Definitions

Actual time – Elapsed time including time lost for any reason.

Advantage – Law 8 – Advantage

Attacking Team – the oppoents of the defending team in whose half of the ground play is taking place there.

Ball-carrier – a player carrying the ball

Beyond or Behind or In Front of a Position – Means with both feet, except where the context makes that inappropriate

Binding – grasping firmly another player’s body between the shoulder and the hips with the whole arm in contact from hand to shoulder

Cavalry Charge – Law 10 – Foul Play

Conversion Kick – Law 9 – Method of Scoring

Converted – a conversion kick that was successful

Dangerous Play – Law 10 – Foul play

Dead – the ball is out of play. This happens when the ball has gone outside the playing area and remained there, or when the referee has blown the whistle to indicate a stoppage in play, or when a conversion kick has been taken

Dead Ball Line – Law 1 – The Ground

Defending Team – the team in whose half of the ground play is taking place; their opponents are the Attacking Team

Drop Kick – the ball is dropped from the hand or hands to the ground and kicked as it rises from its first bounce

Drop Out – Law 13 – Kick-off and Restart kicks

Dropped Goal – Law 9 – Method of Scoring

Field-of-Play – Law 1 – The Ground

Flanker – forward player who usually wears jersey No.6 or No.7

Flying Wedge – Law 10 – Foul Play

Foul Play – Law 10 – Foul Play

Free Kick : Law 21- a kick awarded to the non-offending team for an infringement by its opponents; unless a law states otherwise, a free kick awarded because of an infringement is awarded at the place of infringement

Front Row Players: Law 20 – the forward players who are the loose-head prop, the hooker and the tight-head prop

Goal: A player scores a goal by kicking the ball over an opponents' cross bar and between the goal posts from the field of play, by a place kick or drop-kick. A goal cannot be scored from a kick-off, drop-out or free kick.

Goal-line – Law 1 – The Ground

Grounding the Ball – Law 22 – In-goal

Half Time – the interval between the two halves of the game

Hindmost Foot – the foot of the hindmost player in a scrum, ruck or maul which is nearest that player's goal-line

Hooker – the middle front row player in a scrum

In-field – away from touch and towards the middle of the field

In-goal – Law 22 – In-goal

Kick – a kick is made by hitting the ball with any part of the leg or foot, except the heel, from the toe to the knee but not including the knee; a kick must move the ball a visible distance out of the hand, or along the ground

Kick-off – Law 13 – Kick-off and Restart Kicks

Knock-on – Law 12 – Knock-on or Throw-forward

Lifting – Law 19 – Touch, Line-out and Line-out Off-side

Line-of-touch: Law 19 – an imaginary line at right angles to the touch-line at the place where the ball is thrown in from touch

Line-out – Law 19 – Touch, Line-out and Line-out Off-side

Line Through the Mark or Place – unless stated otherwise, a line parallel to the touch-line

Long Throw – Law 19 – Touch, Line-out and Line-out Off-side

Loose-head Prop: Law 20 – the left front row player in a scrum

Match Organiser – the organisation responsible for the match which may be a union, a group of unions or an organisation affiliated to the International Rugby Board

Mark – Law 18 – Mark

Maul – Law 15 – Maul

Near: Law 14 – within one metre.

No side – the end of the match.

Obstruction – Law 10 – Foul Play

Off-side in Open Play – Law 11 – Off-side and On-side in general play

Off-side Line – an imaginary line across the ground, from one touch-line to the other, parallel to the goal-lines; the position of this line varies according to the Law Off-side the 10 Metre Law – Law 11 – Off-side and On-side in General Play

On-side – Law 11 – Off-side and On-side in General Play

Open or Bleeding Wound – Law 3 – Number of Players – The Team

Out of Play – this happens when the ball or the ball carrier has gone into touch or touch-in-goal, or touched or crossed the dead-ball line

Oversteps – a player steps across a line with one or both feet; the line may be real (for example, goal-line) or imaginary (for example, off-side line)

Pass – a player throws the ball to another player; if a player hands the ball to another player without throwing it, this is also a pass

Peeling Off – Law 19 – Touch, Line-out and Line-out Off-side

Penalty Goal – Law 9 – Method of Scoring

Penalty Kick: Law 21 – a kick awarded to the non-offending team after an infringement by its opponents; unless a Law says otherwise, a penalty kick is awarded at the place of infringement

Penalty Try – Law 10 – Foul Play

Place Kick – the ball is kicked after it has been placed on the ground for that purpose

Placer – a player who holds the ball on the ground for a team-mate to kick

Played – the ball is played when it is touched by a player

Playing Area – Law 1 – The Ground

Playing Enclosure – Law 1 – The Ground

Playing time – The time that has been played excluding time lost as defined in Law 5 Time.

Possession – this happens when a player is carrying the ball or a team has the ball in its control; for example, the ball in one half of a scrum or ruck is in that team’s possession

Pre-gripping: Law 19 – gripping a team-mate in the line-out prior tlo the ball being thrown in.

Prop: Law 20 – a front row player to the left or right of the hooker in a scrjum.

Punt – the ball is dropped from the hand or hands and kicked before it touches the ground

Pushover Try – Law 22 – In-goal

Receiver – Law 19 – Touch, Line-out and Line-out Off-side

Red card – A card, red in colour, shown to a player who has been sent off for contravening Law 10 Foul Play.

Repeated Infringements – Law 10 – Foul Play

Replacements – Law 3 – Number of players – The Team

Ruck – Law 16 – Ruck

Scrum: Law 20 – formerly named 'scrummage'; this happens when players from each team come together in scrum formation so that play can be started by throwing the ball into the scrum

Scrum Half – a player nominated to throw the ball into a scrum

Substitutes – Law 3 – Number of Players – The Team

Tackle – Law 15 – Tackle: Ball-carrier Brought to the Ground

Team-mate – another player of the same team

The 22 – Law 1 – The Ground

The Plan: Law 1 – The Ground

Throw-forward – Law 12 – Knock-on or Throw-forward

Throw-in – the act of the player who throws into scrum or line-out

Tight-head Prop: Law 20 – the right front row player in a scrum

Touch – Law 19 – Touch, Line-out and Line-out Off-side

Touch Down – Law 22 – In-goal

Touch-line – Law 1 – The Ground

Touch-In-Goal Line – Law 1 – The Ground

Touch Judge – Law 6 – Match Officials

Try – Law 9 – Method of Scoring

Union – the controlling body under whose jurisdiction the match is played; for an international match it means the International Rugby Board or a Committee of the Board

Yellow card – A card, yellow in colour, shown to a player who has been cautioned and temporarily suspended for 10 minutes' playing time.