How to play Touch Rugby

Below are the basics of how to get going in Touch Rugby (“Six Touch” – “One Touch”, particularly popular in South Africa, is not covered here).

For a full list of rules, please click here [Adobe Acrobat required]

The Goal

To place the ball on the ground over the opposition’s scoreline.

The Defence

To effect a touch on the ball-carrier:

• may be one-handed
• includes clothing and the ball (call “Touch!”, as the ball-carrier may not feel it!)
• must NOT be dangerous (avoid head, neck, genitalia, & feet)

When a touch is effected, a rollball is performed (below).  On the sixth touch, the defending team take possession of the ball.

The Rollball

A rollball is effected further to:

• a touch
• any loss of control (including a ‘fumble’ by the Dummy Half – see below)
• the ball-carrier stepping over the sideline

Defence:

Every player must retreat five metres further away from their opponents’ scoreline than the position of the rollball to be ‘on-side’. N.B. NOT simply five metres away from the ball or their own position when the touch is effected.

No player is allowed to obstruct play until they have retreated to an on-side position AND their opponents have picked the ball from the ground again.

Offence:

The ball-carrier places the ball on the ground immediately below its position when the touch was effected and steps over it. If momentum carries the ball forward, it must be carried back. Do not actually roll the ball backwards as it may not travel more than a metre along the ground (and, also, it is more difficult for your team-mate to pick up!)

The nearest offensive player picks the ball from the ground, becoming the Dummy Half until he releases the ball. The Dummy Half cannot score and a touch effected on the Dummy Half results in immediate transfer of possession … so pass it as quickly as possible!

Penalties

The following result in a tapball:

Forward Pass – the ball travels towards the scoreline without being carried.

Touch Pass – the ball is passed after a touch is effected.

Off-side Tackle – an offside player attempts to effect a touch OR obstruct the path of another player.

Aggressive Tackle – a potentially dangerous touch.

The Tapball

The game starts (and re-starts, after a Try) with a tapball. A tapball is also awarded to the opposing team further to a penalty.

Defence:

Every player must retreat ten metres further away from their opponents’ scoreline than the position of the tapball to be ‘on-side’. N.B. NOT simply ten metres away from the ball or their own position when the penalty was given.

No player is allowed to obstruct play until they have retreated to an on-side position AND the tapball has been effected.

Offence:

The ball-carrier places the ball on the ground at the centre of the pitch for a start / restart or where the penalty was given. Play restarts with a ‘tap’ of the foot on the ball.

The ball-carrier is NOT Dummy Half at this point, so may score and can get touched without losing possession.

Other Rules

The 5 metre line:

At a rollball / tapball, defending teams only have to retreat to their own scoreline. If a rollball / tapball occurs within 5 metres of their scoreline, the defence can stand with their feet just behind the line.

A rollball / tapball due to occur within 5 metres of either scoreline (including OVER the scoreline), may be taken out to a point 5 metres from the scoreline. When performing a rollball within 5 metres of the opponents’ scoreline, retreating 5 metres will reduce the risk of possession being conceded through the Dummy Half being touched.

Interceptions:

If a defending player touches the ball mid-flight, he / she is deemed to have taken possession of the ball. If successful OR if the intercept is not successful but the ball is caught by a team-mate behind the intercepting player, play may continue without a rollball / tapball restart. If the intercept is not successful and the ball is caught by a team-mate in front of the intercepting player, a penalty is awarded to the original team for a Forward Pass.

If the intercept is not made and the original team reclaim it OR if the ball is lost to the ground (directly or via any other player), the touch count is cleared – if the original team reclaim the ball, play continues until a touch, which will be ‘touch 1′; if the ball is lost to the ground, the original team restart with a rollball and the subsequent touch is ‘touch 1′.

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