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171 results returned for ball-carrier
2 Ball
2.1 The ball is oval and made of four panels. 2.2 It has dimensions as shown here: 2.3 It weighs 410-460 grams. 2.4 Match organisers may permit smaller balls to be used. 2.5 The ball is made of leather or a suitable synthetic material. It may be treated to make it water resistant and easier to grip. 2.6 Its air pressure at the start of play is 65.71-68.75 kilopascals, 0.67-0.7
Ball held up in in-goal
Space between hands indicates that ball was not grounded.
Not releasing ball immediately in the tackle
Both hands are close to the chest, as if holding an imaginary ball.
Handling ball in ruck or scrum
Hand at ground level, making sweeping action, as if handling the ball.
Unplayable ball in ruck or tackle
Shoulders parallel with the touchline, arm horizontal pointing towards the team to throw in the ball, then pointing the other arm and hand towards the other team’s goal line whilst moving it backwards and forwards.
2025-07 Law clarification - Offside players when ball is in touch
World Rugby have issued a new formal law clarification relating to the status of an offside player when the ball goes into touch, and a quick throw-in is taken. This can be found here .
Law 2: Ball
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2 Ball
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Unplayable ball in maul
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2025-06 Law clarification - Diving over a ruck to score
World Rugby have issued a new formal law clarification relating to the actions of a ball carrier diving over a ruck to score a try. This can be found here .
Definitions
g in their own half. B Ball-carrier A player who is in possession of the ball. Beyon ... y or free-kick or in open play. Multiple team-mates are pre-bound to a dynamic ball-carrier, sometime ... t of the ball-carrier. A single pre-bound player is permitted providing that player fulfill ... d action, taken by a ball-carrier to fend off an opponent, using the palm of the hand. Hindmos
21 In-goal
w-in (if defending team play ball into in-goal - 19.1 table row 5). 21.5 When the ball-carrie ... l, that player has made the ball dead. Corner flag post 21.15 If the ball or ball-carrier touches a corne ... Grounding the ball 21.1 The ball can be grounded in in-goal: a. By holding it and touchin ... t of the player’s body from waist to neck. 21.2 Picking up a ball is not grounding it. A player ma
14 Tackle
1 For a tackle to occur, the ball-carrier is held and brought to ground by one or more opponents. Tacklers hav ... e rugby, or waist/base of the sternum in community rugby. The ball carrier has a responsibility to ente ... s that the ball-carrier is lying, sitting or has at least one knee on the ground or on another player who is on the ground. 14.3 Being held means that a tackler must continue holding the ball-carrie
11 Knock forward or throw forward
t has kicked it (charge down). b. A player rips or knocks the ball from a ball carrie ... m (if the ball goes into touch, the non-offending team may opt instead for a quick-throw or lineout). (Se ... e an opponent, makes contact with the ball and the ball goes forward. Sanction: Scrum (if the ball goe ... t not intentionally knock the ball forward with hand or arm. Sanction: Penalty. 11.
Clarification 2-2011
U the correspondence is reproduced below. “ Law 17.6(g) says: “If the ball carrier in a maul goe ... l is immediately available.” Often situations arise in the game when a ball carrier in a mau ... t on his feet need to release the ball carrier given that this is a collapsed maul and not a tackle? b) Does the ball carrier have to release the ball to the opponent on his feet? Law 17.6 (g) indicate
Enforcement of current law - refereeing at the breakdown - March 2020
r LAW 14 – Tackle Tacklers must: Immediately release the ball and the ball-carrier after bot ... y 2 ;Ball carrier LAW 14 – Tackle Being brought to ground means that the ball-carrier is lying, sitting or has at least one knee on the ground or on another player wh ... l carrier must place or play the ball immediately – the ball carrier should not be allowed tim
Tag Rugby
t played the ball. (b) If the ball carrier touches the referee in in-goal, and either team gain ... c) If the ball carrier touches the referee in in-goal and either team gains an advantage, if the bal ... l carrier can attempt to position the ball further downfield by running, kicking or passing the bal ... g player propels the ball in a backward direction play will continue. 7.5 The ball carrier must hol
16 Maul
2 It consists of a ball carrier and at least one player from each team, bound together and on their feet. A player ripping the ball from the ball carrier must stay in contact with that player until they hav ... 8 The ball-carrier in a maul may go to ground provided that player makes the ball available immediatel ... y continues when: a. The ball or ball-carrier leaves the maul. b. The ball is on the ground.
