Rugby league is an international collision sport played at junior, amateur, semi-professional and professional levels. While the backs prepare to receive a kick, the other defenders will attempt to apply pressure to the kicker. 10 metres from the 50-metre line is the 40-metre line, followed by the 30, 20, 10-metre and goal or 'try' lines. Generally, defensive players are assigned a player (or rather a position) which they must account for in defence. They are expected to run with the ball and attack, and to make many tackles. When in possession the aim is to maintain possession and score by running in packs and trying to minimise ball-handling errors and penalties conceded (which always result in a changeover of possession). If your team got forced to touch the ball down in your own in-goal area - or put the ball out of play in this area - the result is a goal line drop out taken from under your own posts. Before the 40–20 rule, the non-kicking team would have otherwise been awarded the scrum feed. The attacking team uses these tactics to put themselves in the better defensive position when their set of six ends at the 'change over'. 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. The scrum is formed by the 'front row' forwards of each side locking together, and 'packing down' to push against each other. The ball is "fed" through the legs of one of the props by the halfback, who normally then retrieves it again from the back of the scrum. In both Rugby League and Rugby Union, tackling is permitted to bring down players in possession of the ball or to prevent them from making progression. Some flankers will make as many as 25 tackles in an 80min game of rugby on top of around ten scrums and another 30 breakdown impacts. Defending players may be drawn in towards the player hitting the ball up in an effort to make a tackle, possibly leaving other parts of the defensive line weakened for other attackers should the ball-carrier manage to off-load the ball to a teammate. 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. 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. Conversely though if the kickoff exits the field of play after a bounce or more, the kicking team receives possession at the point of entry. The dead ball lines and the touch-lines (side lines) make up the boundary of the field of play. 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. Insist that they … In the middle of the field is the 50-metre "halfway" line. In Rugby League, a tackle is deemed complete when the elbow of the arm holding the ball touches the … 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. ii) determine whether differences in tackle performance between the 6 Nations (n = 15), Tri Nations (n = 6) and Rugby World Cup (RWC) (n = 48) existed. Each team is only allowed six tackles (plays) before the release. During the course of a rugby league match, players are involved in multiple physical collisions, predominantly in the form of tackles. Forwards are generally chosen for their size and strength. These two moves effectively force a stoppage of play, which means the opposition cannot score. The rules of rugby league regulate how many tackles get made before the carrier must release it to a receiver. Tackling . Rugby league is a game that comprises high-intensity activities interspersed with short periods of low-intensity activity (5,8). 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. 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. After the sixth tackle the ball must get played by the team in possession. There are three principle methods of scoring. Match timekeepers use a loud hooting siren for signalling full time. 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. Even more uncommon are 8-Point tries, where in the process of a try being scored; a severe infringement by the defensive team has been committed; such as a dangerous tackle or ensuing violence. A player may only pass the ball behind him, or pass the ball sideways parallel to the goalposts. Scoring will at least involve first gaining field position and, in the case of scoring a try, will almost certainly involve breaking the opposition's defensive line. A game of rugby league consists of two forty-minute halves, played by two teams on a rectangular grass field of 120 metres in length and 58–68 metres in width depending on the individual ground. Add it all together, and the average loose forward on the rugby field is involved in around 80-90 “collisions” per match. The NRL will controversially trial a tackling ban in under 6s age groups across south-east Queensland in a drastic attempt to keep kids playing the sport. The objective of the defensive side is to prevent the team in possession from scoring and obtaining their shorter term objectives. On occasions, enterprising teams may choose to deviate from the typical tactics to surprise their opponents. 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. Both major codes of rugby football - league and union - prohibit players from going ahead of the ball carrier to gain advantage. The scrum was traditionally used as a mechanism where the two teams compete for possession of the football; however this has since changed with the introduction of fair, but uncontested[10] scrums, where the ball is fed into the second row, instead of the first, all but eliminating an effective competition for the ball. The substitutes can get substituted - interchanged - up to 12 times throughout the game. The 'umbrella defence' (or 'up and in' defence) requires that players do not spread across the entire field. A handover shall occur AFTER the fifth tackle in the following circumstances. A penalty is also issued against the attacking team if the player responsible for playing the ball, does not play it correctly. Good tackling requires a balance of mental strength, technique and physical ability. When the 40-20 kick occurs, the kicking side gains the advantage. have stopped forward progress (i.e., been tackled); place the ball on the ground in front of one foot and; roll the ball backwards by use of the boot. Hit-ups are usually employed to gain low-risk metres early in the tackle-count, but a good hit-up can also result in a breach of the defensive line. Players are divided into two general categories: "forwards" and "backs". In American football, it’s legal for the players to hit and tackle each other from the neck down. As many as 1 in 4 rugby league players will be injured during the season. Players on the team with possession may pass the ball to one another while trying to reach the opposition's end of the field. The referee keeps track of how many tackles have been performed in each set of six. In some circumstances the team in attack may opt to kick a one-point drop goal instead of attempting to score a try. Six Nations Rugby Championship: An informative guide to the RBS 6 Nations Tournament. 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. Most sets of 6 usually involve at least one hit-up to build a position from which to attack. The 10 Best Defenders of the NRL Era • Rugby League Opinions 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. (a) A team in possession of the ball shall be allowed five successive play-the-balls. The simple aim of league rugby - like most ball sports - is to score more points than your opponents do. The tactics below are a basic guide to how the game is typically played. For more Rugby League Stats please check out the Facebook page: ... Sam has broken 79 tackles and offloaded 14 times in 2014, giving him an average of 4.7 Second Phase Per Game (SPPG), a higher rate then Brett Stewart (2.9 SPPG), Michael Morgan (3.6 SPPG) and Billy Slater (4.3 SPPG). Rugby Sevens Rules: 7 regulations that make rugby 7s a fast-moving tournament game! Therefore, there is a defensive element in deciding whether to kick a bomb. 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