What happens if you get tackled in rugby

Rules The entire lists of the rules are on the International Rugby Board website. For the rookies, here is your short list of rules. No shoulder pads or helmets in rugby. The ball must be pitched backwards to your teammates. No forward passes. A team can pitch the ball back and forth to each other as many times as they wish.

There is no blocking to assist your runner. Everyone runs with the ball and tackles equally. Unlike American gridiron football where two or three guys get all the glory and the rest of the team is never given the opportunity to prove themselves and run for a score, every player on the rugby field will run with the ball and tackle more than 20 times a game.

If you were an offensive lineman and never ran the ball and never tackled, this game is for you! Everyone will be a running back and linebacker.

When a set dead-ball scrum is formed, that is when the team will get in their set positions, but shortly after that when mass chaos breaks out, all players will run and tackle with the ball.

This is one of the most called penalties on new players. In reality, tackled players often have to simply drop the ball, hopefully in the direction of their teammates. Teammates of the tackler and tackled player may get involved to try to win back possession of the ball as long as they follow these rules:.

What often happens, is that the ball remains relatively still while the two sides try to push their opponents backward so that their teammate behind the mass of pushing players has an easier time grabbing the ball. In this way, the ruck resembles the offensive and defensive lines in football engaging at the start of a play. In the case of a rugby ruck, possession of the ball is also at stake.

Watch the first minute of this video. Players from the New Zealand team get tackled over and over again, and each time, their team wins possession of the ball in the resulting ruck.

Note how players on both sides have to circle back behind the ruck in order to enter it. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Skip to content. At that point a tackle cannot be made for safety reasons.

Low graphics Help. Rugby Union. Live scores. My Club. Get Involved. Daily E-mail. Fun and Games. Question of Sport. E-mail this to a friend Printable version. Rugby laws guide: The ruck. The basics. Knock-on and forward pass. Five-metre scrum.