The International Rugby Board's rulebook, referred to as the Laws of the Game, provides specific guidelines for all equipment, including the ball and individual players' clothing or gear. Learn the rules regarding equipment and clothing to avoid committing a clothing violation.
Ball
The standard rugby ball has an oval shape and four panels. It should measure about 11 inches to 11.8 inches in length. The circumference end-to-end should measure between 29 inches and 30.3 inches, and the circumference in width should measure between 22.8 inches and 24.4 inches. The ball should weigh between 14.5 and 16.2 grams. The ball should be made out of leather or a similar synthetic material. Younger players can use smaller balls.
Required Clothing
All players must wear a jersey, shorts and underwear, socks and boots. Teams must wear matching jerseys.
Permitted Additional Gear
Players can wear compressible, washable supports, but not solid casts. Players can wear shin guards or ankle supports under the socks. Ankle guards cannot reach higher than one-third the length of the shin. Ankle guards and shin guards cannot contain any metal. Players can wear fingerless mitts, shoulder pads, mouth guards, bandages or thin tape. Women may wear chest pads. All clothing and padding must be approved by the IRB Approved Testing House. Visit the IRB website for a complete list of approved clothing and equipment.
Prohibited Items
Players cannot wear any blood-stained clothing or padding, sharp items, clothing with buckles, buttons, clips or zippers, jewelry, gloves with fingers or padded shorts.
Penalties
The referees inspect all players and their clothing and gear before each game. If a referee discovers a player wearing an illegal piece of clothing, he will tell that player to remove it. If the referee later discovers that the player has not removed the item, he can send the player off the field for the rest of the game.
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