USER:MACRUSGAIL SANDBOX

The following is an alphabetical list of terms and jargon used in relation to rugby union. Rugby union is a team sport played between two teams of fifteen players. It is known for its rich terminology. It has sometimes been said that rugby union is a game designed more for playing than spectating, but it is now a sport which is watched by millions in most parts of the world. Rugby union is played in many regions which are widely dispersed geographically, and its traditional heartlands are sometimes at quite some distance from one another. Because of this, terms may vary from region to region, and although names are officially standardised, there can also be variation in hyphenation etc, e.g. lineout, line out or line-out can all be seen in various contexts. This glossary also includes slang, and colloquial usage, eg it is not uncommon to hear the word "rules" used, when technically rugby union has "laws" instead; and also historical and obsolete terms. Some of the less formal terms are often thought to be humorous or invented for comic purposes. Where words in a sentence are also defined elsewhere in this article, they appear in italics. ==

Abbreviations

Other abbreviations include:

10s: Rugby Tens
5N/5Ns: Five Nations
6N/6Ns: Six Nations
7s/7's: Rugby Sevens
22: The 22 metre line or twenty two.
25: The 25 yard line, now known as the 22 metre line or twenty two.
89: Eighty nine move
99: See main text
1(st)XV, 2(nd)XV: First Fifteen, Second fifteen etc
A: e.g. Scotland A, the second team after the main one.
A.: (Points) A(gainst), often used in tables; Away
Ac./Acad.: Academicals, common suffix in some FP clubs.
AC: Athletic Club in team names
AS: in French names
ARFU:
B: e.g. Scotland B, the third team after the main one.
Capt.: Captain
CAR:
CEO: Chief Executive Officer
Co.: "County" in team names.
Coll.: "College" in team names
CONSUR:
D: (Games) D(rawn)/D(raws), often used in tables.
Div.: Division
FC: Football Club (generally used by older rugby clubs)
FIRA:
FORU:
FP: Former Pupils
FU: Football Union, e.g. Scottish Football Union (SFU), the old name of the SRU.
GSFP: Grammar School Former Pupils, also GS
H: Home game; also rugby goalposts, from their shape
HSFP: High School Former Pupils, also HS
IRB: International Rugby Board
IRFB: International Rugby Football Board (former name of IRB)
Jun., Jnr: Junior (not usually age related)
L: (Games) L(ost)/L(osses), often used in tables.
Lge: A league
NAWIRA:
NPC:
P: (Games) P(layed), often used in tables.
Pk: Park
Pres: President
Pts: Points, often used in tables.
RC: Rugby Club, abbreviation more common in continental Europe.
Ref: Referee
RFC: Rugby Football Club
RFU: Rugby Football Union (common as part of longer names as well, e.g.

JRFU)

RL: Rugby league
RU: Rugby Union (common as part of longer names as well e.g. SRU)
RUFC: Rugby Union Football Club (generally used in areas where rugby league is also common).
RWC: Rugby World Cup
SANZAR: South Africa New Zealand Australia Rugby
Sec.:Secretary
Sen: Senior
Snr: Senior
TMO: Television match official
Univ.s: Combined Universities side
U of: University of (in team names)
US: in French names
v: Versus, i.e. "against", also "vs"
VII(s): "Seven", i.e. rugby seven side, in plural also sevens tournament
vs: Versus, i.e. "against", also "v"
W: (Games) W(on)/W(ins), often used in tables.
WC: World Cup; also the club toilet.
WR: Women's Rugby
WRU: Women's Rugby Union (also Welsh Rugby Union)
WRWC: Women's Rugby World Cup
X: "Ten", i.e. rugby tens side.
XV: "Fifteen", i.e. a side in standard rules rugby union. The French "rugby a XV" means rugby union, and "rugby a XIII" refers to rugby league.
XX: (obs) "twenty", a team pre-1871.
XXV: (obs) "twenty five", a team pre-1865.

A

Above the horizontal: One determinant of a dangerous tackle. Defenders lifting an attacking player off the ground to the point when their feet are higher than their head. Lifting a player this way can be a precursor to the outlawed spear tackle.
Abbreviated code: rugby sevens, and perhaps by extension rugby tens.
Accidental offside: When a player is caught offside by a sudden change in the game. It is not penalised if the player makes an effort to get back onside, and does not go for the ball.
Accies, Ackies: (Informal) Abbreviation of "Academicals" in various

team names.

Advantage: the period of time after an infringement, in which the

non-offending side have the opportunity to gain sufficient territory or tactical opportunity to negate the need to stop the game due to the infringement. The referee will signal advantage with their arm out horizontally, toward the non-infringing team. If no tactical or territorial advantage is gained, the referee will whistle, and give the decision that had been delayed. If sufficient advantage is gained, the referee will call "advantage over", and play will continue. The Advantage Law allows the game to flow more freely, and not stop for every minor infringement. An example of the application of advantage would be if Team A knocked the ball on (technical offence, conceding a scrum) but a Team B player picked the ball up and made a run forwards before being tackled.

Advantage is the period of time after an infringement, in which the non-offending side have the opportunity to gain sufficient territory or tactical opportunity to negate the need to stop the game due to the infringement. The referee will signal advantage with their arm out horizontally, toward the non-infringing team. The Advantage Law allows the game to flow more freely, and not stop for every minor infringement.

Advantage line: Also called the gain line. It is an imaginary line

drawn across the centre of the pitch when there is a breakdown in open

play, such as a ruck, maul or scrum. Advancing across the gain line represents a gain in territory.

It is an imaginary line across the pitch when there is a breakdown in open play, i.e. a scrum. Advancing across the advantage line represents a gain in territory. Also called the "gain line".

Against the head:
All Blacks: Nickname for New Zealand
All-Ireland: The island of Ireland, i.e. the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland considered together. Unlike some other sports, rugby union is organised on an All-Ireland basis, with no consideration for the border between the two parts.
All Whites: Facetious nickname for South Africa during apartheid.
Amateur: Rugby union was officially amateur until 1995. Professionalism was the main reason for the split with rugby league, and also a differentiation from association football in the early days of modern football codes. It has been suspected though, that certain players were in fact, shamateurs, i.e. pretending to be amateurs. A great deal of rugby union was still amateur, particularly in nations such as Argentina or Scotland, and amateurism in rugby union does not necessarily mean a player or a club is unnotable.
Angle: the geometric angle formed by an imaginary line between the

kicker and the centre of the goals (on the goal line), and another imaginary line perpendicular to the goal line. (i.e. for a player standing at a point on the field where they are on the line bisecting the goals at each end of the ground, the angle is zero.)

Anglo-Scot: 1) Scots playing in English teams, or based in England, 2)

English people of Scottish origin playing for 
Scotland

Ankle tap: or tap-tackle is a form of tackle. It is

used when the player carrying the ball is running at speed and a defending player is approaching from behind. Even if the defender is not

able to get close enough to the ball-carrier to wrap his arms around

him in a conventional tackle, he may still be able to dive at the other player's feet and, with outstretched arm, deliver a tap or hook to the player's foot (or feet) causing the player to stumble.

An ankle tap, also referred to as a tap-tackle, may be used as a last resort by a defender chasing the attacking player carrying the ball if that player is about to evade them and a conventional tackle is not possible. If the defender is not able to get close enough to the ball-carrier to wrap their arms around them in a conventional tackle, they may still be able to dive at the other player's feet and, with outstretched arm, deliver a tap or hook to the player's foot (or feet) causing the player to stumble. At speed, this will often be sufficient to bring the ball-carrier down and may sufficiently delay the attacker for a defender to complete the tackle or for the defending team to organise their defence.

Argy-bargy: (Scotland) Fighting or arguing on the pitch. Famously used by the television commentator Bill McLaren.
Around the corner kicking: Round the

corner kicking

Asian Championship:
Astroturf: Artificial turf, often used for training purposes, but not for official matches.
Attacking team: The team which has the ball, especially if they are within the opposition's twenty two. See also offensive team.
Auld Enemy: Scottish nickname for England. "Auld" is [[Scots

language|Lowland Scots]] for "old".

Azzuri: Italy, meaning the blues

B

Ba Bas, Bah Bahs, Baa Baas: (Informal) the Barbarians
Back, backs: Not to be confused with the back row.
Back line:
Back row: flankers and no. 8. The back row are confusingly, not backs
Back-rowers: (Australia) People in back row
Back three: The fullback and the wingers
Bagsnatcher: (informal) A nickname for a scrotum squeezer (illegal!)
Ball and all: tackle that prevents the player being able to

offload the ball to a team mate for them to carry on the attack before the tackle has been completed. This type of tackle involves preventing the player being tackled from being able to move their arms effectively.

Ball back: If the ball enters touch, then play is restarted by a

line-out at the point where the ball left the field of play. The exception to this is if the ball is kicked into touch on the full. In this case, a line-out is taken from the point from where the ball was kicked from, and not from where it entered touch.

Ball back is waived in certain circumstances:

- If the kicking player is inside his own 22m line when he receives and

then kicks the ball. If the player receives the ball outside the 22

then retreats back into the 22 and kicks into touch on the full it is a lineout at the nearest point on the touchline from where the ball was kicked.

- If a side elects to kick a penalty into touch.
Ball boy: A young person, generally male, used to fetch the ball, or

to get a new one for the players. Relatively uncommon in rugby.

Ball burster: (informal) An especially long or hard kick.
Ball carrier: The player in possession of the ball.
banana kick, banana bender: A medium-range kick

performed in general play that goes to off to the side of the kicker rather than in front, for chasers further afield. The aim of the banana kick is to be less predictable than conventional kicks and is named such

thus as the rise and fall of the ball is in a curve like that of a

banana.

Barbarians:
Barette: A game played in France by women, sometimes termed rugby.
Barracking: (Australian) Cheering or singing from the stands, not all flattering.
Barracks games: (Ireland, derogatory) nickname for "foreign sports" including rugby union from their strong connection with the British military and their colonial provenance. Also "the barracks" as in "go to the barracks" i.e. watch one of the foreign sports, or play it. See Rule 42
Beach rugby: A variant which is designed to be played on sand. It has fewer players than standard rugby union, but is popular in hot countries.
Behind: Lower score.
Bench, on the: If player is on the bench, it means that they are either a substitute, or they have been taken off. So called, because in many grounds there is an actual bench on which the players can sit.
Bent arm penalty: Short arm penalty
Between the posts: 1) When a kick is converted and goes between the goal posts and above the cross bar. 2) A try that is scored under the goal posts. While this has some extra kudos, it doesn't score any more points for the team. It does, however, make the forthcoming conversion much easier to kick.
Biff: (Informal) Fighting.
Big Eight: The early members of the IRFB, i.e. Australia, England, France, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa and Wales. It is to be noted that all but one of these were British colonies and members of the White Commonwealth.
Bigside:
Big Three: 1) Australia, New Zealand, South Africa also known as the Tri-Nations or (incorrectly) the Southern Hemisphere 2) (Wales) Swansea, Newport and Cardiff.
Bind(ing):
Blazers: 1) (Informal) Contemptuous name for people who run rugby

organisations, particularly if they are perceived as stuffy or snobby 2)

Some rugby teams have given blazers to their players

Bleachers: (Canada, USA) Spectator stands in smaller grounds. See

article

Bledisloe Cup:
Bleus, les: (Informal) France meaning "the blues", Allez

les Bleus! (go on the Blues!)

