The game of Rugby league Australia is a popular pastime with people across the country. It’s a great way to keep fit and have fun with friends.
However, there are some things you need to know before you start playing. This article looks at some of the key rules and terminology of the sport.
Table of Contents
Origins
The origins of Rugby League Australia trace back to a meeting in Sydney in 1907 when JJ Giltinan, Henry Hoyle and Victor Trumper organized a group of Pioneer players to break away from rugby union. They were joined by New South Wales player Herbert ‘Dally’ Messenger.
The new code quickly consolidated its position in Sydney and established club premierships, interstate matches and international fixtures. Eventually the NSWRL expanded to Brisbane and Auckland, New Zealand and introduced the State of Origin competition, which became one of Australia’s most popular sporting events.
Rules
There are many rules and regulations to know when you’re watching a rugby league game. It can get confusing if you’re new to the sport.
The game is a team sport with 13 players on the field and four on the bench. Teams can make up to eight substitutions during the game.
Scoring
The scoring system in Rugby League Australia is based on tries, conversions, penalty goals and drop goals. Teams score a try when a player touches the ball down beyond the defending team’s goal line.
The elite professional club competition in Australia is the National Rugby League (NRL). It is contested by 10 clubs from New South Wales, 4 from Queensland, 1 from Victoria and 1 from the Australian Capital Territory.
Offside
In Rugby League Australia, offside is a law that prohibits players from gaining an advantage from being too far forward. The specifics of this rule differ between the two major codes, but it is an important principle that ensures the balance of play and avoids a team having too many players in front of the ball.
In the NRL, offside is most often seen during scrums. It was a common practice last season, with sides deliberately standing offside to weaken the opposition’s attacking opportunities at little cost.
Tackles
In Rugby League Australia, a tackle is when a player holds another person’s arms or legs and then forcibly pulls them down to the ground. The tackle is usually done quickly and violently and may result in a penalty.
In addition to the rules of play, players must learn a variety of tackling techniques and use them correctly. In NSW, it is now required that children do not tackle until they have been taught the correct technique.
Line-outs
Line-outs restart play after the ball has gone out of touch. They can consist of three to eight players from each team, and are taken where the ball was last touched before it went out of play.
Rugby League and Rugby Union have four methods of scoring points: Try, conversion, drop-goal and penalty goal. A try is worth five points, a conversion two, and a drop-goal one.
Tackles in Rugby League are limited to six – if a team runs out of tackles or loses the ball by losing grip, it’s usually awarded to the other team.
Scrums
Scrums are the set-pieces in rugby league that are initiated whenever a player knocks on the ball. They involve eight players from each team who bind together and shove against one another.
They were once a physical contest that was a hotbed for violence and illegal infractions. However, over the years referees killed contested scrums by allowing half backs to feed crookedly making it impossible for the defending side to win the scrum.
Goals
In rugby league, points can be scored by a try, a goal or a penalty. A try involves a player touching the ball down on or beyond the defending team’s goal line.
The try is the main form of scoring in rugby league. But the game also developed other methods such as kicking goals and field goals (also known as drop goals).
