Lesson purpose and scope
A classroom lesson for beginners, using the standard 15-a-side provisions in World Rugby’s named 2026 English lawbook. No previous playing experience is required.
By the end, learners should be able to:
- Identify the fact that determines a breakdown decision.
- Distinguish continuing play, a restart choice, a free-kick and a penalty.
- Explain a decision with a numbered law reference.
- Recognise when a different competition or age-group rulebook must be checked.
The live World Rugby law pages contain wording and numbering that differ from this PDF. References to lettered clauses in this lesson follow the PDF. No universal effective date is asserted. Before adapting the lesson for an actual competition, check that competition’s applicable regulations and subsequent amendments.
Explore the Rugby Union overview, ruck entry guide, restart guide and penalty and free-kick guide.
Learner worksheet: make the decision
Name: ____ Date: ______
Use the World Rugby 2026 English lawbook supplied by your teacher. These are standard 15-a-side classroom situations, not age-grade playing instructions.
For each scenario, identify the decisive fact, state what should happen next and give a numbered law reference. Where a team has a choice, list the relevant options. Assume there is no earlier infringement, no separate foul play and no advantage to consider. All field-of-play incidents occur well away from either try line unless stated otherwise.
Work independently first, then compare reasoning with a partner. Do not consult the answer key until instructed.
| Number | Situation | Your task |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue tackles Red and both go to ground. Blue can move but keeps holding Red and blocks release of the ball. | Identify the offender and decision. |
| 2 | Blue releases and moves away after tackling Red. Red stays on the ground clutching the ball while an otherwise lawful Blue opponent tries to take it. | Identify the offender and decision. |
| 3 | A ruck exists. Red joins from the side, ahead of Red's hindmost participant. | Decide whether that entry is lawful. |
| 4 | Blue lawfully gets hands on the ball before a ruck forms and stays on their feet throughout. An opponent then makes contact over the ball, forming a ruck. | Must Blue stop handling solely because the ruck formed? |
| 5 | Red's halfway restart stops eight metres into Blue's half. No Blue player has touched it and it never reached the 10-metre line. | State Blue's options. |
| 6 | At another halfway restart, Blue catches the ball eight metres into their own half before it reaches the 10-metre line. | Decide whether play must stop. |
| 7 | Red carries into Blue's in-goal. Blue legally holds the ball up and the referee stops play; no try is scored. | Identify the restart, team and location. |
| 8 | Red takes a valid quick penalty near halfway. Blue, still only four metres from the original mark after retreating, tackles the kicker before completing the required retreat. | State the sanction and whether Red may immediately take the next kick. |
| Scenario | Decisive fact | Decision and team | Law reference and explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
| 2 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
| 3 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
| 4 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
| 5 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
| 6 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
| 7 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
| 8 | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Worked decisions: teacher-led examples
Example A — classify the sanction. During a ruck, Red’s head and shoulders are below their hips. The decisive fact is posture. Award Blue a free-kick under Law 15.3; do not assume every ruck infringement produces a penalty. World Rugby, Law 15.
Example B — distinguish an option from an obligation. Blue receives a penalty and requests a scrum instead. Accept the choice: Law 20.3 permits it. The scrum is Blue’s option, not the automatic outcome of every penalty. World Rugby, Law 20.
Model the same reasoning sequence each time: decisive fact → relevant law → decision → explanation. These examples are instructional solutions and belong with the answer material.
Answer key with explanations
1. Penalty to Red. Blue must promptly let go and move away or get up; the described conduct prevents release. PDF Law 14.5(a)–(b). The live page places these duties at 14.5(b)–(c). World Rugby, Law 14.
2. Penalty to Blue. Red must make the ball available immediately. Being tackled does not allow Red to retain it while waiting for support. Law 14.7(a). World Rugby, Law 14.
3. Penalty to Blue. Red entered ahead of the permitted joining position rather than from behind their offside line. Laws 15.5–15.6. World Rugby, Law 15.
4. Play on for the conduct described. Blue’s lawful earlier grip and continued standing satisfy the exception to the ruck handling restriction. Law 15.11. World Rugby, Law 15.
5. Blue chooses a retake or a scrum. The untouched restart failed to reach the required line. Law 12.6. World Rugby, Law 12.
6. Play continues. Blue played the ball before it reached that line, so the short-kick outcome in scenario 5 does not apply. Law 12.7. World Rugby, Law 12.
7. Blue takes a try-line drop-out on or behind Blue’s try line. Red took the ball into in-goal and Blue legally held it up. PDF Law 12.12(a) and its location table. World Rugby, 2026 lawbook.
8. A second penalty to Red, ten metres ahead of the original mark. A quick kick does not cancel Blue’s retreat requirement. Red must wait for the referee to make the new mark before taking this second penalty. Laws 20.12–20.13. World Rugby, Law 20.
Sources for checking decisions
- World Rugby, Laws of the Game Rugby Union 2026, English PDF: edition baseline and clause numbering.
- World Rugby Passport, Law 14: tackle responsibilities; live lettering differs from the PDF.
- World Rugby Passport, Law 15: ruck posture, entry and handling exception.
- World Rugby Passport, Law 12: halfway restarts, especially 12.6–12.7.
- World Rugby Passport, Law 20: penalty options and retreat requirements.
Teacher notes: preparation and 50-minute plan
Preparation and materials: Print the three learner blocks for each learner. Keep the worked examples, key and bibliography separate. Prepare teacher access to the named 2026 PDF, pencils, a timer and a board. Provide paper lawbooks or accessible digital access for the evidence task. Counters and a paper pitch are optional; no contact activity is needed.
0–5 minutes: Introduce the objectives and edition-specific scope. Ask learners what information they would need before deciding a disputed incident.
5–13 minutes: Present the two worked examples orally or on a separate display. Model how to find a clause and explain which fact activates it.
13–28 minutes: Learners complete all eight scenarios independently using the supplied lawbook.
28–36 minutes: Pair discussion. Each learner challenges one explanation and checks its reference.
36–46 minutes: Release the answer key. Learners correct their work in another colour and explain why their reasoning changed.
46–50 minutes: Exit ticket: choose one scenario, change one decisive fact and describe what would need checking before a new decision could be made.
Assessment: Award one point per scenario for the decision and team/options where applicable, one for the decisive fact, and one for a supporting law reference: 24 points total. Use errors to select follow-up practice rather than treating the score as an officiating qualification.
Teacher notes: differentiation and edition control
Support: Read scenarios aloud, allow spoken responses and provide a glossary of unfamiliar words. Assign pairs the roles of fact-finder and law-finder, then swap. Use counters to represent positions instead of reenacting tackles or rucks.
Extension: Ask learners to write an additional scenario with one clear decision and a verifiable law reference. Have another pair identify any missing facts before attempting an answer.
Print separation: Distribute only the learner blocks during independent work. Worked solutions, answer explanations and teacher guidance have separate block IDs and are excluded from the learner print selection.
Scope limitations: Learner age is an educational designation, not a declaration that adult playing laws govern their school competition. Sevens, tens, under-19 provisions, Game On and domestic age-grade rules require separate checking. No particular school’s or union’s competition regulations have been verified here.
Edition control: Use the cited 2026 PDF consistently when marking. The live pages are supporting references, not proof that every PDF clause remains current. In particular, Law 14.5 lettering and portions of Law 12 differ between the retrieved PDF and live text. Do not substitute live clause letters silently. If adapting this lesson to current competition practice, resolve the applicable amendments and regulations before classroom use.