Blindside: The narrow side of the pitch in relation to a scrum or a

breakdown in play; it is the opposite of openside. The [[Rugby union

positions#6. Blindside flanker & 7. Openside flanker|blindside

flanker]] is expected to cover the opposing team blindside at scrum and breakdown.

Blitz defence: The blitz defence is a defensive technique similar to

the defence used in rugby league. It relies on the whole defensive line moving forward towards their marked man as one, as soon as the ball

leaves the base of a ruck or maul. The charge is usually led by
the 
inside 
centre. The idea of this technique is to prevent the attacking team

gaining any ground by tackling them behind the gain line and forcing interceptions and charged down kicks. However, the defending team can be

vulnerable to chip kicks and any player breaking the defensive line

will have lots of space to play because the defence are running the other way and must stop, turn and chase.

Blocking: This is when a player obstructs another player's path with

his body. If the other player is a ball carrier, the player may attempt a

tackle. If the other player does not have the ball it is a foul in

rugby union.

Blood bin: It is also called blood replacement. A player who has a

visible bleeding injury may be replaced for up to fifteen minutes

(running time not game time), during which he or she may receive first-aid treatment to stop the flow of blood and dress the wound. The player may then to return to the pitch to continue playing.

Blood substitute/replacement: Someone brought on

to replace someone who is bleeding. A recent development.

Blue: Many meanings, but especially someone who has played for either

Oxford or Cambridge in England, or wearing a blue shirt. See also Azzuri, bleus

Body armour:
Boks, Bokkies: (Afrikaans Informal) Springboks, South Africa
Bomb: 1) (Australia) an up and under 2) (Informal) A long pass
Bonus points: Bonus points are a method of deciding table points from a

rugby union match. It was implemented in order to encourage attacking

play throughout a match, to discourage repetitive goal-kicking, and to reward teams for "coming close" in losing efforts.

Book, booking: (verb) To be penalised for fouling.
Boot: 1) A rugby shoe, 2) to kick, as in "boot it"
Borders Game: A nickname for rugby sevens
Boundary line: The touch line.
Bowl:
Box:
Box kick: This is a kick taken from behind a scrum, normally by the

scrum-half, in which he turns away from the scrum facing the touchline, and kicks the ball back over the scrum into the clear "box" of space behind the opposition to allow his own team to chase through and regain the ball in undefended territory .

Breakaway: An alternative term for a flanker
Breakdown: (colloquial) the period immediately after a tackle and the

ensuing ruck. During this time teams compete for possession of the ball,

initially with their hands and then using feet in the ruck.  Most

referees will call "ruck" or "hands away" as soon as a ruck is formed. Most infringements take place at the breakdown, owing to the greater variety of possible offences at a breakdown, for example handling in the

ruck, killing the ball, offside at the ruck and so on.

Broken time, broken time payment: (Historical) Broken-time payments

compensated players for the time they missed from work due to their rugby playing commitments. The use of these payments was one of the issues that led to the [[History of rugby league#The schism in England|schism]] of rugby football in England. Broken-time payments were

the original player payment system of the Northern Rugby Football Union
(the original rugby league governing body) in [[1895-96 Northern Rugby

Football Union season|1895]].

Bust, tackle bust: (Informal) Break through opposition defence or a

ruck, or slip through a tackle.

Butterfingers: (Informal) Someone who drops the ball, or knocks it on,

especially if they do it frequently.

<dt class="glossary " id="ball-carrying arm" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Ball-carrying arm

An instance in which a tackle can be judged to be complete is when

the attacking player's ball-carrying arm is touching the ground at the same time that a defending player is in contact with the attacker. <dt class="glossary " id="ball back" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Ball back

If the ball enters touch, then play is restarted by a scrum at the

point where the ball left the field of play. However, if the ball is kicked into touch without first bouncing inside the field of play (on the full). In this case, the scrum is taken from level with the place from where the ball was kicked from. The ball is given back to the team who did not kick it out of bounds; ball back is waived in certain circumstances:

If a side elects to kick a penalty into touch
If the kick took place from behind the 40m line and cleared the 20m

line before going out of play (the 40/20 rule). <dt class="glossary " id="banana kick" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Banana kick

<dt class="glossary " id="blindside" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Blindside

The narrow side of the pitch in relation to a scrum or a play the ball;

the opposite of openside. <dt class="glossary " id="blood replacement (obsolete)" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Blood replacement

See: Interchange

C

[[File:Leicester Tigers v Leinster - January 2008 (2) H Cup.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Corner flag]]

Caid: Another name for Gaelic football, usually referring to

precodified varieties in the south west of Ireland, some of which were similar to modern rugby. Since William Webb Ellis spent his formative years in Ireland, it has been suggested that he was trying to demonstrate caid at Rugby School.

Calcutta Cup: The oldest international tournament in the world

competed for by England and Scotland

Campeonato: (Spanish) Championship, used especially in Argentine

competitions.

Campo: (Spanish) a playing field or ground.
Can-Am: Involving both the USA and Canada. More often referred to as

"North America" or "NAm"(although this term excludes the other nations in North American)

Canucks: (Informal) Canada
Cap: 1) A selection for a national side, a player who

has appeared three times for his/her country has "three caps", originally named after 2 2) A commemorative cap given to a rugby player every time s/he plays in an international match, see also blazer 3) Scrum cap

Carrying code: (Historical) The prototype of Rugby football in contrast to proto-association football which was known as the kicking code. It also influenced Australian Rules football and American football.
Cauliflower ear
Caution: A player who deliberately or repeatedly infringes the laws is

cautioned, and shown a yellow card. A cautioned player is suspended

from playing for ten minutes sometimes by sending to the sin bin.

Cavaliers:
Cavalry charge
Celtic League: The old nickname for Magners League, because it

involved Scottish, Welsh and Irish sides.

[[Rugby union positions#13. Outside centre & 12. Inside

centre|Centres]]: They are the players wearing shirts numbers 12 & 13. They are divided into inside and outside centre.

Centre three quarter: Positions number 12 and 13 in the backs
Centring the ball:
Challenge:
Champagne rugby: (Informal)

Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

<dt class="glossary " id="dummy runner" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Dummy runner

Another offensive tactic; a player on the attacking team runs towards

the opposition as if running onto a pass, only for the ball to be passed to another player, carried on by the ball carrier or kicked forwards. As with a dummy pass, this tactic draws defenders away from the ball and creates space for the attacking team <dt class="glossary " id="dump tackle" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Dump tackle

It is a tackling technique. The tackler

wraps his arms around the ball carrier's thighs and lifts him a short distance in the air before forcibly driving him to the ground. The tackler must go to ground with the ball carrier for the tackle to be legal. This technique is useful to completely stop the opponent in his tracks. A dump tackle which drops the ball carrier on his head or neck is known as a spear tackle, and will almost invariably concede a penalty and possibly result in a caution for the tackler.

E

Eagles: (Informal) Nickname for USA
Earpiece: High level referees generally have an earpiece and a

microphone to communicate with officials off the pitch, particularly video refs.

Egg: (Informal) A rugby ball, owing to its shape.
Eggball: (Informal) A nickname for the game of rugby, particularly in

contrast to association football which uses a round ball.

Eightman, Eighth-man: (Regional, especially South Africa) Number

Eight

Eighty nine move: An "89" or eight-nine move is a phase following a

scrum, in which the number 8 picks up the ball and transfers it
to 
number 9 (scrum half).

Emerging nations, Emergent nations: Countries in which rugby is not as strong as it might be. Some of these countries, such as Japan, have in fact been playing rugby since the 19th century. A common problem that these countries face is having their best players poached by more successful countries' national and domestic teams.
End line: Tryline
Engage: Crouch, pause, engage
English rugger: (Canada, historical informal) Rugby union as opposed to Canadian football, a gridiron code which developed from it. “English rugger” was traditionally popular in British Columbia and the Maritimes, at either end of Canada.<canadiana> Some of the governing bodies of Canadian football were even known as Rugby Football Unions.
Exiles: Clubs based in London, which were originally based on

non-English players. London Scottish, London Irish and London Welsh are the best known, but there are others.

Expats: (Informal) Expatriates. Sometimes used for teams made up

of/set up by foreigners in any given country.

Experimental law variations: Stellenbosch Laws
Eye gouging: A foul where a player sticks their finger(s) into

another's eyes. Dangerous play which is severely penalised, and may result in legal prosecution.

Extra time:

F

Fair catch:
Falcon: an accidental knock to the head.
Fantasy : (Informal) used as a prefix for "fantasy league", "fantasy

XV" etc, in which fans get to invent non-existent teams or tournaments of their own choosing.

Fédérale: Name given to various high level amateur leagues in France,

e.g. Fédérale 1 (Le championnat de France de première division fédérale)

Federation: Used on continental Europe, notably France and Italy, to

refer to a national governing body, whereas "Union" is more favoured in English speaking countries.

Feed, Feed the scrum:
Feeder club: Feeder clubs are usually amateur clubs which help develop rugby in an area, and which "feed" the local professional sides with their best players.
Feeder nation: A nation which either has a low population, or player base, or a weak economy. Because of these factors, the best rugby players from the feeder nation often end up playing in the clubs of the stronger nation, or even occasionally in its national team. Examples of "feeder nations" include the smaller Pacific nations of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, which "feed" Australia and New Zealand; Namibia and Zimbabwe, which "feed" South Africa; former or current French colonies, and continental neighbours of France, which "feed" the French rugby establishment. See also emerging nation, minnow.
Fend: Hand off. Fending 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,where the arm is extended immediately before contact or on contact, is illegal and classed as dangerous play.
Field: A commonly used synonym for pitch. To take the field, means

to be sent on, often as a replacement.

Field goal: drop goal
Field of play: The area between the trylines and the touchlines in which the ball can be played.
Fifteen: (Often seen as XV) The numbers of players in a team, often used as a shorthand

for the team itself. Before 1875, there were twenty players. There are other variants of rugby which use seven or ten players.

Fifteen-a-side: The full game of rugby union as opposed to sevens or tens.
Final, Finals:
Final whistle: Often used to refer to the end of the game, when the

referee blows his whistle; full time.

First XV: A club's best team. Clubs often have two or three teams, or

more, depending on their circumstances.

First five eighth: Fly half
First Row:
Fish-hooking: A foul involving gouging of the eyes or mouth etc.
Fisticuffs: (Informal) fighting
Five metre scrum, Scrum-five: When a scrum offence is committed within

5m of either try line, or a player carries the ball over his own try

line and touches it down, the referee will award a scrum on the five metre line; this is to prevent all but the most brutal packs from driving the ball over the try line within the scrum.