Dangerous tackles - October 2026
p a knee to the ground before they make a tackle on a ball carrier. These actions create a number of player welfare concerns – with the tackler’s head being lowered rapidly to the knee height of a ball carrier, and for the ball carrier who makes contact with an anchored tackler, or the dynamics of it forcing the ball carrier to flip/invert onto the ground. These actions have led to an increas
Clarification 2-2005
d of play or hinders the ball carrier or any other player who is in the position to intervene in the pla ... h, physio, doctor, water carrier) unintentionally touches the ball or unintentionally hinders the ball carrier or a player in a position to play the ball. 2. A person from the technical staff (coach, physio, doctor, water carrier) intentionally touches the ball or intentionally hinders the ball carrie
Clarification 9-2006
d to Law 17 Maul 1. During a maul the ball carrier and one of his team mates leave the maul. a. Can an opponent tackle the ball carrier? b. Does the ball carrier have to be the lead player? 2. During a mau ... s bound. a. Can this player tackle the ball carrier? 3. During a lineout, the players who won the bal ... s constitute a maul? b. Can an opponent tackle the ball carrier? c. Does the ball carrier have to be the lea
Clarification 1-2014
h it.” The law does not explicitly cover scenarios where the ball is knocked-out of the grasp of a ball carrie ... k-on occurred? A ball carrier from team red runs with the ball in the direction of team blue goal lin ... d on the ball. This action caused the ball to be lost “forward” from the ball carrier. The last contac ... l carrier from team Blue to loose possession of the ball and it travels forward. Please confir
18 Touch, quick throw and lineout
s a touchline, the ball is in touch and becomes dead. Quick-throws and lineouts are methods of restarting the game with a throw after the ball or ball-carrier has gone into touch. Touch or touch-in-goa ... s the touchline, touch-in-goal line or anything beyond; or a ball being held, or the ball-carrie ... e the ball reaches the touchline. The kicking team. The ball-carrier goes into touch or kick
2026-11 Law change - Hip drop tackles
t injuries to the ball carrier. World Rugby’s Tackle Working Group heard representations abou ... w Definition: Hip-drop tackle: When a ball carrier… - is grasped and tackled from the side or behind, and ; - the tackler swings round or through the ball carrier, and/or ; - drops their hips/body weight down on to the legs or lower limbs of the ball carrier as… they are brought to ground. Amended Law 9.1
Clarification 6-2003
l carriers team mates bind onto the ball carrier." If this is deemed to be sequential, a maul is not formed if players from the ball carrier's team join on to the ball carrier before the oppositio ... t the ball carrier and his team mates as one player, this would allow the ball carrier to be brough ... e or more of the ball carriers team mates bind onto the ball carrier." If this is deeme
Clarification 8-2003
l and the ball carrier is joined by several of his team mates and they move towards the opponents goa ... e is liable to penalty. (2) However, if the player from Team B instantaneously brings the ball carrie ... m A joined together, breaking away from a maul with the ball carrier (at the front of this group) not bein ... m Team B grasps an opponent who is not the ball-carrier, then a maul has not been formed, and h
Head Contact Process - High tackle
Video clips 1 No foul play - no contact with the head, neck or throat - play on 2 No sanction - no fault of the player - significant drop by the ball carrier and tackler had no time to readjust ... n as there is a sudden drop in height by the ball carrier 7 Yellow card - direct head contact but mitigation as there is a sudden drop in height by the ball carrier
Touch Rugby
l carrier touching the referee (a) If the ball carrier touches the referee and neither team gain ... d, it is kicked off again. Law 14: Ball Carrier goes to Ground – No Tackle 14.1 If the ball carrie ... n-offending team. 14.2 If the ball carrier goes to ground and the ball does not touch the ground, then play continues. 14.3 If the ball carrier goes to ground and the ball touches the groun
Clarification 4-2011
r scenarios where the ball is ripped out of the possession of a ball-carrier by an opponen ... e, in the following scenarios, has a knock-on occurred? If so, who has knocked the ball on? 1. Ball-carrie ... l-carrier A from the red team runs towards the blue team’s dead ball line. Opponent B approaches A fro ... s outlined the ball carrier is not responsible for losing possession. In scenario 1 the ball has bee
