| Haka: |
| The haka is a traditional Maori dance performed by the All Blacks, the international rugby union team of New Zealand, immediately prior to international matches. It serves as a challenge to the opposing team. |
| High tackle: |
A high tackle (or head-high tackle) is a form of tackle where the tackler grasps the ball carrier above the line of the shoulders (most commonly around the neck or at the line of the chin and jaw).
Executed violently or at speed, a high tackle is potentially instantly lethal and, as extremely dangerous play, high tackles are a cause for penalties, and yellow or red cards. |
| Hand-off: |
| Handing off (also called fend) is the action by the ball carrier of repelling a tackler using his arm. For the action to be legal, the ball carrier's arm must be straight before contact is made; a shove or "straight-arm smash", where the arm is extended immediately before contact or on contact, is illegal and classed as dangerous play. |
| Hooker: |
Hookers traditionally wear the number 2 shirt. The hooker is the player who is in the centre position of the front row of the scrum and who uses his/her feet to 'hook' the ball back. Due to the pressure put on the body by the scrum and the requirement to use both arms to bind to other players (and hence having no free arm to use to support or deflect bodyweight) it is considered to be one of the most dangerous positions to play.
Hookers normally throw the ball in at line-outs, partly because they are normally the shortest of the forwards, but more often because they are the most skillful of the forwards. |
| Knock-on: |
| It is also called knock-forward. A knock-on is when a player loses possession of the ball and goes forward off the hands or arms of a player and hits either the ground or another player. It results in a scrum with the put-in to the opposition. |
| Kick-off: |
A coin is tossed and the winning captain either chooses which direction his team shall play, or elects to take the kick that starts the game. Both halves of the match are started with a drop kick from the centre-point of the halfway line. The kick must cross the opposition's 10-metre line, unless played by a member of the receiving team. The opposition are not allowed to encroach beyond the 10-metre line until the ball is kicked.
If the ball does not travel 10 metres, goes straight into touch, or goes over the dead ball line at the end of the pitch, the opposing team may accept the kick, have the ball kicked off again, or have a scrum at the centre.
After a score, the game is restarted from the same place under the same restrictions, with the conceding team drop-kicking the ball to the scoring team. |
| Late tackle: |
A late tackle is a tackle executed on a player who has already passed or kicked away the ball. As it is illegal to tackle a player who does not have the ball, Late tackles are penalty offences (referees allow a short margin of error where the tackler was already committed to the tackle) and if severe or reckless may result in yellow or red Cards.
If a late tackle occurs after a kick and a penalty is awarded, the non-offending team has the option of taking the penalty where the ball landed. |
| Line-out: |
A maximum of seven and a minimum of three forwards line up parallel with each other between the five-meter and 15-metre lines. The hooker of the team in possession throws the ball in while his opposite number stands in between the touchline and the five-meter line.
All players not involved in the lineout, except the scrum-half, must retire 10 meters.
The ball must be thrown in straight down the middle of the lineout and the hooker must not cross into the field of play while throwing in. If throw is not straight then the throw is given to opposition or a scrum.
Jumpers can be lifted by their team-mates below the waist, but the opposition's jumpers must not be obstructed, barged or pulled down. |
| Lock: |
| Locks or second-row are the players wearing shirts number 4 & 5. Locks are very tall, athletic and have an excellent standing jump along with good strength. So they are the primary targets at line-outs. They also make good ball carriers, bashing holes in the defence around the ruck and maul. They also have to push in the rucks and mauls. |
| Line-out code: |
| It is a coded piece of information, used to communicate intentions about a line-out within one team in a match without giving information away to the other team. The advantage in line-out comes from knowing in advance how the throw will be made. |
| Mark: |
A mark is the place where the game will restart after a stoppage, such as where a scrum-offence or penalty offence occured, or on the touchline where the ball went out of play (or where the ball was kicked in the case of ball-back). Marks are generally defined by the referee, or the touch judge when the ball leaves play by the touchline.
Marks can also be defined by a defending players who execute a clean catch (catch the ball before it bounces or touches another player) of a ball kicked by an attacking player if the defender is standing within his/her own 22 metre zone or in-goal. To "call a mark", the player shouts "Mark!" as he/she catches the ball. The referee then awards that player a free kick which must be taken by that specific player. (If for whatever reason, that player cannot take the kick, a scrum is awarded instead.) If the player is simply a poor kicker he/she is likely to take a 'Tap Kick' and immediately pass the ball to the fly-half or full back who will generally deliver a clearance kick.
Marks can be called when the ball is cleanly caught following a kick by the opposition for any type of kick except a kick off or restart after a score. It is legal, though very unusual, to call a mark from a clean catch of a Penalty Kick.
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| Mulligrubber: |
| The mulligrubber kick is a style of kicking. A mulligrubber is directed towards the ground and forced to bounce. Often used in situations where either the ball needs to be placed in a specific position (i.e. on the try line) or to intentionally stop the opponent from being able to catch the ball on the full. |
| Maul: |
When a ball carrier is held up (without being tackled) by both an opposing player and a player from his own team, a maul is then considered formed.
The offside line becomes the last foot of the last man on each side of the maul. Players can only join in from behind that team-mate. Anyone who comes in from the sides will be penalised by the referee. Hands are allowed to be used in the maul. If either team deliberately collapses the maul then that side will be penalised by the referee.
If the ball does not come out in a timely fashion, the referee will award a scrum to the team that did not take the ball into the maul.