Five Nations, Five Nations Championship: 1) (historical) Europe, a

tournament between England, France, Ireland Scotland and Wales, which was the precursor of the contemporary Six Nations Championship: 2) Asia

Fixture: The date, time and location of a particular match. If it is cancelled then the fixture is not played.
Flag: 1) A touch flag 2) American Flag Rugby, an American form of

the game designed for coaching children.

[[Rugby union positions#6. Blindside flanker .26 7. Openside

flanker|Flanker]]: Also known as breakaways or wing forwards. They are the players wearing shirts numbers 6 & 7. They are the players with the fewest set responsibilities. The player should have all round attributes: speed, strength, fitness, tackling and handling skills. Flankers are always involved in the game, as they are the real ball winners at the breakdown, especially the number 7. The two flankers do not usually bind to the scrum in a fixed position. Instead, the openside flanker will attach to the scrum on whichever side is further from the nearer touchline, while the blindside flanker attaches himself to the scrum on the side closer to the touchline.

Flick pass, flick:
Flip: a) Coin toss
Fly-hack
Fly half or five-eighth: Also

referred to by a number of different names, they are the players wearing

shirt number 10. This position is one of the most influential on the

pitch. The fly-half makes key tactical decisions during a game. Generally a fly-half is also the goal kicker due to excellent kicking skills.

Flying kick: kicking the ball from where it

is loose under circumstances other than its having been placed there or
dropped from the kicker's hands to be kicked.

Fly-kick:
Float:
Football, footy, footie: 1) Traditionally used of rugby, and rugby

play, but increasingly used to refer to association football or soccer. In North America, Ireland and Australia, this can refer to indigenous football codes. Despite folk etymology, it does not mean a ball kicked by foot originally, but one carried on foot (as opposed to on horseback, or with a stick/club etc) 2) The rugby ball itself.

Football Club: Football Club or FC is a suffix often used by older rugby clubs to refer to

themselves, eg West of Scotland Football Club. Now more commonly "RFC" or "Rugby Football Club", as the term "football" is being monopolised by association football.

Footballer: A rugby player. Still in relatively common use, but in decline.
Forces Rugby: Rugby teams from the military, especially the army. There are forces rugby tournaments. Not all forces rugby is in the Commonwealth: the People's Liberation Army in China also plays.
Foreign sports: (Ireland) The GAA, an Irish nationalist sporting body deemed games of non-Irish origin such as rugby union, rugby league, soccer and cricket, as "foreign sports" or "foreign games". They were seen to be in competition with Gaelic Games in Ireland during the GAA's formative years, and also as colonial impositions. Their perceived connection with the British military in Irish nationalist circles also led to them being referred to as "Barracks Games". Some of these "foreign sports", including international rugby union were traditionally played in Lansdowne Road stadium. See also
Former Pupils: Former Pupils clubs, or FP, are clubs set up for the alumni of various schools. Most are now open. There is some controversy about FP clubs, as most are based around private schools, and are said to perpetuate snobbery in rugby union and hinder local development.
Forward:
Forward pass: A foul where the ball is passed to a player in front of

you, rather than behind. [[Forward pass#Rugby league and union|Forward pass]]. It is an integral part of [[American football|American]] and Canadian football, but illegal in both forms

of rugby. It is called a throw-forward in the laws of the game. A forward pass occurs when the ball fails to travel backwards in a pass.  If the ball is not thrown or passed forward but it bounces forward after hitting a player or the ground, it is not a throw-forward.If the referee deems it accidental, this results in a scrum to the opposing team, however deliberate forward passes result in the award of a penalty. See also knock on.

Foul, foul play: An infringement of the laws.
Fourth official: Someone who controls replacements and substitutes. He

may also substitute for referee or touch judge in case of injury to

either of them.

Free or Free-in: normal means of restarting play by the

non-offending team after a foul.

Free gangway: (Informal) Since professionalisation this refers to the ability of players to come from rugby league, or go to it and come back, without fear of disqualification.
Free-kick: Also called short arm

penalty. This is a lesser form of the penalty, usually awarded to a team for a technical offence committed by the opposing side such as numbers at the line-out or time wasting at a scrum. A free kick is also awarded for calling a mark. A team cannot kick for goal and the normal 22m rule applies for kicking for position from a free kick. A Free Kick is signalled by the referee with a bent arm raised in the air.

Friendly: A game played by invitation, not as part of an organised

tournament or league.

Front five:
Front Row:
Fullback: no 15. a very

important defender. They are the player wearing jersey number 15. They act as the last line of defence against running attacks by the opposing three-quarter backs. The full back is expected to field high kicks from the opposition, and reply with a superior kick or a counterattack. The full back is sometimes the specialist goal-kicker in a team, taking penalty and conversion kicks.

Full-time: the end of the match, usually marked by the referee's

whistle.

Fumble: To lose hold of the ball.

<dt class="glossary " id="falcon" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Falcon

An instance of the ball coming into contact with a person's head.

<dt class="glossary " id="feed" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Feed

See: Loose head and feed

<dt class="glossary " id="feeding the scrum" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Feeding the scrum

To roll the ball into the scrum.^[1]

Technically, the ball should enter the scrum via the tunnel formed by

the front row forwards of the two teams binding together, with both teams able to strike for the ball, but a relaxed application of the rule is practised. The relaxed application allows players to roll the ball more directly into their team's side of the scrum thus reducing the chances of the other team successfully striking for the ball and gaining possession of it.

"Feeding!" is an ironic accusation sometimes called out by spectators

of a game in response to a player taking advantage of the modern application of the rule. <dt class="glossary " id="fend" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Fend

Fending is the action by the ball carrier of repelling a tackler using

his arm, also known as a "hand off". 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. <dt class="glossary " id="field of play" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Field of play

"The area bounded by, but not including, the touch lines and goal

lines".^[2] <dt class="glossary " id="flat" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Flat

A style of attacking play characterised by a lack of depth along the

line of attacking players. More of the attacking team are in close proximity to defenders. The attackers look to take advantage of weaknesses created if defenders cannot organise themselves and allocate defenders to where they are needed. Weaknesses of this style of play include risk of passes being intercepted and a lack of speed in the attacking line. <dt class="glossary " id="flat pass" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Flat pass

This type of pass involves the player in possession of

the ball and a team mate being level when the pass is received. The player about to receive the ball may be running past the ball-carrier aiming for a gap in the defence; with this there is a risk of committing a forward pass if the players get their timing wrong. <dt class="glossary " id="flop" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Flop

An attempt by a player not involved in the completion of a tackle to

delay the player in possession from getting to their feet quickly afterwards by falling on top of those involved. The referee can award a penalty to the attacking team when he sees this tactic. <dt class="glossary " id="forward pass" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Forward pass

A forward pass is deemed to have occurred when the ball travels forward

relative to the player passing it.^[3] If the referee deems a forward pass to be accidental, this results in a scrum to the opposing team.^[3] Deliberate forward passes identified by the referee will result in the award of a penalty.^[3] It is extremely rare for a referee to deem a forward pass deliberate. If, during a non-forward pass, the ball is blown or bounces forward, it is not classed as a forward pass.^[3] <dt class="glossary " id="foul play" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Foul play

A non-technical breach of the rules such as a high

tackle. <dt class="glossary " id="fullback" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Fullback

The title of full back

(numbered 1) comes from the full back's defensive position where the player drops out of the defensive line to cover the rear from kicks and runners breaking the line. They therefore usually are good ball catchers and clinical tacklers. In attack the full back will typically make runs into the attack or support a runner in anticipation of a pass out of the tackle.

G

Gainline: The gain line is an imaginary line drawn

across the centre of the pitch when there is a breakdown in open play, such as a ruck, maul or scrum. Advancing across the gain line represents a gain in territory.

Garryowen: an "up 'n' under" after the Irish club Garryowen FC. A

Garryowen or up and under kick, is a high short punt onto or behind the defending team.

Girls, Girlies: (informal) Contemptuous term for backs, used by forwards.

See also "uglies".

Gleneagles Agreement: (Historical) In 1977, Commonwealth

Presidents and Prime Ministers agreed, as part of their support for the international campaign against apartheid, to discourage contact and competition between their sportsmen and sporting organisations, teams or

individuals from 
South Africa. With the end of apartheid this is no
longer in force.

Goal: A goal is scored when a player kicks the ball

through the plane bounded by the two uprights and above the crossbar. 2)

drop goal or penalty goal count for 3 points and

conversions count for two. 3) Goal from mark.

Goal from mark: (obsolete) Goal from mark is an antiquated method

of scoring. It occurred when a player " marked" and scored a goal from there. In the modern game, a goal cannot be scored from a free kick, but in the past the reward for scoring a "goal from mark" (which is a difficult kick to play) was three

or four points.  Occasionally referred to as a field goal.

Goal line: Try line.
Goalposts:
Golden Oldies: A form of rugby for older players, with modified rules
Go north: (especially in Wales) in amateur rugby union days, this meant to go

and play rugby league.

Go to the "Barracks": (Ireland, informal) For a player of [[Gaelic

Games]] (especially Gaelic football) to go and play rugby, or other "foreign games". Formerly frowned on, now quite common. See also Rule 42

Goose Step: Change in running style from a sprint to high kicking in

order to slow down a defender only to sprint once defender has slowed down.

Gorilla: (Informal) a large player, usually a forward, especially a prop.
Gouging: Eye gouging
Grand slam: This is when one of the teams beats all the others in a

tournament or league, in addition to winning the competition overall.

Grapple tackle: A high tackle, usually illegal, whereby the

tackler attempts to impede the ball carrier by applying a chokehold-like

grip.

Grip:
Grounding: When the ball is touched to the ground. A ball has to be

grounded by the ball carrier for a try to be allowed. It cannot be bounced off the ground as in American or Canadian football.

Groundsman: A workman employed by a rugby club to insure that the pitch is well maintained. This usually involves looking after the grass on the pitch, painting lines, ensuring it is properly drained etc.
Group: An alternative word for a pool.
Group of Death: Is an informal sobriquet used in to describe a

situation that often occurs during the group stage of a tournament, where either (1) any team in the group could qualify and any team could be eliminated, or (2) more teams have a legitimate chance to advance to the next stage than allowed by the tournament structure. Typically, a group of death will see an unusual match-up of heavyweight sides, due to a quirk in the seeding system.

Grubber |Grubber kick, grubber: A kick

in which the ball flies and bounces low to the ground, rather than a

high one. Also mulligrubber or daisy cutter. It is a type of kick which makes the ball roll and tumble across the ground, producing irregular bounces making it hard for the defending team to pick up the ball without causing a knock-on. It gives the ball both high and low bounce and on occasions, the ball can sit up in a perfect catching position.

Guard: Protective equipment such as mouthguards and

shinguards.

Guernsey: Rugby shirt.
Gumguard: A mouthguard.

