A mark is rugby union's way of protecting a player who cleanly catches an opponent's kick deep in defence. It stops play immediately and gives the catcher a free-kick, but only if the catch, location, and call all meet the law.
A mark is not just a safe catch. It is a specific legal claim made by the receiving player. When it is valid, the referee stops play and awards a free-kick to the team in possession.
The rule exists so a defender who catches a long kick near their own goal line is not immediately tackled while exposed under the ball. It rewards a clean, direct catch, not a loose gather, a bounce, or a normal phase of open play.
The catcher must have at least one foot on or behind their own 22-metre line when catching the ball, or when landing after catching it in the air. That means a player may jump from outside the 22 and still claim a mark if the law's landing condition is met.
A mark can also be claimed in the player's own in-goal. If the catch is made there, the free-kick is not taken from in-goal; it is brought out to the five-metre line in line with where the mark was claimed.
The ball has to be caught directly from an opponent's kick before it touches the ground or another player. If it bounces, is touched by a team-mate, is knocked by an opponent before the catch, or is merely gathered after contact with the ground, the mark is not available.
The ball must also have reached the plane of the 22-metre line. A defender cannot claim a mark on a kick caught outside the 22 and then step back into the 22 to make it count.
The catch alone is not enough. The player must call "mark" at the same time as making the catch. In practice, referees look and listen for one clear action: a legal catch in the right area with an immediate claim.
If the player catches the ball cleanly but does not call for the mark, play continues. That player may still run, pass, kick, or be tackled like any other ball-carrier, subject to the normal open-play laws.
A player may claim a mark even if the ball hits a goal post or crossbar before being caught. The important point is that the ball is still caught directly from the opponent's kick before it touches the ground or another player.
This can matter after attempted kicks at goal. A defender who catches the rebound in the correct area and calls mark can stop play, provided the other mark requirements are met.
A mark cannot be claimed from a kick-off or a restart kick after a score. Those restarts have their own laws for distance, touch, in-goal outcomes, and player positions, so the receiving player cannot use the mark rule to stop the contest immediately.
The law treats goal attempts differently. A mark can be claimed after a penalty kick at goal or a dropped kick at goal if the catch itself satisfies the normal mark requirements.
When the mark is correct, the referee awards a free-kick. The player who claimed the mark must take it, unless that player was injured while claiming the mark and cannot take the kick within the allowed time.
Most teams use the free-kick to clear pressure. The kicker can tap and run, pass after tapping, or kick downfield. If they kick to touch, the result is governed by the ordinary free-kick and touch rules, not by penalty-kick rules.
The free-kick still has to be taken correctly: from the mark or legally behind it, with the ball visibly kicked. Opponents must retire 10 metres, but at a free-kick they may charge once the kicker starts the movement to kick.
If any required part is missing, the referee should not award the mark. Common invalid claims include a catch outside the 22, a ball that bounced first, a catch from a team-mate's kick, a late call, or a restart kick after a score.
An invalid shout of "mark" does not automatically make play dead. If the referee has not accepted the claim, players should keep playing until the whistle. At higher levels, defenders usually wait for the whistle because only the referee's decision stops the game.