Rugby Pitch

Rugby Pitch

Rugby is played on a grass paddock or field, sometimes clay or sand is allowed, as long as they are not dangerous. It is prohibited to play rugby on a hard surface like cement or asphalt due to the danger. The area where the rugby game is played is usually referred to by one of the terminologies; the pitch, the field of play, the battlefield or the rugby field.

The in-goal areas are the pieces at each end of the playing area. The must be 70 metres in width and between 10 and 22 metres in depth. The area of the field of play measures no more than 100 metres long, by no more than 70 metres wide. The playing area includes both the in-goal area and the field of play area. This playing area is defined by posts with flags at the top. The posts are 1.2 metres in height.

The playing area has divisions by lines along the field.

The halfway line is the centre line on the field of play. This is the line where the game is started from and restarted after penalty goals or the conversion attempts on a try having been scored.

The 10 metre line is marked on the field either side of the halfway line. At a kickoff the ball must cross the 10 metre line in the direction of the opposing team. If it doesn’t the opposing team may choose between a scrum in the middle of the field, with them getting a put-in to the scrum or asking the team to kick again.

There are 22 metre lines; each is 22 metres out from the try line at each end of the field. When a conversion is attempted, the conversion attempt is made close to the applicable 22 metre line.

The tryline is the line at each end of the field of play which a player must cross to score a try.

The dead ball line is the line beyond the in-goal area at each end of the field. Once the ball goes over this line, it is out of play.

The sideline and the touch line are the same. These are the two lines marked along the sides of the field of play. When the ball goes across the sideline, it goes out of the field of play. This is referred to as ‘going into touch’.

The goalposts are the target for penalty kicks, conversions of a try and any drop goals in the game. There are goalposts at each end of the field positioned along the tryline. The posts must be 5.6 metres apart with a crossbar; the transverse bar between the posts is to be 3 metres from the ground. The goal posts must be a minimum of 3.4 metres each. The goalposts are padded to avoid serious injury if players crash into them.