Rugby rules for dummies: How is scoring done?

One of the most basic Rugby rules for dummies is that the game is played between two teams consisting 15 players each in two halves of 40 minutes with an oval shaped ball. Each team is allowed up to a maximum of seven substitutes.

Since Rugby is a contact sport, tackling is a common way to procure the ball, but it must be done within the confines of the rule book of rugby, else can result in a penalty kick. A referee aided by two touch-judges (who stand on either side of the field on the touchlines of the team) officiate any given fixture.

One can hold on to the ball and make a run for the opponent’s touch line or pass the ball by kicking or throwing. You can not pass it to the person in front running ahead of the ball, that’ll be called as an offside.

In this article of rugby rules for dummies, we’re going to talk about how is the scoring done during a match? How to score and the number of points each respective shot grants you.

The elementary aim of the sport like any other is to score more points than the opponent. In rugby, points can be scored in four different ways:

1. TryThis is the most valuable way of scoring points as it earns you five points at once. A Try is when a player touches the ball on the opponent’s goal line. A try also earns the scoring team to attempt a conversion kick.Scoring a Try is the goal of every rugby team. There are numerous ways to do this but all of them involve a touching the ground with the ball at or beyond the opponent’s goal line.
2. Conversion KickA conversion kick is a grounded free kick, which grants bonus points if it passes from in between the upper poles and below the top bar. A successful conversion kick grants the team an additional two points. This isn’t entirely as easy as it may sound. The level of difficulty of a conversion shot totally depends on the spot where the scorer touched the ball. The player who takes the conversion kick has to adjust the type of shot accordingly, and if the touchdown is near the sidelines, not even the best in the business can really help you much.
3. Penalty KickAs it sounds, a penalty kick is granted when the opponent team commits a foul like obstructing, punching, kicking, late/early tackling or any such dangerous instances. If you score, you are awarded three points.
4. Dropped Goal A dropped goal is scored in a similar fashion to the conversion kick, except for the fact that the ball isn’t grounded rather it is dropped mid-air and is kicked only after the first bounce. Scoring a dropped goal gives the team three more points.

Few other basic Rugby rules for dummies

• If a penalty or a drop goal is scored then the game is restarted from the half way line. The conceding team takes a drop kick facing towards the opposition’s half.
• Much like the football’s play on rule, the Advantage is given when a referee allows the game to be carried on with the ball in the possession of a side when their opponent commits a foul.
• When a tackle is made in rugby the prerequisites are such that the tackler has to let go off the tackled player, who then discharges the ball so that players who are on their feet can utilise it.
• A tackle can not be made above the shoulder height and while at it the defending team must tackle by grabbing and pulling the player down to the floor.

Hope this Rugby rules for dummies article made things clearer and you’re ready to play ball.