In rugby football, the penalty is the main disciplinary sanction available to the referee to penalise players who commit deliberate infringements.
The referee signals that he has awarded a penalty to a side by raising his arm at 45 degrees between vertical and horizontal and blowing a blast on his whistle.
Equally, a referee may warn teams about technical infringements (especially at the scrum and ruck) before penalising them.
Many consider a referee's willingness and ability to do so as a mark of good officiating in that it reduces stoppages in the game and allows it to "flow".
If a kick is taken, the side that the penalty was awarded against must retreat 10 metres (or to their goal line if closer).