Penalty (rugby)

In rugby football, a penalty is a sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit infringements. The team who did not commit the infringement are given possession of the ball and may either kick it towards touch (in which case the ball back rule is waived), attempt a place kick at goal, or tap the ball with their foot and run it.

Penalties in Rugby Union

The referee signals that he has awarded a penalty to a side by raising his arm at 45 degrees between vertical and horizontal and blowing a blast on his whistle. Penalties may be awarded for a number of offences, including:

Failing to release the ball after being tackled
Entering a ruck or maul from the side
Leaving one's feet in the ruck
Offside
Tackling an opponent above the shoulders
Tackling an opponent who is not in possession of the ball
Obstructing an opponent from tackling the ball-carrier

The side with the penalty may then kick the ball towards touch (a line-out is awarded from where the ball went into touch). There is no ball back from a penalty kicked to touch. They may also take a place kick at goal. If it is successful, they score three points. If not, the ball remains in play. They may also take a tap kick (the player taking the penalty kicks the ball a few inches in the air and catches it again) and play continues as normal.

Penalties in Rugby League

Penalties operate in roughly the same manner as in union, but with some slight differences. Firstly, the implication is that a side either takes a tap kick or a shot at goal. They can kick for touch, but, if the ball makes it into touch, the side then takes a tap kick 10m infield from the point where the ball went into touch (except where it goes into touch inside the opposition's 10m line, in which case the tap is taken from the 10m line), as opposed to a scrum. They can also tap the ball from where the penalty was awarded. In both instances, the defending side must remain 10m from the ball until the tap kick is taken.

The penalty may also be place-kicked towards goal. If successful, the kicking side scores two points. If the kick is unsuccessful and the ball is caught by the opposition before it leaves the field of play, play continues. If the ball goes into touch-in-goal or over the dead ball line, then play is restarted with a drop-out from the offenders' 20m line.

Penalties may be awarded for:

Offside
Tackling an opponent above the shoulders
Tackling an opponent who is not in possession of the ball
Obstructing an opponent from tackling the ball-carrier
Failing to retreat 10m from an opposition play-the-ball
If marker at the play-the-ball, failing to stand opposite it
Kicking the ball into touch, touch-in-goal, or over the dead ball line on the full from the kick-off

The referee may in certain circumstances also award a differential penalty. Differential penalties may not be kicked for goal.