laws and rules in rugby

1}The laws of tackling Tackling is the only way of legally bringing down your opponent in rugby union. But there are certain laws on how to tackle and if these are not adhered to, penalties will follow. When you tackle an opponent, you cannot make contact above the shoulders. This is for safety reasons. The referee will instantly give a penalty if he sees a high tackle, and a few stronger words may follow if the challenge is deemed dangerous. Expect a yellow card and a spell in the sin-bin or a red card and instant dismissal for more serious offences. Other laws govern what can and cannot happen once a tackle has been made. 2}Knock-ons and forward passes Rugby union is one of the few ball games where the ball cannot be passed forwards. That means a player moving towards the opposition's dead ball line must pass the ball to a team-mate either along or behind an imaginary line running at right angles to the side of the pitch. The same principle applies even when players are not passing the ball. If they fail to catch or pick up the ball cleanly and it travels forward off a hand or arm and hits the ground or another player, it is called a knock-on. 'Forward' means towards the opposing team's dead ball line The same applies if a player is tackled and the ball goes forward. If a player fumbles the ball but catches it before it has hit the ground or another player, it is not a knock-on. When a knock-on occurs, the referee will stop play and award a scrum to the team which has not knocked on. If the ball is thrown forward at a line-out, a scrum is awarded 15 metres in from the touchline. If the referee decides a player has intentionally knocked on or thrown the ball forward, a penalty is awarded to the other team. And if the referee decides the other team would have scored a try if the intentional knock-on had not taken place, a penalty try is awarded. The one exception to the knock-on rule is the charge-down. If a player charges down the ball as an opponent kicks it, it is not a knock-on, even if the ball travels forward. 3}When the sin-bin calls This is a place you should avoid at all costs. The sin-bin is the bench where all players who have committed a yellow card offence sit out of the game for 10 minutes. If the referee believes a player has committed a serious foul or shown indiscipline, then he will show them the yellow card, just like in football. But unlike in football, that player must then immediately leave the pitch. They then have to sit in the sin-bin for 10 minutes while the game continues without them. It leaves their team a man down for a sizeable chunk of the game, giving the opposition the perfect opportunity to push for points.