Foul play is doing anything in the game which is against the rules of rugby or the spirit of the rules. This is one of the most important basic rugby rules. Be fair, play fair! This rule aims to keep injuries to a minimum. Ignoring this rule is dangerous. It may result in serious injury to yourself or to other players. Foul play includes… obstructing opponents punching, trampling, kicking or tripping players tackling too early, too late, above the shoulders tackling a player when they are in the air doing anything which is unfair or dangerous.

That player is right where the ball is. Why don't they pick it up? It may be because they are offside. This is important in basic rugby rules. If they picked up the ball they would give away a penalty. Here's some basics… Aim to stay behind the ball. Make sure the ball and the player in your team playing the ball are ahead of you in relation to the opposition goal line. If not, avoid becoming involved in play.

Sometimes you accidentally mishandle the ball and knock it forwards off your hands, arms or legs. You are allowed to try and regain control of the ball. If you catch it again before it touches another player or touches the ground you can play on. Otherwise it is a "knock on" and play will be stopped. In rugby throwing the ball forward is not allowed. Passing the ball straight across your teams attacking line is ok. Passing the ball back towards your own try line is also ok. Passing the ball forward towards your opponents line is not allowed. The hands and any movement must direct the ball backwards (or level). If you intentionally knock on or throw the ball forwards you may be penalized. If what you did prevents a probable try, a penalty try may be awarded or a penalty also may be awarded.

The ball is kicked at the start of each half of the game and for all restarts. These kicks are taken from the halfway line or the centre. Kick-off at the start of the game. Kick-off when the game is resumed after half time. Re-starts after one of the teams have scored a try. Kicks taken from the halfway line must travel at least 10 metres. A restart may be with a drop-kick taken on the 22 metre line.

If one of the teams have broken a rule, a scrum maybe awarded to the opposing team depending on what the captain of the team wants. For example, if a player knocks the ball forward a scrum is awarded to the opposing team. Eight players from each team bind together in their own formation in a crouching position. The two formations engage each other head on to form one single scrum. The ball is then put into the tunnel between the opposing formations(by the scrum half) and each hooker from the opposing team will try “hook” the ball so their team can gain control of the ball.

Is the rule always fair? Examples of the rule not being fair? The knock on rule is overall a fair rule. But, sometimes there are a few examples when the rule seems somewhat silly because, if a player has dropped the ball by accident and they manage to gain control of the ball after, the referee still may stop play because no advantage has been played. Although, the rules state that if a player has dropped the ball, they are allowed to try gain control of the ball afterwards as long as it doesn’t touch the ground or another player. Why is the rule important for the sport? The knock on rule is important for rugby because, it helps keep players alert and also brings an element of fairness to the game. Could it be improved or changed? I don’t think so because, I personally think that it is a good rule and a easy rule to follow. Also, when I am playing rugby it keeps me alert because I don’t want to drop the ball and give the opposing team a scrum.

3 examples of some regulations in rugby are… Scoring system in rugby. Players equipment. Pitch and ball size.

A try is worth 5 points. A conversion is worth 2 points. A Penalty is worth 3 points. A drop goal is worth 3 points. You can also score a "penalty try" if a member of the opposing team deliberately obstructed the attacker from scoring a try but, this depends on what the video referees decision is.

Rugby players equipment consists of: Skull Cap to protect you head, Body Protection such as, shoulder pads to protect your shoulders from dislocation, Gum shields to protect your teeth and gums when in contact. They also wear shirts, shorts, socks and boots which are all standard rugby equipment. If rugby players are not wearing the right equipment, it may result in serious injury to themselves or to others playing the game.

There are many different brands of rugby balls but, they all have the same size and shape (apart from the mini rugby balls). The standard size of a rugby ball is a size 5 ball. In this picture, it is showing the dimensions of a standard rugby pitch set by the RFU. Any rugby pitch that is bigger or smaller than this is not allowed. This is a regulation that cannot be changed.

I will be assessing the pitch size regulation. Why do they have the regulation? They have this regulation because it is set by the RFU which is showing the dimensions of a standard size rugby pitch. Is the regulation useful? Yes this regulation is useful because, it is a guide to rugby teams all over the world so they know how to set the dimensions of their rugby pitches. Could it be improved or Changed? I personally think that this regulation should be changed because, in football, teams are allowed to set their own dimensions on their pitches (within reason) to that teams style of play. For example, Stoke City have a quiet small pitch. I think this should be also allowed in rugby, I think it will make the games more exciting to play and to watch.

In Rugby there are 4 officials… The main referee. The video replay referee. 2 touch line referees who are also the assistant referees.

The main referee: The main referee is the most important referee in the game. They make the final decisions. They also keep track of the time and they keep track of which player has been given a yellow or red card ect. The video replay referee: The video replay referee is in charge of all of the television replays. For example, if one of the teams have scored a try but the referee doesn’t know to award the try, what they would do is, contact the video referee via his headset and ask him to run a video replay to see whether it was a try or not. The 2 assistant referees/touchline referees: Their job is to assist the main referee in his decision. Also, they have to look out and judge if a player is in “touch”, if they are, then have to award a “line out” to the other team. All the referees are in charge of making sure that the players are playing to the correct rules.

The responsibilities of the officials in rugby are… The main referee and the 2 assistant/touch line referees have to exercise regularly to stay fit and to ensure they can keep up with the speed of the game. All the referees must be unbiast towards both teams and also they must be fair with their decisions. All the referees must be up to date with the latest rules and regulations. Finally, all referees must come prepared for the game with the right equipment. For example, whistles, stopwatch, note pad with yellow and red cards and linesman flags.