10 Offside and onside in open play
g the ball or who last played it. When the last action is a kick, the foot kicking the ball determines the offside line. An offside player must not interfere with play. This includes: a. Playing the ball. b. Tackling the ball-carrier. c. Preventing the opposition from playing as they wish. ... t; or Scrum where the offending team last played the ball. b. Moves towards the ball; or Sanctio
IRB Maul Working Group Outcomes - August 2009
k from the ball carrier when the maul is moving forward, as that replicates a scrum. The concer ... y assist in resolving this issue: If the ball carrier player does not bind in this wa ... k of an elongated maul holding the ball whilst the maul moves forward (‘truck and trailer’). An IRB working grou ... t Clip 1f - Legal at restart 2 A player may have both hands on the ball and be boun
2026-06 Community Tackle Height law wordings approved
y Additional text added to 14.1 14.1 For a tackle to occur, the ball-carrier is held and brought to groun ... e double-tackles. Additional optional clauses for Law 14 Game On variation Ball carriers A ball carrie ... y not simultaneously tackle a ball carrier in open play. Sanction: Penalty When two (or more) player ... a. The actions of players involved in the tackle must ensure a safe and fair contest and allow the bal
Decision-making framework for high tackles - May 2019
m of the shoulder making contact with the ball carrier is behind the tackler’s body or tucke ... m the contact point OR the ball carrier requires an HIA Note: the head’s first movement is bac ... y-contact’ shoulder charge IF SHOULDER CHARGE OR HIGH TACKLE: Was there ball carrier head/nec ... s RED CARD Shoulder charge (no arms tackle) to the head or neck of the ball carrie
9 Foul play
5 A ball-carrier must not intentionally run into an off-side team-mate to obstruct the oppositio ... s of the ball-carrier. Sanction: Penalty. 9.24 A ball-carrier is permitted to hand off an opponen ... d or be sent off. Obstruction 9.1 When a player and an opponent are running for the ball, neither playe ... 3 A player must not intentionally prevent an opponent from tackling or attempting to tackle the bal
2026-07 Law updates
t. For example - a charge down from the field of play which goes dead, and a ball carrier carrying the ball into in-goal near the corner flag and who is then tackled into touch-in-goal before grounding the ball would have been a 22DO - both now become a TLDO. A presentatio ... n they will be reviewed. Therefore the brake foot (for all), and elite rugby water carrie
Beach Touch Rugby
d. Law 15: Tackle 15.1 A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is touched by an opposition playe ... l the ball from the ball carriers hands and must not prevent the ball carrier from playing the bal ... l between the legs. Sanction: Free pass 15.7 A ball carrier may touch an opposition playe ... 2 The ball is in touch when the ball carrier (or the ball) touches the touchline or the ground beyon
Clarification 7-2006
m A. Is this deemed to be a “flying wedge” if the ball remains with the initial ball carrier wh ... l carrier? Is this deemed to be a “flying wedge” if the ball is transferred to a player in the middle of the group of team A players and preventing any player from team B from tackling the ball carrie ... k of the group of team A players and not preventing any player from team B tackling the ball carrie
Beach Tag Rugby
4: Ball on the Ground: No Tackle 14.1 When a team causes the ball to go to ground or a ball carrier goes to ground a free pass is awarded to the opponents. If a ball carrier has one knee or both knee ... s and must not prevent the ball carrier from playing the ball. Sanction: Free pass 15.4 A ball carrier mus ... n score a try. Sanction: Free pass 15.10 A ball carrier must not dive in attempt to avoid a tackl
6 Match officials
d. e. The ball or ball-carrier touches the dead-ball line or anything beyond it. f. The ball hits anything above the playing area. The ball or ball-carrier touches the referee or non-player 6.10 If the ball or the ball-carrier touches the referee or other non-player and neither team gain ... d to the team that last played the ball. 6.11 If the ball-carrier touches the referee or other no
Five key areas of refereeing June 2012
l The ball carrier at the commencement of the maul must be available to be defended by his opponent ... s who wished to use the ball quickly and in space would be entitled to do so. The 5 key area ... r to release tackled player immediately Tackled player to release or pass ball immediately Assis ... h the gate Ball winning team should not prevent a contest by “sealing off” Arriving players shoul