Offside is about where players join the next play.

What offside means in rugby league

A player is offside when the ball is played by a teammate behind them and they are temporarily out of the game. Being offside is not always an offence by itself. The offence comes when that player takes part, interferes, pressures an opponent, blocks a fair contest, or gains an advantage before being put back onside.

The laws use position relative to the teammate who last touched, held, or kicked the ball. In practical terms, if a player is ahead of the ball or ahead of the relevant teammate, they must stay out of the play until the law puts them back onside.

The 10-metre defensive line

The most common offside call in rugby league happens after a tackle. At the play-the-ball, defenders who are not directly involved as the marker or acting halfback must retire 10 metres from where the ball is played, or to their own goal line if that is closer.

• The marker may stand immediately opposite the tackled player, but must be legal and square before influencing play.
• The rest of the defensive line must get back the required distance before moving up.
• Defenders may not advance until the ball has cleared the ruck.
• If a quick play-the-ball catches defenders short, officials judge whether those defenders interfered or gained an advantage.

Offside chasers must stay passive

After a kick in general play, teammates who were in front of the kicker are offside. They cannot race downfield to tackle the receiver, contest the catch, block support runners, or otherwise affect the next phase until they have been put onside.

The strictest practical version is the 10-metre rule around a receiver waiting for the ball. An offside player who is within 10 metres of an opponent set to catch the kick is treated as interfering unless the non-offending team gains an immediate advantage. Raising hands or stopping still helps show the player is trying to stay out of it, but it does not excuse interference that could have been avoided.

How an offside player can rejoin play

An offside player in open play can be put onside in several ways. The simplest is to retreat behind the point where their teammate last played the ball. They can also be put onside when an onside teammate carrying the ball runs in front of them, or when the kicker or another onside teammate moves ahead of them after a kick.

Opposition action can also matter. If an opponent moves 10 metres or more with the ball, or touches the ball without keeping it, an offside player may be put onside. This does not wipe away every phase restriction. Players who are out of play at a play-the-ball, scrum, kick-off, drop-out, penalty, or free kick have to follow the rules for that restart.

Other offside lines still matter

Scrums and kicks from penalties have their own offside lines. At a scrum, players outside the scrum generally must stay behind the required line behind the last row of their forwards until the ball emerges correctly. A back who steps up too early can be penalised even if the scrum itself looks clean.

At a penalty or free kick, the kicker's teammates must be behind the ball when it is kicked, and the opposition must retire 10 metres or to their own goal line. If the kick is taken quickly, opponents who have not fully retired are usually punished only if they interfere or keep an advantage from being short.

When position alone is not enough

• Own in-goal: the general offside wording does not treat a player in their own in-goal the same way as a player in the field of play.
• Accidental interference: if an offside player accidentally affects play and the referee is satisfied it was not avoidable involvement, the restart can be a scrum rather than a penalty.
• Advantage: if the non-offending team clearly benefits, the referee can allow play to continue instead of stopping immediately.
• Quick restarts: a player who is still retreating may be managed differently from a player who deliberately blocks, tackles, pressures, or narrows the attack.

Where people get caught

• "Offside means the whistle has to go straight away": no. A player can be offside but not penalised if they do not take part and are put back onside before becoming involved.
• "Hands up means legal": no. It is a useful signal, but the player still cannot affect play from an illegal position.
• "The 10 metres is only for defenders at the ruck": no. The 10-metre idea also appears around kick receivers and restart management, though the details are phase-specific.
• "Any defender inside 10 metres is automatically penalised": not always. Officials look at interference, advantage, and whether the player had a realistic chance to retire.

How officials sort it

1. Identify the phase: play-the-ball, kick in general play, scrum, penalty, free kick, kick-off, or drop-out.
2. Set the relevant offside line for that phase.
3. Check which players are in front of the ball, in front of the teammate who last played it, or inside the required retreat distance.
4. Decide whether the player took part, interfered, stayed passive, or was put back onside before joining play.
5. Apply the correct outcome: play on, advantage, scrum for accidental interference, penalty, tackle-count restart, or stronger sanction for repeated or deliberate offending where the competition rules allow it.

Source material

• International Rugby League
• Rugby Football League Laws of the Game
• NRL rules and interpretations