This is the one sport I don’t understand, so forgive the probably very basic question. When a team is advancing the ball, and a player gets tackled, they seem to be allowed to leave ball on the ground for a teammate. Presumably the defense isn’t allowed to grab the ball (since I see many opportunities to do so, and they don’t). So teams seem to move the ball pretty easily from their own end through a series of backwards passes, or balls left on the ground for a teammate to pick up after they are tackled. But then when they get closer to scoring, it looks harder to continue to advance the ball in this manner. Why? If the defense can stop an offense closer to its own goal line, why can’t they stop them earlier. Or, if the offense can move the ball so easily at the beginning of a drive, why don’t they continue to use the same methods to keep going until they score (instead of doing something seemingly silly like kicking the ball forward, often just to the other team)?
Sorry for the American football terms, as I don’t know the correct rugby terminology.
Whilst we’re waiting for someone with actual answers to arrive, I follow rugby league, a similar sport, and I don’t know why this is either. In league, the primary aim of the tacklers is to stop the ball carrier from getting rid of the footy, in union they seem to just let them do it.
As a simple explanation, if the attacking team is within 5 yards of the tryline, the defense have to stop them going 5 yards. If they are in the middle of the field, the defenders have to do both - stop them going 5 yards, and stop them going 50 yards. It’s no different to NFL defenses bringing their safeties up to the end zone line when the attacking team has a first-and-goal.
In this instance, when a player is tackled to the ground, he must release the ball (in practise, he is given a second or two to do so). The defenders at that time will try and leap over him to try and grab the ball - the point is, they can only do so from directly in front of the tackled player. At the same time, the teammates of the tackled player on the ground will form a defensive ‘shield’ over their teammate - with the proviso that they must also engage directly from behind the tackled player. This is called a ‘ruck’, and I’m sorry, but I do not have the necessary 500+ years to educate you on the rules and interpretations of a ruck and how they are applied - and I will probably be wrong anyway (in someone’s opinion).
You want to argue about ‘what constitutes a catch in NFL’? Yeah, imagine that, but 100x worse. The only thing you can be sure of if a referee blows his whistle during a ruck is that your team will be screwed somehow.
I’ve been watching rugby union casually, without having ever actually played it, for decades. It still baffles me. Football (soccer) is far more accessible, although it causes more arguments from a rules/laws point of view, as shown by the endless abuse and criticism of referees. That may just be because it’s a lot more popular (in England) though.
But I do know that in rugby union when someone is tackled, the tackler must release them immediately (or as soon as practicable), but is then allowed to try and grab the ball, as long as they are on their feet. ‘As long as they are on their feet’ is the important bit in most cases, because if they attempt to grab the ball when they are lying down, or on their knees, etc, a foul will be given against them, and since 99% of the time they won’t be on their feet, this is why it’s relatively hard to create a ‘turnover’ when a tackle occurs. It tends to happen when a second defender is in close proximity and can then grab the ball whilst the first is still on the deck. But at the same time, as said above, a ‘ruck’ will probably have formed, where the attacking side has more than 2 other players run in and form a shield over the ball to prevent the defenders from turning over the possession.
Most of the time the defending team leaves players back as the attacking team could kick down field. This means the attacking team have a numerical advantage to find a gap.
Close to the try line, obviously, all the defenders are in the line and the numbers are equal.
If a player is grasped by an opponent, but remains on his feet, then the player held does not have to release the ball.
Instead if a team-mate of the held player supports him, then a maul has formed. In this case both sides can push and drive up the pitch.
Once a maul has formed, you are not allowed to collapse it (i.e. bring players to the ground.) This is considered dangerous.
A maul is often deliberately formed from a line-out near the opposition try-line, when the attacking side try to drive over.
If a held player’s knee hits the ground (or he sits on the ground) then he is tackled, and the tackled player must release the ball immediately.
If he takes too long (usually about 1 second!), he is penalised for ‘not releasing’.
Now once a player and the opposition player holding him form a tackle, then both players must release each other and roll away. (If they don’t roll away, they are penalised for ‘obstruction’.)
Meanwhile other players from both sides can run in and try to acquire the ball.
If only one player gets there first, they can pick up the ball.
However once at least one player from each side arrives, then a ruck has formed.
Now all players must use their feet only to drag the ball backwards before picking it up.
Players who specialise in arriving at a tackle quickly are known as ‘jackals’ and are highly prized as they can:
gain possession
force a penalty against the opposition
slow down the original team getting on with the game
Rugby League was formed as a breakaway from Rugby Union so that players could be paid. (Rugby Union was strictly amateur both then and for a long time afterwards.)
The two main differences are that in Rugby League:
there are only 13 players per side (as opposed to 15)
when a player is tackled, he does NOT release the ball*
*a side is allowed to keep the ball after a tackle 6 times - then possession passes to the other side
Yes, rugby union does have a lot of laws and can be tricky to understand.
May I recommend you start with 7-a-side rugby.
In my opinion this is the greatest sport in the World.
Because there are only 7 players a side, yet the game is played on a full-size pitch, the action is constant.
Every player has to be incredibly fit and be able to run fast, tackle, pass, off-load and use side-steps and dummies.
Also the ball is in play almost constantly - and there is far less confusion over tackles, mauls + rucks because there are so few players.
Thanks! I guess the one thing that prevented me from thinking of it like a football defense was the fact that the ball can’t be thrown forward, but it can be kicked. I think of a kick as such a low percentage play that it’s like a punt.
if you are defending close to your own try-line, you can kick directly into touch up-field and play resumes from where with ball left the field (with a throw-in to your opponents … but you have cleared your lines)
a short kick ahead into space* which your side chase (known as a grubber kick)
a long kick ahead into space* which your side chase
a long kick ahead which bounces into touch**
*i.e. no opposition players can immediately grab the ball
**if you kick directly into touch from outside your own defensive area, the play resumes level with where you kicked the ball (i.e. you gain no ground)
This is getting complicated - but the kick is an important part of rugby