<dt class="glossary " id="gain line" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Gain line

See Advantage line

<dt class="glossary " id="goal" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Goal

A goal is scored when a player either kicks the ball through the plane

bounded by the two uprights and above the crossbar. A conversion or penalty goal count for 2 points and drop goals for one. <dt class="glossary " id="goal line" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Goal line

Two solid, straight white lines (one at each end) stretching across the

entire width of the pitch passing directly through the goal posts which defines the boundary between the field of play and the in-goal. As the goal line is defined as part of the in-goal, attacking players can score tries by placing the ball with downward pressure onto the goal line itself. The base of the goal posts and post protectors are also defined to be part of the goal line.

The goal line is often referred to as the "try line" though that term

does not appear in the Laws of the Game. <dt class="glossary " id="goal line drop-out" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Goal line drop-out

Awarded when a defending player grounds the ball in his own in-goal

area, is tackled with the ball in his own in-goal area, or when a defending player plays the ball dead (into touch) behind his own goal line. The defending team must kick the ball from their own goal line and beneath the uprights to a minimum distance of ten metres.

Note that if a player grounds the ball on his own goal line in a

tackle, he is regarded as being in the field of play, and play continues. This is contrary to the definition of a try, where the goal line counts as the in-goal area. <dt class="glossary " id="golden point" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Golden point <dt class="glossary " id="goose step" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Goose step <dt class="glossary " id="grapple tackle" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Grapple tackle

<dt class="glossary " id="great split" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Great Split

See: 1895 Schism

<dt class="glossary " id="grounding" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Grounding

H

H, Hs, H-posts: (Informal) Nickname for rugby goalposts owing to their

shape.

Hack: 1) 2) Hacking.
Hacking: Tripping or kicking the shins. Illegal, but part of early

game.

Haka: Māori war dance performed by the All Blacks

before matches. See Haka of the All Blacks

Half: 1) One of the two periods into which a rugby match is divided by

half-time 2) Short for fly-half or scrum half.

Half-back: Scrum half
Half-back pairing:
Half break: The gap in play between the two halves of the game, which

allows for a rest and a huddle etc.

Halfway line: The line dividing the two halves of the pitch.
Halftime, Half-Time: A break in the middle of the game, to allow the

players (and the referee) to rest. At halftime, the two teams swap ends.

Refreshments may be given to the players, such as oranges, water/energy
drinks, and there is usually a team talk and a huddle, while the

first half is evaluated.

Ham, Hammy: (Informal) hamstring. Generally used when a player

sustains an injury to this tendon.

Handbags, Handbags at dawn: (Informal) Jocular term for minor fighting

or arguing on field.

Handling: Skill in handling the ball.
Handing on: (arch.) passing
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.

Halt All Racist Tours: (Historical) Halt All Racist Tours or HART

was a New Zealand based organisation opposed to the racial discrimination practiced by South African rugby.

Hat trick:
Head north: Go north.
Helmet:
High ball:
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.

High Veldt: See Veldt
Home: Referring to a team's own ground.
Home International: An international between the Home Nations.
Home Nations: England, Ireland Scotland and

Wales

Home Nations Championship: A championship between the Home Nations

and one of the precursors of the Six Nations Championship

Home Unions: The (English) RFU, IRFU,

SRU and WRU collectively

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.

Hospital pass: Any pass that is made with a high risk of injury to

the receiving player. Generally made in times of panic or when there is
no-one else available. Called the Hospital Pass due to the high chances
of the receiver going to Hospital afterward.

Huddle: a grouping of players on the ground at the half-time

break, which is used to discuss tactics, and psych-up.

Hybrid sports: Hybrid sports which involve rugby union include Samoa Rules (with Australian rules football) and Cross code (with rugby league).

<dt class="glossary " id="half break" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Half break <dt class="glossary " id="hand-off" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Hand-off

See Fend.

<dt class="glossary " id="handover" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Handover

Upon a team completing their set of tackles they are required to

surrender possession to the opposing team.^[2] <dt class="glossary " id="head and feed" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Head and feed

Short for loose head and feed.

<dt class="glossary " id="held" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Held

The referee will call "held" to declare a tackle

completed if the ball-carrier is held stationary by defenders. <dt class="glossary " id="high ball" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">High ball

See Up and under

<dt class="glossary " id="high kick" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">High kick

See Up and under

<dt class="glossary " id="high shot" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">High shot

Another term for high tackle.

<dt class="glossary " id="high tackle" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">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. <dt class="glossary " id="hit-up" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Hit-up

Australasian term for crash ball.

<dt class="glossary " id="hold" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Hold

In competitions under some authorities, the referee will tell the

defensive line that it is too soon to advance on attackers at the play-the-ball by calling "Hold!". This call may be used by the referee as part of a sequence: " Move, hold, go".

I

Incomplete pass: A pass which ends up dropped, or fumbled, or which

does not reach the intended player.

Infringement:
In-goal (area): The in-goal or "in-goal area" is the scoring area

extending from each goal line to each dead ball line.

Injury time: Time which has been added to the end of the second half to compensate for time lost due to players' injuries.
In play: Referring to the ball, i.e. legal to play. See also dead ball
Inside centre:
Inside half: (Wales) Scrum half
International Rugby Board: The governing body of rugby union,

formerly known as the International Rugby Football Board. Based in Dublin.

Interception, intercept: When a player from the opposition catches a

ball which is being passed to another player.

Inter-pros: (Informal) Irish inter-provincial games
Intervarsity: portmanteau of "Inter-university"
Invincibles: (Historical)
Islanders: The Pacific Islanders, a multinational side.

<dt class="glossary " id="in and out" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">In and out

A running arc made by an attacking player. Often attempted by fast

attacking players once the main line of defending players has been breached when they are left with the last player to beat. The ball-carrier arcs their run further in field, attempting to create indecision in the defender, before turning towards the corner and attempting to reach the goal line first to score a try. <dt class="glossary " id="in-goal" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">In-goal <dt class="glossary " id="interchange" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Interchange

Each team may make a maximum of 12 interchanges from the 13 starting

players and four substitutes.^[4] A player sent from the field by the referee because they are bleeding may be replaced but should this happen the replacement will count as one of that team's allotted interchanges.^[4] Props are the most commonly interchanged players due to their frequent physical confrontations with opponents. The number of interchanges allowed may differ in local competitions.

J

Jaguars: South American Jaguars, team

mainly made up of Argentina players, but also including ones from Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay

Jersey: Rugby shirt.
Jeu Anglais: French, the English game.
Junior: A grade of competition for players not quite good enough to

play at senior level.

Jumper: 1) a player who jumps to win the ball in a lineout, 2) rugby

shirt.

K

[[File:Jeremy Staunton kicks a penalty 1 Wasps Perpignan.jpg|right|thumb|200px|A kicking tee can be seen just under the

ball in this picture]]

Kick-and-chase:
Kick for touch:
Kicking code: (Historical) The prototype of association football in contrast to proto-rugby football, which was known as the carrying code. Even so, kicking did, and continues to play a significant role in rugby.
Kicking tee: Small mount, often plastic used for place kicks.
Kick-off: The start of a game, and also the start of its second half. 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, sometimes using a tee. 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. However, in sevens, the scoring team kicks off.

Kick returner: a player on the receiving team who specializes in

fielding kicks and running them back.

Kilted Kiwi: (Informal) Facetious press term for New Zealanders capped

for 
Scotland

Kiwis: (Informal) New Zealand, named after a flightless bird

found in the islands.

Knock-on, knock-forward: 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.

Kolpak ruling:

L

Ladder: To go up the ladder, or down the ladder, means to go up and

down in the rankings of a tournament or the IRB international rankings.

Late tackle: Tackle after a player has released the ball. 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.

Lawbook: A book of laws or rules, which governs the playing of rugby union.
Laws: Rules. In formal rugby usage, "Laws" is the correct term rather

than "rules". Often referred to as "the laws of the game" or "laws of rugby union". Sevens and Tens have slightly different rules to the full fifteen-a-side game.

League: 1) A set of teams, often from the same area, or at least the

same level of skill 2) (informal) Rugby league as opposed to rugby union.

Leg up:
Lelo, Lelo burti: (Georgia) A folk sport similar to rugby traditionally played in Georgia. The Georgian team is sometimes nicknamed "the Lelos" after this sport.
Leopards: African Leopards, a multinational team
Leprechaun rugby: (Ireland) mini rugby
Level: Become equal in score.
Lifting:
Line-out: A maximum of seven and a minimum of two forwards line up

parallel with each other between the five-metre and 15-metre lines. The
hooker of the team in possession throws the ball in while his opposite

number [may] stand in between the touchline and the five-metre line. (Note, from August 1st 2008 the IRB is conducting a global trial of a modification to this Law which requires the opposing player to stand no closer than 2m to the other players in the line out.) All players not involved in the lineout, except the scrum-half, must retire 10 metres.

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.

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.

Lions: Usually the British and Irish Lions, but found in many

other team names too.

Littleside: The team on which the 2nd XV play, or the Colts, especially in schools rugby.
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.

Lock horns
Loop:
Loose:
Loose forward:
Loosehead: The loose head prop is the player who takes the left hand

position on the front row of the scrum. A loose head prop traditionally wears the number 1 shirt.

As the loose head has considerable potential freedom of movement compared to other front row players, the loose head can attempt to play various illegal techniques to divert the push of the opposing pack and is often able to illegally interfere with the ball in the scrum using his free arm.

Loosies: back row (loose forwards)
Lycee: (France) A term which properly means a type of secondary school, but which is preserved in the names of a few French rugby clubs. See also Former Pupils.

<dt class="glossary " id="late tackle" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">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. <dt class="glossary " id="loose carry" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Loose carry

A referee may decide that an attacking player did not sufficiently

protect their possession of the ball as they came into contact with defenders; this is termed a loose carry. This interpretation allows a referee to decide if they think the attacking player committed a knock-on or whether the defenders stripped the ball with intent.^[5]^[6] <dt class="glossary " id="loose forward" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Loose forward

The loose forward (numbered

13) is the only forward in the third (last) row of the scrum. They are usually one of the fittest players on the field, covering the entire field on both attacking and defending duties. Typically they are big ball-runners who can occasionally slot in as a passing link or kick option; it is not uncommon for loose forwards to have the skills of a five eighth and to play a similar role in the team. <dt class="glossary " id="loose head and feed" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Loose head and feed

A team awarded a scrum due to a mistake by the opposing

team is given the loose head and feed of that scrum.^[7] The "loose head" means that the prop closest to the player who will feed the scrum (put the ball in) will be a team mate.

In the era of fully contested scrums the loose head prop was able to

exert influence on the outcome of the scrum by protecting the ball, moving the scrum etc.

.

M

Man: A player, see also opposite man. For obvious reasons, used in male rugby.
Man of the Match: The single player considered to have performed best during the game out of both teams.
Māori: Someone who has played for the NZ Maori, a team representing native New Zealanders. Cook Islanders are also technically Māori, but their national team is not referred to as such.
Margin of victory: the total difference in points in a game, expressed as possessed by the winning team.
Mark: 1) 2) To keep a watch and follow your number on the opposite team.

Mark

A mark is the place where the game will restart after a stoppage, such as where a scrum-offence or penalty offence occurred, 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.

