![NRL Rugby League field](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/NRL_Rugby_League_field.svg)
The rugby league playing field,
also referred to as a pitch or paddock, is the playing surface for the sport of
rugby league football
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a contact sport, full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular Rugby league playing field, field measur ...
and is surfaced exclusively with grass.
The dimensions and markings of a full-sized playing area are defined in Section 1 of the ''
Laws of the Game''.
[ RLIF, 2004: 2] These Laws are the agreed upon and maintained by the
Rugby League International Federation
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the ''Rugby League Imperial Board'', the '' International Rugby League Board'' and latterly the ''Rugby League Internat ...
. The playing field is defined as "the area bounded by, but not including, the touch lines and dead ball lines" by Section 2.
[ RLIF, 2004: 6] If the
ball
A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...
or any player in possession of it makes contact with the touch lines or dead ball lines or the ground beyond them it is deemed to be out of play.
The rugby league field also has markings to denote where restarts, such as scrums, should be placed.
Dimensions
A rugby league pitch (or field) is wide and long. The try lines (or goal lines) stand apart. On each one is a goal post that is wide and at least high, with a crossbar set above the ground. The distance from try line to dead-ball line is .
The field of play is a fixed size – long and wide and does not include the line markings, meaning all touchlines and dead ball lines are considered out of play.
Field
Near each end of the field is a ''goal line'',
or try-line; they are apart.
A scoring area called the ''in-goal area'' extends from each try-line to each dead ball line.
Most play will occur within the ''field of play'', this "is the area bounded by, but not including, the touch lines and goal lines".
[ RLIF, 2004: 5]
When the team in possession of the ball is attempting to score a
try
Try or TRY may refer to:
Music Albums
* ''Try!'', an album by the John Mayer Trio
* ''Try'' (Bebo Norman album) (2014) Songs
* "Try" (Blue Rodeo song) (1987)
* "Try" (Colbie Caillat song) (2014)
* "Try" (Nelly Furtado song) (2004)
* " Try (Ju ...
, the goal line is included in the in-goal area, grounding the ball correctly on either is a try.
[ RLIF, 2004: 12]
When the team in possession is attempting to return the ball to the field of play from their own in-goal area the goal line is part of the field of play. A team caught with the ball in their own in-goal must restart play with a
drop kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it as it touches the ground.
Drop kicks are used as a method of restarting play and scoring points in rugby union and rugby league ...
of the ball from between their posts, this usually results in the other team gaining possession.
Between the goal lines, broken lines run parallel to each touch line at from touch.
Free kicks are taken in from the point where the ball entered touch after being kicked out to gain ground from a penalty.
If a scrum is required to restart play and the event that caused it occurred "within 20 metres of a touch line or ten metres of a goal line the scrum shall be brought in twenty metres from the touch line and ten metres from the goal line".
[ RLIF, 2004: 32]
Markings
Lines with distance markers transverse the field every perpendicular to the touch lines.
The distances ascend from each goal line towards the halfway line, which is marked "50" (similar to a typical
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
field).
These lines, as well as the goal lines, dead ball lines and touch lines are wide and white in colour,
the only exception being the lines, which are usually coloured red to distinguish them for the determination of
40–20 kicks in play.
The broken lines and in from the touch lines are wide and white in colour.
The distance markers on the playing field are white with a red outline.
These numbers are .
Objects
On each goal line are two goal posts apart connected by a cross bar from the ground.
Each goal post is in height (however they can be built higher)
and for the purpose of judging a goal are considered to extend upwards indefinitely.
[ RLIF, 2004: 3] The posts and crossbar form an "H" shape. Goal posts supported by only one post below the crossbar are permissible.
The bottom of a goal post is recommended to be padded to protect players from injury.
At professional level, these pads are usually cuboids that encase each post.
A corner post is placed at the points where each touch line meets each goal line.
[ RLIF, 2004: 4] The post must consist of non-rigid material and should be at least in height.
The corner posts are ''in touch in-goal'',
that is to say they act in the same way as sidelines and the ball-carrier touching them immediately halts play.
Rule variation
During the
2010 NRL season
The 2010 NRL season was the 103rd season of professional rugby league football club competition in Australia, and the thirteenth run by the National Rugby League. The season commenced on 12 March and ended with the Grand Final, played on 3 Octobe ...
, a rule change to the playing field was implemented so that if a player in possession of the ball made contact with the corner post that player would no longer be considered to be
touch in-goal.
Proponents of the move argued a series a possible future scenarios made this preventative measure necessary, with
ARL
ARL may refer to:
Military
* US Navy hull classification symbol for repair ship
* Admiralty Research Laboratory, UK
* United States Army Research Laboratory
* ARL 44, a WWII French tank
Organizations
* Aero Research Limited, a UK adhesives compan ...
chief executive
Geoff Carr
Geoffrey Marc Carr (born 1952) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1970s and administrated in the 1990s and 2000s. He was the CEO of the Australian Rugby League as well as the New South Wales Rugby Le ...
stating, "no one has thought of the possibility of using the corner post as a weapon to defuse a try and we want to stop it before they do".
One scenario was that a defending player might manipulate the corner post to put an attacker out of play.
Another concern cited was that the corner post might be made to make contact with a rolling ball to ensure the defending team gains possession with a
20-metre restart.
Corner posts, which sometimes lean to one side, have no upper height limit set and this led to a fear that corner posts might become "long rubber snakes, biting attackers and sending them into touch", in the words of
Roy Masters.
Other laws concerning the corner posts remained unchanged.
A ball that makes contact with the corner post while not in the possession of a player will be deemed to be touch in-goal as before.
There was no attempt to remove the corner posts from the playing field as they are used to promote sponsors and are also a useful aid for players to judge their kicks.
The change was agreed by the NRL Board and approved by the
RLIF
The International Rugby League (IRL) is the global governing body for the sport of rugby league football. Previously known as the ''Rugby League Imperial Board'', the '' International Rugby League Board'' and latterly the ''Rugby League Internat ...
as an experimental rule.
Implementation occurred mid-season following feedback from clubs.
Scoring
* A try can be scored by grounding the ball on the try-line or in the in-goal area between it and the dead ball line.
* A goal (conversion, penalty or drop goal) is scored when the ball travels above the crossbar and between the posts of the goal which is situated in the middle of the try-line.
* A penalty try is awarded if a player is fouled in the act of scoring a try but doesn't ground the ball. The conversion is taken from in front of the goal posts.
* An 8-point try is awarded if a player is fouled in the act of scoring a try but still grounds the ball. The conversion kicks are from where the try is scored and in front of the goal posts
See also
*
Laws of rugby league
In rugby league football, the Laws of the Game are the rules governing how the sport is played. RLIF, 2004: 1 ARL, 2009: 1 The Laws are the responsibility of the Rugby League International Federation, and cover the play, officiating, equipment and ...
References
In-line
General
*
External links
Dimensions for rugby league – Government of Western Australia, Department of Sport and Recreation
{{Authority control
Rugby league
Rugby league equipment
Sports rules and regulations
Grass field surfaces