Rules & Plays

Basic Overview of the Game and its Rules

NZ v Aust - Great Try! 

The Coaches Corner 

A few things to think about before the next game:

- Running backwards in defence: This allows you to always see the attacking players. When you turn your back on the attack they will be able to easily loose you and make a break-away.

- Picking up the dump ball on the move: When picking up the dump ball always try to be moving forward as this allows for a faster flowing game and potentially gets the defence off-side. When you stop and pick the ball up it can make it easier for the defence to read and anticipate the play.  

- Support your players: At times one of your players will make a break through the defence, even though it looks like they will make it to the try line, you should always try and be there and offer support. You never know what might happen, a defensive player may just get to the person with the ball and we need to ruck the ball up again.

Basic Rules 

Object: to get to the end of the field and place the ball over the touch/try line (end line) to score a touch down/try.

1. Each team has 6 'touches' or 6 times that the opposition can touch an offensive player who has the ball. When the opposition touches the offensive player, they should yell out ‘touch’ to allow the umpire to keep count.
• The umpire will call out the number of touches that have occurred.

• On the sixth touch, the referee will blow the whistle to signal the ‘turn over’,  or change of possession of the ball and the ball will be handed to the  opposition team (who now becomes the offensive team) at the place where the 6 touch occurred.

2. There are 6 team members on the field at one time

These can be interchanged through out the game (not just at half- time) by waiting for a player to run off the field before another player runs on.

In mixed competition (at Fawkner Park and Uni Games), there must be a minimum of 3 girls on the field (so usually we play 3 girls, 3 guys).

3. You can only throw the ball backwards to other team members.

4. When a player has possession of the ball and is touched by the opposition:

The opposition team all have to get back 5 metres, from that point.

The umpire will call if any team members are not back.

Until the members get back 5 metres, they are considered ‘offside’        meaning that they cannot ‘touch’ the offensive player with the ball.

If an opposition team member does not get back 5, then a penalty          (see later) will be incurred.

The offensive person who was touched will do a ‘roll ball’ where they        put the ball down exactly at the point that they were touched and step       over the ball (they don’t roll the ball when they step over it like rugby league), where it is picked up by a teammate.If they do not get back to that point that they were touched, the umpire will call it 'stepping over the mark’, meaning that the player stepped over the mark they were touched, and the ball will go to the opposition team who will do a ‘roll ball’.

• The person picking up the ball from the ground is called the ‘dummy half’ or the ‘acting half' if this person picks up the ball and is touched by the opposition, it is a ‘turn over’ of the ball to the opposition, where they’ll do a ‘roll ball' therefore, the ‘dummy half has to throw the ball to another team mate.

• After the dummy half throws the ball to another team mate, subsequent touches made to that player during that play won’t lead to a turn over. eg. the dummy half can pick up the ball from the ‘roll ball’, throw it to another player and then have it thrown back to them and be touched following, by the opposition and not lose possession of the ball.

• The dummy half can only score by throwing the ball to a team mate first (they can score if the ball is given back to them after initially passing it off).

5. The game starts in the middle of the field. The referee will blow the whistle, then an offensive player will tap the ball with their foot and then pick the ball up and start running.

• this person can be touched by the opposition without incurring a ‘turn over’ and can score a try without having to throw the ball to anyone else.

• the opposition initially have to be back 10 metres from the opposition, on a marked line.

• a turn over to the opposition occurs if, when the ball is tapped by an offensive player, there are team mates standing in front of him/her.

• this is also the process followed after a team has scored a try. Where the team who didn’t score the try starts with the ball in the middle of the field and is now the offensive team.

6. Penalties can be incurred. They follow the same process as when the game is started (see point 5) except the opposition have to get back 10 metres, not 5 (unless the defensive is on the opposition’s try/touch line) and the touch count is restarted.

          Penalties are received when:

•  The opposition do not get back 5.
 
•  A ‘touch pass’ occurs: this is when a player passes the ball at the same time as being touched by the opposition.
 
• ‘Phantom calls’: this is when the opposition call that they have touched an offensive player who is in possession of the ball, when they actually did not touch the ball.
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• 'forward pass’ or throwing the ball forwards to team mates.
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• Other infringements can occur where the penalty is a turnover or loss of the ball to the opposition and sees a roll ball (see point 4). These penalties include:
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• Overstepping the mark’ (see point 4).
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• ‘Ball to ground’ or dropping the ball, anytime the ball touches the  ground.
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• When the dummy (or acting) half is touched with the ball
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• When the ball goes out over the sideline.
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• If the opposition team intercepts a pass, however the ball is not caught by either team and it goes to ground, the referee will call ‘six again’, meaning that the ‘touch count’ is cleared and the offensive team have 6 more touches to use.
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• You cannot at any stage, kick the touch ball! The team is penalised if it occurs!
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• To score a try/touchdown, a player has to place the ball on the ground either on the other side of their touch/try line, or on the line. This is worth I point.
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• If an offensive team gets to the end of their field and are touched in a distance less than 5 from their try line (the line they have to cross to score), they can take the ball back to a point 5 metres from the line.
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• This is a good idea considering that the opposition have to be back 5 after an offensive player is touched, however they cannot go any further back than the try line and it would be very easy for them to touch the dummy half who is picking up the ball (remember if the dummy half is touched the ball goes to the opposition) from a distance less than 5 away.
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• If the offensive team is 5 or less from their try line and is touched, the defensive team must get back to the try line and have both feet touch go behind the line, before they are ‘on-side’ (as opposed to offside) again.
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• Here, the defensive team must be continuously moving forward away from the try line (even if it is just taking baby steps from the line).
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• If they don’t the umpire will call a penalty for not ‘walking/stepping off the line’.
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• This is bad news remembering that in a penalty, the offensive person tapping the ball and taking the penalty can score.