Mascot:
Match:
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. (Note that from August 1st 2008, the IRB is conducting a global trial of a modification of this Law which will allow players to deliberately collapse a maul providing the collapse is achieved buy pulling from above the waist.)

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.

Meke: A Polynesian war dance performed by teams from the region.
Midfield: Generally the area between the 22 lines, near the centre

line.

Midi rugby:
Mini, mini rugby: A form of rugby developed to coach young

children. It differs substantially from normal rugby. Also known as "dragon rugby" etc

Minnow: A minor team, often from a country with a small player base.

Often used in relation to the Rugby World Cup (after the small fish of the same name). See also feeder nation, emerging nation

Miss move, mismove:
Mouthguard:
Mudbath: A badly maintained pitch, particularly if waterlogged, or with not much turf left on it. Much commoner, of course, in amateur and schools rugby than in the higher levels of the game.
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.

Murderball: (Informal) Slightly derogatory name for quad rugby,

also a film of the same title.

<dt class="glossary " id="mark" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Mark

The mark is the place on the field where the referee awards a penalty

kick, free kick or scrum.^[8] <dt class="glossary " id="marker" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Marker

The defending team may position up to two of their players, known as

"marker(s)" at the play-the-ball opposite the tackled player and the dummy-half from the attacking team.

N

Nasal strip: Accessory which was fashionable during the 1990s. It was believed (questionably) to improve the player's oxygen intake and thus performance. It was originally invented to stop snoring.
New Image rugby: Mini rugby
Ninety Nine Call, 99:
Non-offending team: The team which has not committed a given foul,

and which is awarded a penalty as compensation.

North America: Or "NAm". Often used incorrectly in rugby circles to refer to Canadian and USA rugby exclusively. Almost every North American nation has some rugby presence, although it is somewhat minor in some cases.
Northern Hemisphere: This is usually used as shorthand for England,

France, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and occasionally Italy. Most rugby playing nations are in the Northern Hemisphere, including Japan, Canada,

the USA and the other European nations.

Northern Union:
No time: Referring to the fact that the game is over, or almost over,

and that there is no time to score.

Number 8: the only

position that is usually 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.

O

Obstruction:
Offence: 1) Attacking play. 2) A foul, or infringement of the rules.
Offending team/player: The team or player which has committed a foul
Offensive team: Attacking team
Off-load, 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.

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.)

Old Enemy: Anglicised spelling of Auld Enemy
Old Farts: (Informal) A contemptuous term for blazers or other

people running rugby, who are thought to be old, or behind the times. Famously used by Will Carling.

Old Rugbeian: Someone who went to Rugby School, see also

Rugbeian.

Onside, on side: 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".

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.

On the road: (informal) On tour
Open: 1) The "open game" means the professionalised form of rugby union 2) Some older rugby clubs were exclusively for former pupils of particular schools. When they dropped this exclusion and let other players in, they were considered "open". Many, if not most, clubs are now open from the beginning.
Openside: The broad side of the pitch in relation to a scrum or a

breakdown in play. The [[Rugby union positions#6. Blindside flanker & 7. Openside flanker|openside flanker]] is expected to cover the opposing team openside at scrum and breakdown. It is the opposite of blindside.

Opposite man: Used to refer to the player in the same position on the

opposing team.

Originals: (Historical)
Oxbridge: (England) portmanteau of Oxford and

Cambridge, in relation to their rugby clubs. Used often outside rugby contexts as well.

Out half: (Ireland) Fly half
Out of bounds:
Outside half: Fly half
Outside centre:
Oval: A rugby ground, which is also, or was formerly used for, playing cricket.

<dt class="glossary " id="obstruction" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Obstruction

Impeding any opponent who does not have the ball by tackling them or

obstructing them.^[8]^[9] The referee will penalise a player obstructing an opponent. A player is not required to move out of the path of another to prevent an obstruction. If two players from opposing teams are running in the same direction towards a loose ball they are permitted to shoulder charge their opponent.^[10] <dt class="glossary " id="offload" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Offload

An offload is when a player holding the ball is tackled, but passes the

ball to a team mate before the tackle is completed. (A tackle is not considered complete until one of the following occurs: the arm carrying the ball touches the ground while the player is still held by the tackler; the player's forward momentum stops - in other words, he stops moving forward - while still being held by the tackler; or the referee calls " held".) If a player passes the ball legally during a tackle - in other words, if he offloads the ball - it does not count as a tackle in his team's current set of six, and play continues normally. <dt class="glossary " id="offside" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Offside

A player is considered temporarily out of play if they are offside and

they might be penalised if they join the game inappropriately.^[8]

A player is offside when they are 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.) <dt class="glossary " id="one-on-one tackle" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">One-on-one tackle

One-on-one tackle is a colloquial phrase used to refer to a phase of

play in rugby league in which a single defender attempts to tackle the ball carrier. <dt class="glossary " id="onside" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">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". <dt class="glossary " id="on the full" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">On the full

If the ball is kicked into touch without first bouncing

inside the field of play it is referred to as the ball being kicked into touch on the full.

A player catching the ball after a kick before it bounces has caught it

on the full. <dt class="glossary " id="openside" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Openside

The broad side of the pitch in relation to a scrum or a

play-the-ball. <dt class="glossary " id="optional kick" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Optional kick

The optional kick is the instrument used to bring the ball back into

play.^[8]^[11] The team taking the kick may kick the ball in any way and in any direction.^[8]^[11] Except in cases of a penalty kick being taken, an optional kick is taken from the centre of the 20m line if the attacking team are the last to touch the ball before it goes over the dead ball line or touch in-goal line.^[11] An optional kick will also be awarded if an "attacking player infringes in the in-goal area" or if a defending player catches a kick in general play [[#On the full|on the full]] while in their in-goal.^[11]

P

Pacific: This term is used variously to describe Oceania, i.e. mainly the South Sea Island nations of Samoa, Tonga and Fiji, the local superpowers Australia and New Zealand. It can also be extended to include rugby in East Asia, especially in Japan, and Canada and the USA. There are many other rugby playing nations in this region, that are not necessarily covered by the term. Sometimes it appears in combination, i.e. Asia-Pacific.
Pacific Championship:
Pack: A collective term for the forwards
Pack down:
Pack leader: The leader of the forwards, sometimes, but not always

the captain of the team.

Palla ovale: (Italian) "Round ball", a term adopted in Italy

during the Fascist period to play down rugby's English connections.

Palm off: Hand off
Park, Parc (French & Welsh): a common element in the names of

rugby grounds, e.g. Ellis Park, Parc y Scarlets and [[Parc des Princes]]

Park keeper: A groundsman.
Pass: To throw the ball to another player on your

team. A pass is to transfer a ball to a teammate by throwing it. Passes in rugby must not travel forwards. There are different varieties of pass, including the flat, direct spin pass; the short, close-quarters pop pass; and the floated pass - a long pass which an advancing player can run onto at pace.

Pause: Crouch, pause, engage
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 metres (or to their goal line if closer) for both penalties and free kicks. A team can either 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 box: Sin bin
Penalty kick: If a side commits a penalty infringement the

opposition can take the option of a place kick at goal from where the infringement occurred (or, if the offence occurred when a player was

in the process of kicking the ball, the non-offending team can opt to

take the kick from where the ball landed which may be more advantageous). This is called a penalty kick. If successful, it is worth

three points.

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.)

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.

Physio: (informal) physiotherapist
Pill: (Informal) Southern Hemisphere nickname for a rugby ball.
Ping: (Informal) To penanalise a player or team for fouling.
Pitch: a field used specifically for playing rugby. Covered in grass

turf.

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 kicking tee is sometimes used.

Plate:
Player base: The number of rugby players registered with a local rugby union.
Playing field: pitch
Point: the basic scoring unit. Tries, conversions and drop

goals all have different point values.

Poms, Pommies: (Australia, informal) nickname for England or English teams.
Pool: 1) A group of teams in the Rugby World Cup, who play against each other in the first rounds. The winning team, and occasionally the second best team, then qualify to play in the quarter finals, and the other teams drop out of the competition. 2) The players available to a team's squad, and/or the player base.
Pop pass:
Position: a place in which a player plays relative to teammates,

and/or a role filled by that player. These are usually assigned numbers.

Possession: 1) The state of being in control of the ball, or the act

of obtaining the ball.. 2) The amount of time each team spends in control of the ball.

Posts:
Pro: (informal) 1) Professional, 2) Province
Professional foul: A professional

foul is a deliberate act of foul play, usually to prevent an opponent scoring.

Promotion: Going up to a higher division.
[[Rugby union positions#1. Loosehead prop & 3. Tighthead

prop|Prop]], prop forward

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.

Provinces:
Psych, psych-up: (informal) technique(s) used to get the players in mood

for the game, sometimes used in the huddle. Pronounced "sike up".

Puk Puks: (Informal) Papua New Guinea
Pumas: (Informal) Argentina
punt, punt kick:
Pushover try:
Put in: 1) feeding the scrum 2) Throwing the ball into a

lineout.

To form a scrum.^[8]

<dt class="glossary " id="pass" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Pass

A pass is to transfer a ball to a teammate by throwing it.^[8] Passes must not travel forward in direction from

the hands of the person passing. There are different varieties of pass, including the flat, direct spin pass; the short, close-quarters pop pass; and the floated pass - a long pass which an advancing player can run onto at pace. <dt class="glossary " id="pattern" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Pattern

<dt class="glossary " id="penalty kick" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Penalty kick

If a side commits a penalty infringement the

opposition can take the option of a place kick at goal from where the infringement occurred. This is called a penalty kick. If successful, it is worth two points. <dt class="glossary " id="penalty try" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Penalty try

A penalty try awarded if the referee believes a team illegally prevents

a probable try from being scored. Penalty tries are always awarded under the posts regardless of where the offence took place. <dt class="glossary " id="place kick" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Place kick

Q

Quad rugby: A game developed for wheelchair players, and only remotely related to rugby proper, also known as "Murderball". Short for Quadruplegic rugby.
Quaich: (Scotland) trophy in the form of traditional Scottish drinking vessel from the Scottish Gaelic cuach meaning a cup, e.g. Centenary Quaich, which celebrates Scotland and Ireland's common Gaelic heritage.
Quickie: A quick pass or set piece executed quickly.

R

Raking: 1) Deliberately raking one's studs over a player.
Rebel, Rebel Tour: Tours or players who undertook games against

apartheid era South Africa, when bans were in place.

Recycle:
Red card: Card shown to a player who has been sent off for committing a

serious foul, or who has been shown a second yellow 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.)

