Rugby sevens uses the rugby union laws for touch, touch-in-goal, grounding, and dead-ball decisions, with sevens variations for some restarts. The field is open and finishes happen at speed, so the important question is usually not where the player was aiming, but what the ball and player touched first.
The field of play is the area between the touchlines and between the goal lines. The in-goal area is behind each goal line, between the touch-in-goal lines and before the dead-ball line. That is the scoring area for tries.
The goal line belongs to in-goal. A player does not need to reach grass beyond the line if the ball is legally grounded on the line. The touchlines, touch-in-goal lines, and dead-ball line are different: they mark the outside edge of play.
The ball is in touch when a loose ball touches the touchline, touch-in-goal line, anything beyond those lines, or someone who is already out of play. If a player is carrying the ball, the ball is in touch when the ball or ball-carrier touches the touchline, the touch-in-goal line, or the ground beyond.
The ball simply crossing the vertical plane of the touchline is not always enough. A player in the playing area can catch, knock, or kick a ball that has reached the plane of touch and keep it alive if the law's conditions are met.
An attacking player scores a try by grounding the ball in the opponents' in-goal. Grounding means holding the ball and touching it to the ground, or pressing down on a loose ball with a hand, arm, or the front of the body from waist to neck.
Picking the ball up in in-goal is not the same as grounding it. A player may pick it up and then ground it elsewhere in in-goal, but the score only happens when the legal grounding action is completed before the ball becomes dead or the player is in touch.
The ball becomes dead when the laws stop play. Near the in-goal area, that often happens because the ball is grounded, goes into touch-in-goal, reaches or crosses the dead-ball line, is held up, or is made dead by a defender.
"Dead ball" does not name one restart by itself. Officials first identify how the ball entered in-goal, who made it dead, whether a try was possible, and whether a sevens variation changes the restart.
Touch-in-goal is the side boundary of the in-goal area. A player diving for the corner can be in the opponents' in-goal and still fail to score if the ball-carrier or ball contacts the touch-in-goal line before legal grounding.
Officials usually check the sequence: did the ball reach or touch the goal line, did the player ground it legally, and did any touch-in-goal or dead-ball contact happen first? The order matters. Legal grounding first can mean a try; boundary contact first means no try.
Sevens produces long-range corner finishes because defenders are spread across the full field. A player may dive, reach, slide, or be tackled while trying to ground the ball. The player may also be airborne over the touchline when the ball is grounded.
The legal call still turns on contact and timing. A player who jumps from the field of play can keep the ball alive before landing, but if that player is carrying the ball and touches touch, touch-in-goal, the dead-ball line, or ground beyond before grounding, the try is lost.
A defender may ground the ball in their own in-goal to make a touch down, may force the attacker into a held-up position, or may make the ball dead if the law allows it. If a defender has any part of the body in in-goal, that player is treated as being in in-goal, provided they are not also in touch or on or beyond the dead-ball line.
If a defender in in-goal catches or picks up a ball that is still in the field of play, the defender has taken it into in-goal. If a player who is in touch-in-goal or on or beyond the dead-ball line catches or picks up the ball within in-goal, that player has made the ball dead.
A player is held up in-goal when the ball-carrier is in in-goal but cannot ground the ball or play it. In sevens, the restart for a held-up ball is a five-metre scrum in line with where the player was held up, with the attacking team throwing in.
That is an important sevens-specific point. Do not assume the same restart as every 15-a-side situation. The referee kills the play once the ball is held up and then awards the scrum under the sevens variation.
If an attacking team kicks the ball from the field of play through the opponents' in-goal and it goes into touch-in-goal or over the dead-ball line, the defending team may have restart options under the general laws. An unsuccessful kick at goal or attempted dropped goal has its own restart treatment.
At kick-offs and score restarts, sevens is stricter. If a restart kick goes into the opponents' in-goal without touching any player and an opponent grounds it without delay, or it goes into touch-in-goal or on or over the dead-ball line, the non-kicking team is awarded a free-kick.
When the ball or ball-carrier goes into ordinary touch in the field of play, rugby restarts with a lineout or a permitted quick throw unless another law changes the result. In sevens, teams must form the lineout quickly, and the shorter format makes touch decisions a major field-position swing.
The team throwing in depends on how the ball reached touch: carried, kicked directly, kicked indirectly, knocked, or affected by a penalty. For the lineout details, see lineouts in rugby sevens.
Spectators often say the ball was "over the line" because it crossed the sideline in the air. Rugby's touch law is more precise. The ball can reach the plane of touch and still be played by a player who is in the playing area.
A player who is already touching the touchline or ground beyond it is different. If that player catches or holds the ball, the ball is in touch. If the ball has not reached the plane of touch and that out-of-play player picks it up, that player is treated as taking it into touch.
Touch judges, assistant referees, and referees watch the line, the ball, the ball-carrier's body, and the order of contact. In televised tournaments, video review may help with grounding or boundary contact, but the legal questions are the same at every level.
The call normally runs in order: field area, contact with a boundary, grounding or no grounding, who caused the ball to become dead, then restart. Advantage may apply to some infringements, but a ball in touch, touch-in-goal, or dead stops play.