Mauls can only exist in the field of play. Play that looks like a maul can exist within the in-goal but restrictions on entry to the maul and the need to bind on to a team member do not apply. |
| Number 8/ Eightman/ Eighth-man: |
| They are the players wearing shirts number 8. It is the only position that is known only by the shirt number. Number Eights must have a good tactical awareness in order to coordinate scrums and ruck moves with the scrum-half. If the ball is at his feet at the back of a scrum, ruck or maul, it is normally the number eight's decision whether to pass the ball out or drive the breakdown on in order to make ground. |
| Number 8/ Eightman/ Eighth-man: |
| They are the players wearing shirts number 8. It is the only position that is known only by the shirt number. Number Eights must have a good tactical awareness in order to coordinate scrums and ruck moves with the scrum-half. If the ball is at his feet at the back of a scrum, ruck or maul, it is normally the number eight's decision whether to pass the ball out or drive the breakdown on in order to make ground. |
| Number 8/ Eightman/ Eighth-man: |
| They are the players wearing shirts number 8. It is the only position that is known only by the shirt number. Number Eights must have a good tactical awareness in order to coordinate scrums and ruck moves with the scrum-half. If the ball is at his feet at the back of a scrum, ruck or maul, it is normally the number eight's decision whether to pass the ball out or drive the breakdown on in order to make ground. |
| Offside: |
A player is offside when he/she is forward of the relevant offside line i.e. between the relevant offside line and the opposing team's dead ball line.
In a match, most players will be offside several times but they only become liable for penalty if they do not act to attempt to become onside (which generally means retreat downfield) or attempt to interfere with play.
In open play, only the ball carrier's team (or the team that last carried or deliberately touched the ball) is bound by offside - the offside line for them is the ball. (Note every player who passes the ball backwards is offside and must attempt to retire.) |
| Off-load pass: |
| A short pass made by a player being tackled before he reaches the ground, usually by turning to face a team-mate and tossing the ball into the air for a team-mate to catch. |
| Onside: |
A player is onside whenever he or she is behind the relevant offside line for the particular phase of play. Players who are onside take an active part in playing the game.
Previously offside players may be "put onside" by the actions of other players (for example, in a kick ahead in open play, players in the kicker's team in front of the kick are offside but can be put onside by the kicker or any other team member who was onside at the time of the kick running up the pitch past them). So that players can be confident they are now onside and can take an active part in the game, the referee may shout "Onside" or "All Onside". |
| Openside: |
| The broad side of the pitch in relation to a scrum or a breakdown in play. The openside flanker is expected to cover the cover the opposing team openside at scrum and breakdown. It is the opposite of blindside. |
| On the full: |
| If the ball is kicked into touch without first bouncing inside the field of play it is termed as ball is kicked into touch on the full. |
| Penalty: |
Penalties are awarded for serious infringements like dangerous play, offside and handling the ball on the ground in a ruck. Penalties are signalled by the referee with a straight arm raised in the air. Players can also receive red and yellow cards, as in Association football.
The offending team must retire 10 meters (or to their goal line if closer) for both penalties and free kicks. A team can kick for goal, tap and run the ball, take a scrum or kick directly into touch with the resulting line-out awarded to them. |
| Penalty try: |
| A penalty try awarded if the referee believes a team illegally prevented a try from probably being scored. Penalty tries are always awarded under the posts regardless of where the offence took place. (This gives the non-offending team the opportunity for the easiest possible conversion kick meaning that a penalty try is generally a certain 7 points for the non-offending team.) |
| Place kick: |
| The place kick is a kicking style commonly used when kicking for goal. It typically involves placing the ball on the ground. To keep the ball in position, a mound of sand or plastic tee is sometimes used. |
| Phase: |
| A phase is the time a ball is in play between breakdowns. For example, first phase would be winning the ball at the lineout and passing to a centre who is tackled. Second phase would be winning the ball back from the ensuing breakdown and attacking again. |
| Professional foul: |
| A professional foul is a deliberate act of foul play, usually to prevent an opponent scoring. |
| Prop: |
| They are the players wearing shirts number 1 & 3. The role of both the props is to support the hooker in the scrum and to provide support for the jumpers in the line-out. The props provide the main power in the push forward in the scrum. For this reason they need to be exceptionally big and strong. |
| Red card: |
In International matches, Red cards are shown to players who have been ordered off, which results in the player being removed from the game without being replaced. Players are usually ordered off for serious foul play, for violent conduct or for committing two offences resulting in cautions (yellow cards).
Red cards are also commonly used in non-international matches in precisely the same manner as in International matches but there is no regulation requiring their use. (i.e. in a domestic match, a referee may dismiss a player without actually displaying a red card.) |
| Round the corner kicking: |
| Round the corner kicking is a style of kicking used for kicking penalties and converting tries. |
| Ruck: |
A ruck is formed when the ball is on the ground and two opposing players meet over the ball. The offside line becomes the last foot of the last man on each side of the ruck and players compete for the ball by attempting to drive one another from the area and to 'ruck' the ball backwards with their feet.
Rucks commonly form at tackles, but can form anywhere in the field of play where the ball is on the ground.
Handling the ball while it is in the vicinity of a ruck is a penalty offence. (Though modern practice allows a player on the ground to support the ball with his/her hands and for the player who is acting as scrum half to 'dig' for the ball once possession has been secured.)
If the ball does not come out of a ruck after about five seconds, the referee will award a scrum to the team he considers to have been moving forward in the ruck. |
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