Ref: (informal) Referee
Referee:
Relegation: Going down to a lower division.
Repechage:
Restart:
Rest of Africa: Sometimes used to refer to rugby union in Africa outside South Africa. Nearly all African nations have some rugby presence. Teams which have qualified for the Rugby World Cup in the "Rest of Africa" include Ivory Coast, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Kenya has also been successful in international rugby sevens. Some countries in the "Rest of Africa" have also provided international caps for other nations.
Rest of Europe: Sometimes used to refer to rugby union outside France and the British Isles, and sometimes including Italy. Nearly all European nations have some rugby presence, in many cases nations in the "Rest of Europe" have rugby histories dating back to the nineteenth century, and sometimes earlier than the Big EIght. Teams which have qualified for the Rugby World Cup in the "Rest of Europe" include Georgia, Portugal, Romania and Russia. FIRA has played a significant role in spreading rugby in Continental Europe, as have rugby tours by club sides.
Reverse pass:
Rhodesia: Former British colony in southern Africa, which used to have

its own side. Now represented by 
Zambia (Northern Rhodesia)

and Zimbabwe (Southern Rhodesia).

Rhodie: Player from Rhodesia.
Rising star: a young player who is thought to be showing great

promise.

Road game: (USA & Canada) An away game.
Roadie: (Informal) A Rhodesian player.
Rolling Maul:
Round the corner kicking: Round the corner kicking is a style of

kicking used for kicking penalties and converting tries.

Rover:
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.

Rug, rugs: (Informal, often USA) See rugger
Rugbeian: 1) Someone who attended Rugby School, an old Rugbeian 2) An obsolete adjective related to the game of rugby, e.g. "the Rugbeian code".
Rugby a XV: (French) Rugby union, as opposed to rugby a XIII (rugby league) or even rugby a VII (sevens)
Rugby fives: despite its name, this is a form of handball, and not connected to rugby union, or league.
Rugby football: 1) A formal name for rugby, which can refer to either rugby union or rugby league, or sometimes both codes. It is also sometimes used to refer to the game before the Split. 2) (Canada) This term was historically used for Canadian football, and rugby union is distinguished from it by known as “English rugger”.
Rugby sevens: Sevens
Rugby tens: Tens
Rugger: 1) (Informal) An old nickname for rugby, which was once popular, but is now in decline. 2) (Informal, esp. USA) A rugger can refer to rugby players and also the fans themselves. 3) (Canada) An old name for Canadian football; rugby union was sometimes referred to as “English rugger” to distinguish it from this.
Rugger bugger: (Vulgar) Someone who is obsessed with, or who plays

rugby. Often used in contempt of the person involved, sometimes with undertones of snobbery. See also rugger 2.

Rug off: (Informal, regional) Kick off. Mostly an American usage.
Rulebook: Lawbook
Rules: Laws. Rugby union properly has "Laws" rather than "rules", but it is not infrequent to hear the term used informally in rugby circles.
Rule 42: A rule in the GAA's Official Guide which prevents [[List

of Gaelic Games terminology#F|foreign sports]] (including rugby union) being played on GAA-controlled property. See [[List of non-Gaelic games played in Croke Park]] for exceptions to this rule. In recent years, this has been relaxed to allow rugby internationals to be played in Croke Park etc. See also Foreign Sports, Barracks Games.

Runout: At beginning of game.

<dt class="glossary " id="red zone (obsolete)" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Red zone

In the past, in some competitions, the area between each [[#Goal

line|goal line]] and their respective 20 metre lines was referred to as the "red zone" and was marked using red lines. <dt class="glossary " id="ref's call" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Ref's call

The decision over awarding a possible try having been referred to the

video referee for examination may be passed back to the referee on the pitch to make the decision if the video is inconclusive. This rule is not used in the Northern Hemisphere. <dt class="glossary " id="round the corner kicking" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Round the corner kicking

Round the corner kicking is a style of kicking used for kicking

penalties and converting tries. <dt class="glossary " id="ruck" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Ruck

The ruck is located between the player playing-the-ball and the

defending marker.^[1] The ruck exists during the time between a tackle being completed and the subsequent play-the-ball being completed. The ball cannot be interfered with by the marker whilst it is in the ruck, otherwise a penalty will be issued against that player's team. A penalty is also issued against the attacking team if the player responsible for playing-the-ball, does not play it correctly.

Running play: fluid play not involving many rucks or mauls etc.
Rush: To charge at a player in attempt to get to them before they

can release the ball.

S

A scrum in standard fifteen-a-side rugby

Samoa Rules, Samoan Rules: A hybrid of rugby union and Australian rules football, using a rugby pitch.
Schism, the: The historic split between rugby union and rugby league.
Scissors:
Scouts: People who watch games to take players for other teams. In the old days this was common used for people who tried to recruit for rugby league.
Scrimmage: (historical, obsolete) An old form of scrummage, now

abbreviated to scrum. The term is retained in American football.

Scrum: The eight forwards from each team bind

together and push against each other. The scrum-half from the team that has been awarded possession feeds the ball into the centre of the scrum from the side most advantageous for his hooker (which is typically the side of [[Rugby union positions#1. Loosehead prop & 3. Tighthead prop|loose head prop]]).

The ball must be fed straight down the middle of the tunnel and the hookers must not contest for the ball until it is put in. If they do, a free-kick is awarded for "foot up".

The scrum is taken again if the ball comes straight out of the tunnel or

if it collapses. If the scrum wheels (rotates) due to pushing more than
90 degrees the scrum is reformed and awarded to the other side.

Pulling in an attempt to unbalance the other side or to assist in rotating the scrum is a Penalty Offence.

Scrum cap: An item of headgear, mostly worn by forwards, which helps

protect the ears and hair.

Scrum down:
Scrum-five: Five metre scrum, Scrum-five
Scrum half:

Also known as a half-back, they are the players traditionally wearing shirt number 9. Scrum halves form the all-important link between the forwards and the backs. They are relatively small but with a high degree

of vision, the ability to react to situations very quickly, and good

handling skills.

They are often the first tackler in defence and are behind every scrum, maul or ruck to get the ball out and maintain movement. They put the ball into the scrum and collect it afterwards. Scrum Halves generally also act as "receiver" in the line-out to catch the ball knocked down by

the forwards.  (The receiver is a member of the line out and so stands

within 10 metres of it and may join the line once the ball is thrown.)

Scrum half pass:
Scrummage: An old fashioned name for the scrum, which is related

to the term scrimmage used in Gridiron.

Season: a year of competition. Because of the global dispersal of the

game, and local climate, seasons. In the Northern Hemisphere, this often

runs from autumn until spring (i.e. overlapping two years), in some

countries such as those in the Southern Hemisphere it runs during the middle of the year.

Second XV: The second best team a club puts out. Many clubs have a

Second XV, but Third XVs are less common, and Fouth and Fifth XVs even rarer.

Second five eighth: inside centre (position)
Second row:
See you later: (Australia, informal) Stiff-arm fend
Selection: The players chosen for any given match.
Selector: A person who helps pick a team. Usually a team has two of

these, as well as a manager.

Selling a dummy: When a dummy fools the opposition team.
Send off, sending off: Dismissal of a player from the pitch after the referee shows an offending player a yellow card (sin binning or temporary send off) or a red card (permanent for rest of game). This is not to be confused with a player being taken off which is when they leave the pitch honorably due to injury or substitution.
Senior: The highest grade which a player can play at, not limited by age or ability.
Sent off: See Sent off
Set piece: Set pieces are forms of play in rugby which are dictated by set rules. Set pieces include: scrums, line outs, conversions and penalties.
Sevens, Seven-a-Side: Rugby sevens, a variety of rugby invented in Melrose, Scotland. It has seven players on each team, and shorter halves. It is now an Olympic sport in its own right.
Shamateur(ism): (historical) portmanteau of

"sham" and " amateur", in pre-professional days, players who were ostensibly amateur, but were being paid to play rugby in secret. Various

regions of the world were accused of this, as were police and military

rugby teams.

Shellacking: (Informal) To be beaten by a wide margin. See also drubbing
Shield: 2) Ranfurly Shield
Shirt: An alternative term for the jersey.
Shin guard:
Shoeing: At the breakdown a ruck commonly forms over the

players involved in the tackle.

Where players who are on the ground on the opposition side of the ruck do not move away quickly enough, players on their feet may be tempted to

"help" them move by pushing them away with their boots.

This potentially dangerous act is illegal and if done deliberately (or recklessly) may result in penalties and yellow or red cards.

Short arm penalty: free kick
Short game: rugby sevens
Shot: An attempt at a drop goal or conversion.
Shoulder charge:
Sidelines: One of the lines marking each side of the pitch. To be sent

to the sidelines used to be a synonym for being replaced or sent off

with an injury.

Sidestep: When a ball carrier dodges a tackle or opposition player.
Sike: (Informal) Phonetic spelling of psych
Silver Ferns: Nickname for NZ women.
Sin bin:

The notional area where a player must remain for a minimum of ten minutes after being shown a yellow card. In high level games, the sin bin is monitored by the fourth official.

Sipi tau: Kailao (war dance) performed by Tonga before

matches

Siva tau: War dance performed by Samoa before matches.

T

[[File:Dragons vs Leinster welsh try Celtic League 9 may 2008.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Try and try line]]

Table rugby:
Tackle:

A tackle takes place when one or more opposition players [tackler(s)] grasp onto the ball carrier and succeed in bringing him/her to ground and holding them there.

Once briefly held, the tackler(s) must release the tackled player who must then him/herself immediately release or attempt to pass the ball so

that play can continue.

Tackle bust: (Informal) To break through opposition defence or a

ruck, or slip through a tackle.

Tag Rugby: American Flag Rugby
Take:
Taken off: To leave the pitch. This is in contrast to being sent off which is penalisation for bad behaviour. If you are taken off, it is for injury or substitution.
Tape:
Tap kick: A tap kick is a type of kick used by players at penalties or

free kicks to meet the regulation that requires the ball must be kicked
a visible distance before a player may pass or run with it.

In a tap kick, the player momentarily releases the ball from his hands and taps it with his foot or lower leg and then quickly catches it again. The player will then generally try to run forward with the ball.

Tap penalty:
Tap tackle: Ankle tap,

Despite its name, a tap tackle is a not actually a tackle as the ball carrier is brought to ground by a form of trip, is not actually held on the ground and may attempt to get up and continue to run. A tap tackle is used when a defending player is unable to get close enough to the ball carrier but is able to dive at the other player's feet and, with outstretched arm, deliver a tap or hook to the player's foot (or feet) causing the player to stumble. At speed, this will often be sufficient to bring the ball-carrier down, allowing a team-mate of the tackling player to retrieve the ball or provide sufficient delay for the defending team to organise a defence.

Tee: Kicking tee
Television match official (TMO): Also known as " video referee". In

high level games, and internationals, the referee will often confer
with TMOs on possible tries, fouls etc, which he could not see clearly.
The TMOs use film footage from different angles to try and come up with
a fair decision.

Temporary suspension: see yellow card and sin bin
Ten man rugby:

^[16]

Ten Metre Law:

The Ten Metre Law is a form of offside which is designed to prevent injury to a defending player who attempts to catch a ball that has been kicked ahead by the attacking side.

In the normal Law of Offside in open play, it is possible for an offside

player to be put onside by actions of the opposing team.  This ability

to be put onside by a member of the opposing team does not apply if the offside player was within 10 metres along the field of a defending player waiting to catch the ball and the offside player remains offside until either he/she retreats onside or is put onside by a member of their own team.

