Rugby league scoring turns field position into points.

The basic point system

• Try: 4 points for correctly grounding the ball in the opponents' in-goal.
• Conversion goal: 2 points after a try, if the kick at goal is successful.
• Penalty goal: 2 points from a penalty kick at goal.
• Field goal or drop goal: 1 point from a drop kick in general play under the international laws.
• Penalty try: 4 points awarded between the posts when unfair play prevents a try that would have been scored.

Some professional competitions can add local scoring variations. For example, a competition may change the value of a long-range field goal or use specific shot-clock and review procedures. The core international scoring framework is still the starting point unless the competition rules say otherwise.

What has to happen for a try

A try is scored when an attacking player first grounds the ball in the opponents' in-goal. The goal line is part of in-goal, so grounding the ball on the line is enough. The player does not need to put the whole body across the line; the ball must be grounded legally in the scoring area.

Grounding means placing the ball on the ground with the hand or hands, applying downward pressure with hand or arm while the ball is already on the ground, or dropping on the ball and covering it with the front of the body between waist and neck. Simply picking up a loose ball in in-goal is not grounding it.

When the in-goal attempt fails

The attacking player must not be in touch, in touch in-goal, or on or over the dead-ball line when grounding the ball. If the ball or ball-carrier is out before the grounding, there is no try even if the ball is close to the goal line.

A player's momentum can still produce a try. If a tackled player is carried by momentum into the opponents' in-goal and grounds the ball, the try can be awarded, provided the ball crosses the goal line before the player or ball is out. If an attacker fails to ground the ball correctly, play continues unless another reason stops it, such as a knock-on or the ball going dead.

Simultaneous grounding and scrums

If an attacking player and a defending player ground the ball at the same time in the defending in-goal, rugby league treats that as a try, provided the attacker is still legally in the field of play or in-goal.

A try cannot be scored by grounding the ball while it is still in a scrum. Once the ball comes out, a player may pick it up and drive through their own forwards to score. This is why officials first decide whether the scrum phase has ended before judging the grounding.

The kick after a try

After a try, the scoring team gets a kick at goal for a possible 2 extra points. The conversion is taken from any point on an imaginary line through where the try was awarded and parallel to the touch line. A try scored near the corner therefore creates a harder conversion than a try scored near the posts.

For a conversion to count, the whole ball must pass on the full over the crossbar and between the posts, travelling toward the dead-ball line. The posts are treated as extending upward indefinitely, so a very high kick is judged by whether it passes inside the uprights. Opponents stand outside the field of play for a conversion attempt, while the kicker's teammates must be behind the ball.

Taking points from a penalty

When a team is awarded a penalty, it may choose to kick at goal. A successful penalty goal is worth 2 points. The kick may be taken from the mark or from a point behind the mark on the same line toward the kicker's own goal line, which lets the kicker improve the angle only by moving straight back.

Once a team indicates that it is kicking at goal from a penalty, the kicker cannot pretend to do so and deliberately kick elsewhere. Defenders must retire to their goal line or at least 10 metres from the mark, and they must not distract the kicker.

What a field goal is in rugby league

In rugby league, a field goal is the common name for a drop goal. The kicker drops the ball from the hands and kicks it immediately after it rebounds from the ground. It can be attempted from any position in the field of play during general play.

Under the international laws, a drop goal is worth 1 point. Unlike a conversion or penalty goal, it can still be awarded if the ball touches, or is touched in flight by, an opposing player before going over. A goal cannot be scored directly from a kick-off, drop-out, free kick, or differential penalty.

Penalty tries and eight-point tries

A penalty try can be awarded when the referee, or video referee where available, decides that a try would have been scored but for unfair play by the defending team. It is awarded between the posts, no matter where the foul happened, which also makes the conversion attempt straightforward.

An eight-point try is different. It refers to a normal try followed by a conversion attempt and then an additional penalty kick in front of the posts because the try scorer was fouled while scoring or before regaining their feet. The try itself is still four points; the extra possible points come from the two kicks.

Contact on the kicker can add points

Late or illegal contact on a player attempting a drop goal can create a penalty. If the drop goal is successful and the kicker was fouled, the field goal can stand and a penalty kick at goal is then taken from in front of the posts. If the drop goal misses, the non-offending team can take the penalty in the ordinary ways allowed by the laws.

This is not a bonus for ordinary pressure on the kicker. Officials still judge whether the defender committed foul play or another penalty offence after the kick attempt.

How scoring decisions are judged

1. Identify the type of score being claimed: try, conversion, penalty goal, drop goal, penalty try, or no score.
2. For a try, confirm legal grounding in the opponents' in-goal and check touch, touch in-goal, dead-ball, knock-on, obstruction, and foul-play issues.
3. For a penalty try, decide whether the try would have been scored without the defending team's unfair play.
4. For a kick at goal, judge whether the whole ball passed over the crossbar and between the posts in the required way.
5. Check whether any foul before, during, or after the scoring action cancels the score, adds a penalty kick, or affects the restart.
6. Apply any competition-specific review process if a video referee or captain's challenge system is available.

Where fans get caught

• "A try is five points like rugby union": no. In rugby league, the standard try value is four points.
• "The ball only has to cross the line": no. Rugby league requires legal grounding, not just breaking the plane.
• "Picking up the ball in in-goal scores": no. The player must ground it, though they may pick it up first to ground it in a better position.
• "A conversion is always from in front of the posts": no. It is taken on the line through where the try was awarded, so wide tries create wide kicks.
• "Every field goal is worth the same in every competition": not always. The international law value is one point, but competition rules can vary.
• "A penalty try means eight automatic points": no. A penalty try is a try awarded between the posts; eight-point try language refers to a separate foul on a try scorer and an additional penalty kick.

Source material

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