Rugby league gameplay

This article details the modern form of the game and how it is generally played today, although rules do vary slightly between specific competitions.

Depending on his exact role or position, a player's size, strength and/or speed can provide different advantages (or disadvantages).

The longer and higher the kick, the more advantageous, as this forces the team receiving the ball to return it from deeper within their own territory.

A short kick off may be employed to regain possession, but it must travel at least beyond the 10 metre line; they are usually attempted towards the end of closely fought matches when time is scarce and points are needed.

In some circumstances, the team in attack may opt to kick a one-point drop goal instead of attempting to score a try.

The defensive team carries out these objectives by: Favourable field position is an important aim in rugby league, a goal present in the minds of players at almost all times.

Therefore, the rest of the players on the team in possession must ensure that they are "on-side", and in a position to legally receive the ball by staying behind or in-line with the passer.

In that time, the defending team, with the exception of two markers, must move back a minimum of 10 metres towards their end of the field.

The "dummy half" is the term used to refer to the player who then picks up the ball and resumes his team's attack.

Part way though the 2020 seasons in both Australia and Europe penalties for defensive infringements at the ruck were replaced by the "six again" rule which gives the attacking team an immediate new set of six tackles.

Following the play-the-ball, defenders are permitted to advance to try to put pressure on the attackers and to reduce the distance they can make with the ball.

If a defender who has failed to retreat 10 metres interferes with play, then he will be deemed to have been offside and this will result in a penalty to the attacking team.

If no marker is present, the tackled player may "tap" the ball on his boot to start the next play, instead of the normally required play-the-ball.

If the ball is dropped forwards by an attacker and hits the ground or another player, this constitutes a knock on and possession will be turned over.

Because of these changes the scrum serves to simply remove the forwards from the play for a period, thus creating more space for the backs to attack the depleted defensive line.

For a successful 40–20: The team that kicked is awarded a tap-kick restart from the point that the ball left the field.

The 20–40 rule was introduced by the NRL in Australia in 2020[11] and the Super League in 2021[12] to further reward accurate kicking in general play.

For a successful 20–40:[13][14] The team that kicked is awarded a tap-kick restart from the point that the ball left the field.

The drop-kicking team might also attempt to gain possession by kicking the ball so that it bounces before going into touch; in that event they would be awarded head and feed at the resulting scrum.

If a team that has been penalised commits another offence (often by expressing dissent against the referee's decision), the referee may advance the position of the penalty 10 metres towards the offending team's goal line, and may also sin bin (temporary expulsion) or send off (permanent expulsion) the offending player(s).

[16] Usually when inside their own half of the field, an attacking team will use low-risk plays to attempt to gain metres while avoiding turning over possession.

Some teams use repeated dummy half scoots with the intention of playing the ball quickly and catching defenders before they are able to properly position themselves.

In addition to trying to break the defensive line with the sheer force of a hit-up, players attempt to breach the opposing team's defence through combinations of plays, using speed, passing and/or kicking.

The main drawback, due to the speed and bounce, is if the ball is kicked too hard it can go dead-in-goal, giving the opposition a 20m restart.

Its usage is more conservative and is generally designed to trap defenders in-goal, forcing a goal-line dropout.

The Dink - similar to the Belly Roll, the ball is dropped on the foot with minimal pressure and is designed to travel a very short distance, no more than a few metres.

The main drawback to this method is the kicker generally requires a deeper pass to allow them more time to set the ball correctly before kicking it which often puts attackers offside precluding then from legal involvement.

Late in the tackle count the attacking side will start to think defensively in anticipation of a handover,[17] also known as a changeover or turnover.

That is, whilst most kicks performed at this time will be primarily for attacking purposes, there is always a defensive element to consider.

This is aimed at slowing down play, which gives the players a rest and allows them to set up a good defensive position.