the middle of the line. Umbrella defence is a key tactic for defending against attacking plays close to the goal line, when it can be necessary to quickly shut down attacking players' time and space with the ball.

An attacking side may kick the ball through or over the defensive line of players. The defence must defend against kicks in the normal field of play and in the in goal area.

Late in the tackle count, when the attacking side is more likely to kick, the fullback and wingers drop back towards the defending team's in goal area. As the name suggests, the fullback covers the end of the field and in goal area whilst the wingers cover the edges of the field and the area between the defensive line and the fullback. A kick to the corner can be more efficiently fielded by a winger than by pulling the fullback out of position, while a long kick to the end of the field is best taken by the fullback. The use of the fullback and wingers to defend against potential kicks allows the other rear defenders to become available to receive a pass as their side receives the ball and begins its set. While the backs prepare to receive a kick, the other defenders will attempt to apply pressure to the kicker. It is usually rather predictable when a side is about to kick: normally one member of the attacking team is in charge of kicking, and as the team prepares to kick, he will drop back and make himself available deep behind the dummy half, to give himself space and time to set up for the kick. To limit the kicker's effectiveness, the defenders will often rush up out of the defensive line towards him. As well as giving him less time to set up, this action can cloud the kicker's mind, distracting him with thoughts of the upcoming tackle or encouraging him to consider switching to another attacking option due to the sudden change in the defensive line. This combination of physical and mental pressure may lead to a poor kick, giving an advantage to the non kicking team. This manoeuvre could also result in a 'charge down', if a defending player manages to get in the way of the ball very shortly after it is kicked (If the ball travels forward this is an exception to the knock on rule). This often results in a line break or try to the previously defending team, however it runs the risk of having the attacking team regather the ball for a new set of tackles.

If the ball is caught on the full by a defender standing in the in goal area, play halts and possession is awarded to the catcher's team, with play to restart twenty metres from the in goal area. This is aimed to penalise the attacking team for a poor kick that was easily fielded by the opposition full back whilst awarding the defending team who were skilled enough to field the kick. A defender will shadow the ball over the touch line to prevent an attacking team member from getting into a position to ground the ball. It is most likely a ball may be heading to touch off a kick from the attacking side. On this occasion, the roles of each team are reversed, where the attacking team becomes the defending and vice versa. Grounding the ball in goal or putting the ball into touch are considered last ditch defensive techniques that prevent the attacking side from scoring. These two moves effectively force a stoppage of play, which means the opposition cannot score. Both of these measures result in a goal line drop out, meaning the attacking team retains possession of the ball. Thus, even if an attacking team is unable to score they can regain another set of chances to score by forcing the defending team to perform either of the above two moves; accomplish by placing a kick into the in goal area.

It is commonly said that the best form of defence is attack. A defensive team in rugby league can gain possession of the ball at any stage during an attacking teams set. The one on one strip is performed by a defender on an attacking player when that defender is the only person involved in the tackle. A player is ruled to be in the tackle if he/she is currently holding onto or has only just recently let go of the attacking player. The strip itself is the act of taking the ball from the arms of an attacking player, thus gaining possession for the defending team (who becomes the attacking team). An intercept is performed by a defending player coming out of the defensive line in anticipation of a pass that can be prevented from reaching its targeted player. An intercept usually ends in a try because in achieving the interception, the player has passed through the opposition's line of players. The interceptor may or may not have a full back to evade. Speed is a great asset in assuring the interceptor scores a try. During a tackle, the defensive team may force the attacking player 'into touch' while he's in possession of the ball. As it is illegal for any part of a player in possession of the ball's body touching the ground outside the field of play, this results in a stoppage of play. Play restarts via a scrum with the head and feed going to the defensive team that forced the attacking player into touch. Lastly, strong tackles using the size and speed of a defending player can force the ball loose from the impact. The defensive side shall only win a scrum if the ball comes forward out of the tackle towards the in goal area, (consisting of a knock on) otherwise the first team to pick up the ball wins possession. Forwards are more effective at this play than the backs because of their size, but it is not unknown for backs to force a ball loose in this manner.

Late in the tackle count the attacking side will start to think defensively in anticipation of a handover, also known as a changeover or turnover. That is, whilst most kicks performed at this time will be primarily for attacking purposes, there is always a defensive element to consider. The attacking team uses these tactics to put themselves in the better defensive position when their set of six ends at the 'change over'. The attacking team uses the bomb in attack, but this attack can quickly turn to defensive if the bomb is fielded by the opposition team. Therefore, there is a defensive element in deciding whether to kick a bomb. A bomb is useful defensively because even if it is fielded by the opposition, it is still useful in giving the kicking team ample time to get as close as possible to the player with the ball which allows the kicking team to prevent the opposing team from making too much ground towards their in goal area. At the end of an attacking team's set of six, the attacking team may wish to kick (grubber or chip kick) the ball in to touch and give the opposition a scrum feed. This is aimed at slowing down play, which gives the players a rest and allows them to set up a good defensive position. Kicking into touch gives a scrum to the opposing team, which is better than the alternative; that being the opposing team regathering the ball, forcing the newly defensive side to make the tackle. Thus, putting the ball into touch makes the newly attacking team play from a non running position, as far away from their in goal area as possible. The grubber is used in this manner to prevent the opposing team from trying to regather the ball or to force a mistake if they do try. A grubber also ensures that the ball will fall in the field of play before going in to touch, which would result in a penalty otherwise. A punt in this situation is placed as close to the out of field line as possible, which gives the opposition little chances to regather.