Penalties and More Referee Praise

The penalty in rugby, like the basketball free-throw or soccer's free-kick, is a momentous occurrence that can often change the outcome of the game. Particularly in the higher-levels of play, a penalty can give the opposing team the advantage they need to score an easy try or kick a drop goal. While yellow or red cards are infrequent in most leagues, penalties are quite common and thus should be studied. Players should be able to recognize how they can give penalties, what to do when they are given penalties, and furthermore in what few cases they should give penalties.

A penalty is given whenever a referee sees a player intentionally doing something illegal. A team may be penalized for fighting, unsafe tackling, trying to handle the ball while on the ground, trying to affect game-play while being offsides, or anything else that is a departure from the rules of the game. The idea that the infringement should be intentional is important because referees have the ability to waive penalties that are unintentional. As long as players attempt to play fairly and by the rules, they should not give up many penalties.

The team awarded the penalty may do one of several things. They may either set up a scrum on the spot in which they have possession, kick the ball out and take possession wherever it goes out, tap the ball with their feet and run the ball, or attempt to kick a field goal. In the higher leagues such as college and beyond, a penalty within 40 meters of the try-line is almost a guaranteed penalty-goal. Therefore it is especially important for players to not "give-up" penalties in their own halves.

There is a case when giving a penalty is advised. After a penalty the defending team must retreat 10 meters from where the penalty was given. If after a penalty a player on the attacking side taps the ball and attempts the rush at the opposing team before they have retreated the full 10 meters it is better for the defenders to tackle that player. When they tackle him, the referee will simply call another penalty, giving the defenders more time to retreat. This is advised because the alternative is giving up a try.

One important thing to remember is that a referee may advise players when they are about to or are in the act of breaking the rules. The referees are able to give players as many "chances" to break the rules as they want to based on player level and past experience. In this way the referee is generally seen by the players as a mentor figure, attempting to mediate good play rather than a punitive figure. In some ways, the referee is as much a player as the teams. This distinction in rugby, of which I have written before, is one of the definitive factors separating rugby from other sports.