Ten metre line:
Tens or ten-aside: Rugby tens, a ten-a-side variety of rugby invented in

Malaysia.

Test, Test match: International rugby

union matches with full (Test) status are called Test matches.

Third half: (informal) After match festivities, particularly drinking, and the club dinner.
Third XV: See Second XV.
Three Quarter: Applied to positions 11, 12, 13, and 14 in the backs
Tight five:
Tighthead: The tight head prop is the player who takes the right-hand

position on the front row of the scrum. A tight head prop traditionally wears the number 3 shirt. He is named the tighthead since in the scrum he will have an opposition player bind to both his left and

right hand side, meaning his head is unexposed to the side of the scrum
as opposed to the loosehead, whose left-hand side is exposed.

Tight loose:
Time wasting:
Tokyu: Japanese
Torpedo punt, torpedo: A kind of kick which rotates the ball

around its long axis, which is aligned with the direction the ball is travelling.

Total rugby:
Touch: touch rugby, also "in touch"/ Touch: Touch

is the area outside and including the two touch-lines which define the

sides of the playing area. As the touch-lines are not part of the playing area they are part of touch.

Touch in-goal:
Touch judge: The touch judge is an official who monitors the

touch-line and raises a flag if the ball (or player carrying it) goes into touch. Touch judges also stand behind the posts to confirm that a goal has been scored following a penalty kick or conversion of a try.

Touchline: The two lines going down the length of the pitch. If ball carriers or the ball goes over the touchline, a lineout is required.
Touch rugby:
Tour: A trip taken by a particular team to play outside their home

area.

Touring side: A team set up specifically for touring, either in terms

of its make up, or by being specifically designed for tours e.g. British and Irish Lions

Tourists: Players who are taking part in a tour.
Traditional: Usually referring to a country or area where rugby union

is well-established. Sometimes used inaccurately for countries such as Japan, the USA, or Germany, where rugby has been played since the 19th century, but which are not in the top rung.

Trick play: Any of a number of strategies that use deception to catch

the other team offguard. Famous trick plays include the dummy kick, scissors, dummy pass etc

Tri-Nations: pronounced "try nations", tournament held between

South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Triple Crown: In the Six Nations Championship,
Tripping: A foul in which a player brings another down to the ground

using the foot, or attempting to do so. This is in distinction to a tackle, ruck or maul.

Truck and trailer: A colloquial term for an accidental obstruction.

"Truck and trailer" occurs when a player carrying the ball leaves a maul, along with one or more of his teammates. Once the ball carrier leaves the maul, the maul is over, and if the ball carrier's teammates are in front of the ball carrier and prevent defending players from making a tackle, the defending team will be awarded a scrum. If the incident of truck and trailer is judged to be deliberate or the latest in a series of similar infringements, a penalty may be awarded instead.

Try: similar to a touchdown in Gridiron codes, but requiring downward

pressure. It is the primary method of scoring. A try is worth five points. It is scored when a player places the ball on the ground with downward pressure in the in-goal area between (and including) the goal-line and up to but not including dead ball line of the opposition's

half.  (As the goal posts and post protectors are also part of the

goal-line, touching the ball down against the base of these is also a

try.)

There is no such thing as an "own try". If you touch the ball down in your own in-goal area, it results in a twenty-two metre drop out or a five metre scrum.

Try line: 1) Two solid, straight white lines (one at each end) stretching

across the entire width of the pitch passing directly through the goal

posts which defines the boundary between the "field of play" and the "in-goal". As the goal line is defined as part of the "in-goal", attacking players can score tries by placing the ball with downward pressure onto the goal line itself. The base of the goal posts and post

protectors are also defined to be part of the goal line. 2) The goal line

is often referred to as the "try line" though that term does not appear in the Laws of the Game.

Tunnel: 1) 2)

When a scrum is formed, the gap between the legs of the three players from each team who form the 'front row' is called the 'tunnel'.

Turf: the grass playing surface.
Turnover:

When a team concedes possession of the ball, particularly at the breakdown, they are said to have turned the ball over to the other team.

 This can happen due to defending players stealing the ball from an

isolated attacker, counter rucking, a knock on, an intercepted pass or the ball not emerging from a maul (wherein the referee awards the scrum feed to opposing team).

Tuskers: Nickname for the historic East_Africa_rugby_union_team
Twenty: (Obsolete) a rugby team pre-1871, before the numbers were

reduced to fifteen, often seen as XX.

Twenty two:
Twenty-two metre dropout:

A drop kick is taken from behind the 22m line if a team touches down

in its own in-goal area but did not carry the ball over the try line,

or if the ball is kicked over the dead ball line from any other play other than the kick-off.

The ball only needs to cross the line, but if it goes directly into touch a scrum is awarded to the receiving team at the centre-point of the 22m line.

Twickers: A nickname for Twickenham Stadium

<dt class="glossary " id="tackle" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Tackle

The player in possession may be tackled by players on the opposing

team.^[9] It is not permitted to tackle or obstruct a player not in possession of the ball.^[9]

A tackle is completed when the player in possession of the ball:

Is held by a defending player while the ball or [[#Ball-carrying

arm|ball-carrying arm]] are in contact with the ground.^[9]

Is held by a defending player in such a way that they cannot make

"further progress" and "cannot part with the ball".^[9]

While being held by a defending player, makes it clear that they have

"succumbed to the tackle and wish to be released in order to play the ball".^[9] <dt class="glossary " id="tap kick" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Tap kick

A tap kick is a type of kick used by players at penalties or free kicks

to meet the regulation that requires the ball must be kicked a visible distance before a player may pass or run with it.

In a tap kick, the player momentarily releases the ball from his hands

and taps it with his foot or lower leg and then quickly catches it again. The player will then generally try to run forward with the ball. <dt class="glossary " id="tap tackle" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Tap tackle

Another term for Ankle tap.

<dt class="glossary " id="test match" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Test match

International rugby league matches with full (Test) status are called

Test matches. <dt class="glossary " id="touch" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Touch

Touch is the area outside two touch-lines which define the sides of the

playing area. As the touch-lines are not part of the playing area they are usually included as part of touch. <dt class="glossary " id="touch in-goal" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Touch in-goal

The part of the touch line that is inside the in-goal

area. If a team causes the ball to go into touch in-goal in their own in-goal area they must perform a goal line drop-out. If a team causes the ball to go into touch in-goal in the opposing team's in-goal, the opposing team will be given an optional kick on the 20 metre line. <dt class="glossary " id="touch judge" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Touch judge

The touch judge is an official who monitors the touch-line and raises a

flag if the ball (or player carrying it) goes into touch. Touch judges also stand behind the posts to confirm that a goal has been scored following a penalty kick or conversion of a try. <dt class="glossary " id="try" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Try

The primary method of scoring. A try is worth four points. It is scored

when a player places the ball on the ground with [[#Downward pressure|downward pressure]] in the in-goal area between (and including) the goal-line and up to but not including dead ball line of the opposition's half. (As the goal posts and post protectors are also part of the goal-line, touching the ball down against the base of these is also a try.)

There is no such thing as an "own try". If a defending player grounds

the ball in his own in-goal area, a goal line drop-out is awarded instead. <dt class="glossary " id="try-line" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Try-line

Otherwise known as the goal line, so-called because a

player has to cross this line to score a try. <dt class="glossary " id="turnover" style="margin-top: 0.4em;">Turnover

Another term for handover.

U

Uglies: (informal) Forwards, used contemptuously by backs. See also "girls".
Umbrella defence: A form of up and under
Umpire: (historical, obsolete) A Referee or touch judge. In the early period of the game, there were two umpires, one selected by each team, who would decide the results etc.
Under-18: A grade of competition for players under 21 years of age.
Under-21: A grade of competition for players under 21 years of age.
Underwater rugby: A game developed for playing in a swimming pool, and only remotely related to rugby proper.
Underdog: A team considered less likely to win a match or a tournament, particularly if it has been doing badly at the time. See also minnows.
Union: 1) Rugby union as opposed to rugby league; 2) the governing body for an area or nation.
Universities: A national side made up of student players.
University rugby: Rugby played between teams representing universities In some parts of the world, notably the USA and Japan, university rugby has been a traditional mainstay of the domestic game.
Up and under, up 'n' under: An up and under or a Garryowen kick, is a high short punt onto or behind the defending team.
Up the jumper: (informal)
Utility back: a utility player who plays in various back positions.
Utility forward: a utility player who plays in various forward

positions.

Utility player: a player who can perform well in different

positions.

V

Valleys, the: Referring to South Wales, one of the working class heartlands of rugby union.
Valleysman: (Wales) Someone from the Valleys.
Variants: Varieties of rugby union. Fifteen-a-side is considered the full game, but variants include sevens and tens (named after the number of players on each side), along with beach rugby and snow rugby which are named after the surfaces on which they are played on. Quad rugby (played in wheelchairs) and underwater rugby have a remote connection to rugby which is somewhat questionable. Touch rugby, is derived from rugby league, but is frequently used to train people to play rugby union. Rugby fives is not a variety of rugby football despite its name, and rugby league is an entirely separate but closely related sport.
Varsity: (Informal) Involving University teams. Used occasionally in England, and common in the USA, eg "play varsity rugby. See university rugby.
Veldt: ( Afrikaans) A region of northern South Africa including areas such as Transvaal. Often called the "High Veldt" because of its altitude, which makes kicking balls easier.
Video referee: Television match official: This is the official who monitors the match in recorded matches. He is the person who could be called apon by the referee if he is unaware of the outcome of a rugby situation. A good example is a try that that is obsecured from view i.e. under numerous players.

W

Wallabies: Australia, from logo.
Walla rugby: (Australia) mini rugby
War dance: Any of various traditional tribal war dances practiced by

people from the South Seas or Polynesian region before a match. The haka is the best known, but there are others such as the Samoan siva tau, Tongan sipi tau, the meke and Fijian cibi.

Warm up:
Weakside:
Webb Ellis Trophy/Cup: The prize given to the winner of the Rugby World Cup.
Wheel: Wheeling
Wheelchair rugby: Quad rugby.
Wheeling: A scrum that has rotated through 90 degrees or more is said to have "wheeled". The referee will order the scrum to be reset, with the ball being turned over if the attacking team is deemed to have been deliberately or repeatedly wheeling the scrum.
Whipping boys: (Informal) The worst side in any given tournament, the underdogs particularly if badly drubbed.
Whistle:
Wide:
Wing, Winger: They are the players wearing shirts numbers 11 & 14. They are divided into left and right wingers. Wingers must be fast runners and agile in order to evade tackles and have excellent ball handling skills in order to pass and receive the ball at pace.
Wing forward: A flanker.
Wing tackle: chicken wing
Wing three quarter: Their main task is to receive passes and score tries. The wingers also drop back on the last tackle to cover the left and right sides of the field for kicks while the full back covers the middle.
Witches' hats: (Australia, informal) Cones used for training players.
Wooden Spoon: The "booby prize" for coming bottom of a division/championship, sometimes imaginary, sometimes real; also the name of a rugby charity, the Wooden Spoon Society.

