Players all participate in both the offense and the defense during the game of rugby. Rugby teams advance the ball down the field by running, kicking or passing the ball, ultimately hoping to score at the end of the field. Along the way, there are many rules that apply. These rules cover fair play and good sportsmanship as well as the mechanisms for scoring points, and are set by the International Rugby Board.
Scoring
Varying numbers of points are awarded for goals. A team gains five points when there's a "try." This means the attacking player first grounds the ball in the other team's in-goal. Five points are given for a "penalty try" also, which occurs when the referee judges that a player would have gained a "try," but the opponent committed a foul that prevented it. Two points are given in a conversion goal, which is a kick that a team is allowed after a "try." A penalty goal occurs when a team kicks a goal due to an awarded penalty, and is worth three points. A drop kick made during general play can result in a dropped goal, which gains the team three points, according to "Rugby for Dummies," by Mathew Brown, Patrick Guthrie and Greg Growden.
Foul Play
There are four parts to the foul play law in rugby. The first is obstruction, which states that a player can't charge or push another player who is going for the ball. Players also are not allowed to run in front of the person who is carrying the ball, and they cannot block the tackler. Unfair play is a deliberate action, such as delaying the game by making the ball unavailable to a player from the opposition or committing the same penalty over and over again. Repeated infringements can be called against an individual or a team, and is are as step above unfair play in terms of deliberate disruptiveness. This can lead to a yellow card which holds the player out of the game for a period of time. Misconduct is the most serious, such as striking, kicking, trampling or tripping an opponent or tackling above the shoulders. The player may get a yellow card or a red card. A red card ejects him from the game.
Penalties
Obstruction and unfair play can result in penalties. In a nutshell, the team that is awarded the penalty gets ball possession as well as a choice in how to use the ball. If a team gets a penalty kick, for example, it can choose to attempt a penalty goal and score three points. Another choice would be to kick the ball downfield into touch. This most often is chosen when a team is out of range of its goal kicker, or if a team must score more than three points.
Offside
When a player is offside, he is considered to be temporarily out of the rugby game. He is offside under two circumstances. The first is being in front of a teammate who is carrying the ball. The second is being in front of a teammate who played the ball last. Players can be penalized for being offside under several circumstances, according to Brown. These include moving forward to the ball or interfering with play, or not complying with the 10-meter law. An offside player may not move toward an opposition team member or go within 10 meters of the spot where his opponent is waiting to play the ball. The other team gains a penalty if a player is called offside.
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