Actual time: Elapsed time including time lost for any reason.
Advantage: Law 8 - Advantage.
Assistant referee: Law 6 - Match Officials
Attacking team: The opponents of the defending team in whose half of the ground play is taking place.
B
Ball carrier: A player carrying the ball.
Beyond, 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 shoulders and the hips with the whole arm in contact from hand to shoulder.
C
Captain: The captain is a player nominated by the team. Only the captain is entitled to consult the referee during the match and is solely responsible for choosing options relating to the referee’s decisions.
Cavalry charge: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Conversion kick: Law 9 - Method of Scoring.
Converted: A conversion kick that was successful.
D
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.
F
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 - Penalty and Free Kicks. A kick awarded to the non-offending team after 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 - Scrum. The forward players who are the loose-head prop, the hooker and the tight-head prop. These players usually wear jersey No. 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
G
Goal: A player scores a goal by kicking the ball over an opponents’ crossbar 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.
H
Half-time: The interval between the two halves of the game.
Hand-off: An action taken by a ball carrier to fend off an opponent by using the palm of the hand.
Hindmost foot: The foot of the hindmost player in a scrum, ruck or maul which is nearest that player’s goal-line.
Hooker: Law 20 - Scrum. The middle front row player in a scrum who usually wears jersey No. 2.
K
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.
L
Lifting: Law 19 - Touch and Lineout .
Line of touch: Law 19 - Touch and Lineout. An imaginary line at right angles to the touchline at the place where the ball is thrown in from touch.
Line through the mark or place: Unless stated otherwise, a line parallel to the touchline.
Lineout: Law 19 - Touch and Lineout.
Long throw: Law 19 - Touch and Lineout.
Loose-head prop: Law 20 - Scrum. The left front row player in a scrum who usually wears jersey No. 1
M
Mark: Law 18 - Mark.
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.
Maul: Law 17 - Maul.
O
Obstruction: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Offside: Law 11 - Offside and Onside in General Play.
Offside line: An imaginary line across the ground, from one touchline to the other, parallel to the goal-lines; the position of this line varies according to the Law.
Offside under the 10-metre Law: Law 11 - Offside and Onside in General Play.
Onside: Law 11 - Offside and Onside 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, offside line).
P
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 and Lineout.
Penalty goal: Law 9 - Method of Scoring.
Penalty kick: Law 21 - Penalty and Free Kicks - 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 - Touch and Lineout. Gripping a team-mate in the lineout prior to the ball being thrown in.
Prop: Law 20 - Scrum. A front row player to the left or right of the hooker in a scrum. These players usually wear jersey No’s. 1 and 3.
Punt: The ball is dropped from the hand or hands and kicked before it touches the ground.
Pushover try: Law 22 - In-Goal.
R
Receiver: Law 19 - Touch and Lineout.
Red Card: A card, red in colour shown to a player who has been sent off for contravening Law 10 - Foul Play, Law 4.5(c).
Referee: Law 6 - Match Officials.
Repeated infringements: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Replacements: Law 3 - Number of Players - The Team.
Ruck: Law 16 - Ruck.
S
Sanction: The punitive action taken by the referee against an infringing player or team.
Scrum: Law 20 - Scrum. 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 who usually wears jersey No. 9.
Sin bin: The designated area in which a temporarily suspended player must remain for 10 minutes playing time.
Substitutes: Law 3 - Number of Players - The Team.
T
Tackle: Law 15 - Tackle - Ball Carrier Brought to the Ground.
Team-mate: Another player of the same team.
Temporarily suspended: Law 10 - Foul Play.
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 the ball into a scrum or a lineout.
Tight-head prop: Law 20 - Scrum. The right front row player in a scrum who usually wears jersey No. 3.
Touch: Law 19 - Touch and Lineout.
Touch down: Law 22 - In-goal.
Touch judge: Law 6 - Match Officials.
Touch-in-goal line: Law 1 - The Ground.
Touchline: Law 1 - The Ground.
Try: Law 9 - Method of Scoring.
U
Uncontested scrum: An uncontested scrum is the same as a normal scrum, except that the teams do not compete for the ball; the team throwing in the ball must win it, and neither team is allowed to push.
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.
Y
Yellow card: A card, yellow in colour shown to a player who has been cautioned and temporarily suspended for 10 minutes playing time.
