2023-09-08 11:10:50
Rugby is a complex sport. So if you want to follow the performances of the Blues without getting lost during the World Cup, here are the basic rules, explained by Top 14 referee Jérémy Rozier.
Dots
The first difficulty lies in counting the points. Unlike football where a goal equals a point, in rugby there are several ways to score points (and none is worth a point)
The first is the test. The best known. To score a try, you have to flatten the ball behind the opponent’s goal line. The try is worth 5 points to the team that scores and offers the right to score 2 more points with the conversion.
This is where the scorer comes in. He must place the ball in the axis of the try and tap it with his foot to pass it between the posts and above the crossbar.
The scorer is also asked to type the penalties. It’s the same principle as the conversion, but the penalty is worth 3 points. A penalty is awarded following a fault by the opposing team. Then the last way to score points is through the drop. This happens in the running game, you have to bounce the ball on the ground before hitting it to pass it between the posts. The drop also earns 3 points.
Forward
This is one of the basic rules of rugby, but also one of the quirks of the sport. It is forbidden to pass the ball forward or to drop it forward, towards the opponent’s goal line. When the referee whistles a forward, it gives rise to one of the symbols of rugby: the closed scrum.
The fray
The scrum is one of the phases of conquest with the touchline. One of the most important phases of play in rugby. It’s a clash between the 8 forwards of each team (the heaviest and tallest players). When the scrum is ordered, the players in the front pack must follow three commands from the referee before engaging in the fight for the ball: bend, bind, play (during the World Cup, the commands will be said in English: “Crouch, bind, set”). Once these commands are given, the scrum-half (number 9) must introduce the ball into a corridor formed between the first two lines. The forwards will push in order to win the ball.
Le jerk
This is one of the phases of play that you will see the most in a match. When the player carrying the ball is tackled and knocked to the ground, his teammates stand over the ball to maintain possession. The opposing team may come to the challenge to try to gain possession by pushing. It is forbidden to put your hands up to bring the ball back to your court.
The offside
The ruck will demarcate the offside line that the defenders cannot cross. The defensive line must be placed behind the feet of the last participant in the ruck, this is what defines the imaginary offside line not to be exceeded, under penalty of being penalized.
The “bunker”, the new rule on boxes
In rugby, the yellow card is equivalent to a suspension of the player for 10 minutes. The red card results in a permanent suspension of the sanctioned player. For the first time in the World Cup, the new “bunker” rule will be put in place. Already experienced in competitions in the southern hemisphere, the objective is to waste less time with video refereeing on dangerous play. When there is doubt about the color of the card, the referee will issue a yellow card to the offending player before calling on the “bunker”. These are independent referees who will have 8 minutes to analyze the images of the fault and decide on the final sanction. If you see the referee crossing his arms, he is calling for the bunker.
Find these rules in detail in the video at the top of the article.
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