Start with the ball, the space and the score
Watch who has possession, which try line they are attacking and how much space is ahead. Teams aim to finish with more points than their opponents; carrying and kicking gain ground, while passes must not be thrown forward.
This guide uses World Rugby’s explicitly labelled 2026 lawbook for standard senior 15-a-side rugby, alongside the official online laws checked on 1 November 2026. It does not assume that every competition uses identical variations. Sevens, tens and youth rugby have separate provisions; see senior versus under-19 laws.
| Score | Points | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Try | 5 | An attacker legally grounds the ball in the opponents’ in-goal, including on the try line. |
| Conversion | 2 | After a try, a successful kick passes between the uprights and above the crossbar. |
| Penalty goal | 3 | A team chooses to kick an awarded penalty at goal and succeeds. |
| Drop goal | 3 | During play, a player drops the ball, kicks it after its bounce and sends it through the goal. |
| Penalty try | 7 | The referee awards a probable try prevented by foul play. No conversion follows. |
A try followed by a successful conversion adds seven points. A penalty goal adds three. These are scoring examples, not live match scores. See scoring rules and World Rugby Law 8.
Follow the match clock
The standard match has two 40-minute halves, with allowance for lost time and a half-time interval of up to 15 minutes. The referee controls timekeeping, which may be delegated. Injury treatment and consultation with officials can produce stoppages.
Reaching 80:00 does not automatically end play. Normally the ball must become dead; exceptions include penalties and certain unfinished restarts. A try can still be followed by its conversion. For example, a late penalty kicked directly into touch can allow a lineout after time has expired. Wait for the final whistle. See match timing and Law 5.
A tackle usually starts another contest
A tackle occurs when an opponent holds the ball-carrier and brings them to ground. The tackler must release; the tackled player must promptly make the ball available. Watch the arriving support players and where the ball emerges. Law 14.
A ruck forms when opposing players, on their feet and in contact, gather over the ball on the ground. Arrivals must come from behind their offside line. That explains many whistles for entering from the side or advancing too early. See ruck entry and jackaling and Law 15.
There is no fixed allocation of attacking turns: possession remains contested. A maul keeps the ball off the ground among bound players. See rucks and mauls.
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A drop-kick from halfway | A half is starting, or the team that conceded a score is restarting play. |
| Two packs binding together | A scrum: commonly the restart after an accidental knock-forward or forward pass. |
| Two lines of players near the touchline | A lineout following touch; a quick throw may be possible instead. |
| A penalty tapped or kicked | The awarded team chooses how to resume, including a possible shot at goal. |
| A defensive drop-out | An in-goal outcome has led to a restart; its location depends on what happened. |
After a score in standard 15-a-side rugby, the conceding team restarts. Law 12.
For the decisions behind each restart, see scrums, lineouts and knock-ons, penalties and free-kicks and in-goal outcomes.
Three useful referee signals
- Penalty: an arm points diagonally upwards towards the non-offending team. Official signal.
- Free-kick: the upper arm points towards that team with the elbow bent at a right angle. Official signal.
- Advantage: an arm extends towards the non-offending team around waist height. Official signal.
Advantage means an infringement has been noticed but play continues to see whether the opponents benefit. If no real benefit develops, the referee can return to the original offence. For example, recovering a loose ball need not itself settle the advantage. See advantage explained and Law 7.
Fouls and cards
Dangerous tackles, obstruction and repeated offending can bring sanctions. A yellow card means a ten-minute suspension in this senior format. A second yellow-card offence sends that player off.
A red-carded player takes no further part. Under the general law they cannot be replaced. The official online law identifies an elite-rugby exception: replacement after 20 minutes of playing time is permitted for other actions, but not intentional and highly dangerous actions. A replacement is a different player, not the offender returning. Confirm the match’s applicable framework before interpreting a card countdown.
Tackle-height provisions can also differ between elite and community rugby. See card rules, high-tackle sanctions, Law 9 and Law 14.1.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the officials watching replays?
Where a television match official (TMO) is appointed, reviews can clarify matters such as grounding, touch, scoring incidents and foul play. Reviews follow the applicable TMO protocol; video review is not available at every match. Wait for the announced decision. See TMO checks and Law 6.15–6.16.
What happens if the scores are level?
More points wins; equal totals are a draw under the standard scoring law. Knockout organisers may authorise extra time. Do not assume a universal extra-time length or an automatic kicking shoot-out: the particular competition’s tie-break regulations must establish those arrangements. This guide does not prescribe a competition tie-break sequence. See Law 8 and Law 5.1.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| In-goal | The scoring area beyond and including the try line. |
| Touch | The sideline boundary and the area beyond it. |
| Ruck | A contest over a grounded ball between opposing players standing in contact. |
| Maul | A bound group involving the ball-carrier and players from both teams, all on their feet. |
| Advantage | A real tactical or territorial benefit after an opponent’s infringement. |
| TMO | Television match official, appointed to assist through technology under the applicable protocol. |
Rule editions and sources
- World Rugby · Laws of the Game Rugby Union 2026 · Standard senior 15-a-side rugby union. Read alongside the official online laws checked on 1 November 2026. This is a general ruleset guide, not a competition regulation summary. Youth, sevens, tens, Game On and authorised competition variations require separate checks. — World Rugby, Laws of the Game 2026
- World Rugby · Official online Law 9, version accessed 1 November 2026 · Card sanctions for standard senior rugby, with the explicitly identified elite-rugby exception to replacement after a red card. No universal competition implementation date is inferred. — This page applies the World Rugby Laws of the Game 2026 , using the post-1 July 2026 law wording, and the standard World Rugby Sevens variations. World Rugby states that the ordinary laws apply to sevens except where a listed variation replaces them; there is no Sevens variation to Law 7, so the ordinary advantage law controls.