X

X-bar: (Informal) Cross bar. Only used in written form.
X-kick: (Informal) Cross kick. Only used in written form.

Y

Yardage: (Historical) The area gained by an attacking team. See yards
Yards: Original rugby pitches were measured in the Imperial System, however modern pitches are now measured in metres.
Yellow card: Card shown to a player who has been cautioned ("booked") for committing certain types of fouls. A played who is cautioned twice in a match is shown the red card and sent off. In International matches, a yellow card is shown to a player who has been cautioned to indicate "temporary suspension" for repeated or deliberate infringements of the rules. The offending player is sent to the sin bin for at least 10 minutes while his team must play a man short. (A player who is temporarily suspended cannot return to the pitch until the first break in play after his/her 10 minute suspension is completed.)

In domestic matches, yellow cards are commonly used in exactly the same manner as in International matches but this is not required by regulation, so a referee may order the temporary suspension of a player without showing a yellow card.

External links

[ http://wesclark.com/rrr/rugby_phrase_guide.html Rugby union phrase

guide]

[ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/rules_and_equipment Rugby

union laws & equipment guide]

* Category:Rugby union-related lists Rugby union terms

B

Bag: colloquialism for a large number of goals scored by one

player.

Ball!: usually yelled by spectators when an opposition player

is tackled in possession of the ball. Short for " holding the ball".

^[17]

Ball burster: colloquialism for a massive kick, usually a

torpedo punt which travels over 70 metres.^[18]

Banana: a kick which causes the ball to swing in the air in

the opposite direction to the usual. See checkside. ^[19]

Barrel: a "torpedo punt" kick. See also screwie.
Baulk: a manoeuvre where a player holds the ball to one side,

then runs in the other direction to evade a defender.

Bump: a contact between players using the hip and/or

shoulder. See hip-and-shoulder.

D

Disposal: a statistical term indicating that a player

disposed of the ball legally by either hand or foot. ^[20]

H

Hip-and-shoulder: See bump

L

Ladder: the position of teams on the Premiership list,

determined by their win-loss ratio and percentage.

M

Man-on-man: the "traditional" defensive style of a defender

playing close to an opposition forward. See zone-off.

Mark: a clean catch of the ball after it has been kicked by

another player (either by a teammate or by the opposition), before it has touched the ground, or been touched by any other player, and after it has travelled a minimum of 15 metres. ^[17]

Midfield: an indicative area of the ground that covers

half-foward to half-back down the centre, and out to the wings and flanks. ^[21]

R

Raking: 1) Deliberate foul involving scraping one's boot studs

over an opposition player. 2) a description of a kicking style that results in long kicks.

Rebound: the act of moving the ball forward after winning it

as the result of a turnover in the defensive end of the ground.

B

blowout: A game in which one team dominates another in scoring from an

early point in the contest.

bomb: a long pass

C

cut

a sharp change of direction by a running player.

D

dead ball: a ball which is no longer

in play.

drop kick: a kick in which the ball is dropped and kicked once it

hits the ground and before it hits it again; a half-volley kick. A drop kick is one of the types of kick which can score a field goal.

F

fair catch
field of play: the area between both of the goal lines and the

sidelines.

field goal: score of 3 points made

by place- or drop-kicking the ball through the opponent's goal other than via a kickoff or free kick following a safety; formerly, "goal from

the field". A missed field goal can be returned as a punt, if recovered
in-bounds by the defending team. In some leagues, four-point field

goals can be scored under special circumstances.

field position
flanker
formation

free kick: a kick made to put

the ball in play as a kickoff or following a safety (the score; "safety touch" in Canadian football) or fair catch.

fumble: a ball that a player accidentally lost possession of; in

Canadian football the term includes muffs.

G

goal: a surface in space marked by a structure of two

upright posts 18 feet 6 inches apart extending above a horizontal crossbar whose top edge is 10 feet off the ground. The goal is the surface above the bar and between the lines of the inner edges of the posts, extending infinitely upward, centered above each end line in American, and each goal line in Canadian football.

goal area: the end zone in Canadian professional football.
goal line: the front of the [[end

zone]]. parallel lines. See also Gridiron football

H

hand-off: (Note different usage of term from its rugby meaning.)

Home and away
huddle: an on-field gathering of members of a team in order to secretly

communicate instructions for the upcoming play.

I

incomplete pass: a forward pass of the ball which no player legally

caught.

inside

interception: the legal catching of a forward pass thrown by an

opposing player.

K

kick: as a verb, to strike the ball deliberately with the foot; as a

noun, such an action producing a punt, place kick, or drop kick

kicker: player who specializes in placekicking (i.e. field goals and

kick offs).

kickoff: a free kick which starts each half, or restarts the game

following a try or drop goal. The kickoff may be a place kick, or a drop kick.

L

lateral: see [[Glossary of American

football#B|backward pass]]

O

offensive team: the team with possession of the ball
offside
onside kick: a play in which the kicking team tries to recover the

kicked ball.

P

place kick: kicking the ball from where it has been

placed stationary on the ground or, where legal, on a tee.

possession: (a) having the ball on offense for a number of downs,

ultimately resulting in either a score, a turn-over, or the end of the half. (b) physical control of the ball after a pass or fumble.

Preseason

punt: a kick in which the ball is dropped and kicked

before it reaches the ground. Used to give up the ball to the

opposition after offensive downs have been used, as far down the field as possible.

S

slobber-knocker: a particularly gruesome tackle or hit.

squib kick: a type of kickoff in which the ball is

intentionally kicked low to the ground, typically bouncing on the ground

a few times before being picked up.

stiff-arm or straight-arm: a ballcarrier warding off a would-be tackler

by pushing them away with a straight arm.

References

Footnotes

^ ^a ^b RLIF, 2004: 7
^ ^a ^b RLIF, 2004: 5
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Cite error: The named reference ILG-2004-p22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference ILG-2004-p9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Roy Masters (2005-01-20). "Attacking ploy beaten into submission". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
^ Roy Masters (2007-09-20). "Come to grips with the latest ploys … or be prepared to pay the penalty". LeagueHQ. Retrieved 2009-07-27.
^ BBC Sport (2005-09-12). "When is a scrum formed?". BBC. Retrieved 2009-08-11.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g RLIF, 2004: 6
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f RLIF, 2004: 23
^ RLIF, 2004: 11
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d RLIF, 2004: 18
^ {{cite web|url= http://www.rl1908.com/rugby-league-books/rugby1895.htm%7Ctitle=Product review: Rugby's Great Split|last=Fagan|first=Sean|date=2004-04-24|publisher=rl1908.com|accessdate=2009-10-07}}
^ {{cite book |title=The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League |last1=Coffey |first1=John |last2=Wood |first2=Bernie |authorlink= |year= |publisher=HLNZ Sport Hardback |location= |isbn=1869710908 |oclc= |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=}}
^ ^a ^b [ http://www.rleague.com/db/article.php?id=29285 Wiki To Captain All Golds - Prince, Jones and Vagana to play] NZRL Press Release, 3 October 2007. Accessed 2009-08-09. Archived 2009-08-11.
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference ILG-2004-p40 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ http://www.bwctc.northants.sch.uk/Learning/Sport/Rugby/TacticsPhrases.aspx
^ ^a ^b Cite error: The named reference afl_rules was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ [ http://www.abc.net.au/grandstand/unleashed/stories/s2209863.htm GrandStand Footy Unleashed: The death of the ball burster]
^ [ http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/schmidt-peels-off-a-banana-for-swans/2008/05/24/1211183195921.html Schmidt peels off a banana for Swans]
^ Cite error: The named reference rules1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference fox_sports1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

Print sources

Bath, Richard, ed. (1997). Complete Book of Rugby. Seven Oaks Ltd. ISBN 1-86200-013-1.
Midgley, Ruth (1979). The Official World Encyclopedia of Sports and Games. London: Diagram Group. ISBN 0-7092-0153-2.
Richards, Huw (2007). A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84596-255-5.
Stubbs, Ray (2009). The Sports Book. Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-1-4053-3697-0.

Encyclopedia Canadiana ISBN 0 7172 1601 2 p111

== Philotus was revived in 2008, by Commedia della Scozia in Edinburgh. It was performed in Edinburgh University’s New College as part of the 12th Medieval and Renaissance Scottish Language and Literature Conference in July and played in the Queen’s Hall as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

[ILG-2004-p7-1] RLIF, 2004: 7

[ILG-2004-p5-2] RLIF, 2004: 5

[ILG-2004-p22-3] Cite error: The named reference ILG-2004-p22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[ILG-2004-p9-4] Cite error: The named reference ILG-2004-p9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Masters20-01-05-5] Roy Masters (2005-01-20). "Attacking ploy beaten into submission". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2009-07-27.

[Masters20-09-07-6] Roy Masters (2007-09-20). "Come to grips with the latest ploys … or be prepared to pay the penalty". LeagueHQ. Retrieved 2009-07-27.

[bbc-scrum-formed-7] BBC Sport (2005-09-12). "When is a scrum formed?". BBC. Retrieved 2009-08-11.

[ILG-2004-p6-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g RLIF, 2004: 6

[ILG-2004-p23-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f RLIF, 2004: 23

[ILG-2004-p11-10] RLIF, 2004: 11

[ILG-2004-p18-11] RLIF, 2004: 18

[rl1908-greatsplitbook-12] {{cite web|url= http://www.rl1908.com/rugby-league-books/rugby1895.htm%7Ctitle=Product review: Rugby's Great Split|last=Fagan|first=Sean|date=2004-04-24|publisher=rl1908.com|accessdate=2009-10-07}}

[Coffey-13] {{cite book |title=The Kiwis: 100 Years of International Rugby League |last1=Coffey |first1=John |last2=Wood |first2=Bernie |authorlink= |year= |publisher=HLNZ Sport Hardback |location= |isbn=1869710908 |oclc= |page= |pages= |url= |accessdate=}}

[pr-14] [ http://www.rleague.com/db/article.php?id=29285 Wiki To Captain All Golds - Prince, Jones and Vagana to play] NZRL Press Release, 3 October 2007. Accessed 2009-08-09. Archived 2009-08-11.

[ILG-2004-p40-15] Cite error: The named reference ILG-2004-p40 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[16] ttp://www.bwctc.northants.sch.uk/Learning/Sport/Rugby/TacticsPhrases.aspx

[afl_rules-17] Cite error: The named reference afl_rules was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[grandstand-18] [ http://www.abc.net.au/grandstand/unleashed/stories/s2209863.htm GrandStand Footy Unleashed: The death of the ball burster]

[match_report2-19] [ http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/schmidt-peels-off-a-banana-for-swans/2008/05/24/1211183195921.html Schmidt peels off a banana for Swans]

[rules1-20] Cite error: The named reference rules1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[fox_sports1-21] Cite error: The named reference fox_sports1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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