Rugby union can seem like a rather confusing game for the casual observer with so many technical terms and rules to learn. So, let’s have a look at the scoring system so you are clear on the different ways to score in rugby union.
There are four ways to score in rugby union, you can score five points for a try, two for the following conversion, three for a penalty and three for a drop goal. You can also score seven points for a penalty try where the two conversion points are automatically awarded.
Let’s break that down a little bit further and look at a few nuances of the points scoring system.
| Method of scoring | Points awarded |
| Try | 5 |
| Conversion | 2 |
| Penalty try | 7 |
| Penalty | 3 |
| Drop goal | 3 |
How To Score A Try
A try is awarded when an attacking player grounds the ball on or over the opposition goal line with downwards pressure. It can be with any part of the body from the neck to the waist including and most likely to be with the hands and arms. One or two handed is fine.
When grounding the ball no part of the body may be on or over the touch line, i.e. the line at the side of the pitch. If even a tiny part of a boot grazes the line then the try is disallowed. These days one of the main jobs of the TMO (television match official) is to check whether any part of a players body has touched the line.
If a player dives to score a try in the corner and their legs cross the touch line but are in the air above the line then they are not considered to have gone out of play. A part of the body must touch the line or ground outside of the pitch.
Another important point is that the referee must be able to see the ball being grounded in order to be able to award the try. The referee’s view of the grounding is often blocked when the forwards go over the line in a maul.
In these situations the TMO will be asked to see if they can see the grounding. If the TMO cannot see the grounding then the try will not be awarded.
A Penalty Try
A penalty try is awarded if a probable try is prevented from being scored due to foul play. The player committing the offence must be given a yellow card and sent from the field for ten minutes.
Perhaps the most common situations where penalty tries are awarded is when: there is an attacking lineout and a maul forms driving towards the try line. The defending team may then deliberately collapse the maul by tackling the legs of someone in the maul which causes the maul to stop before a try is scored. In this case a penalty try will be awarded and a yellow card shown to the offending player, or a red if it is their second card of the game.
You can read an explanation of the rules of red cards in rugby here.
Conversion Kick Rules
A conversion kick is an opportunity to score an extra two points following the scoring of a try. The kick is taken directly in line from where the try was scored. The goal kicker can decide how far back they wish to take the kick from.
The goal kicker has one minute to take the kick starting from when the referee prompts the player. Opposition players must be behind their own try line and they can attempt to charge down the conversion.
Players attempting a charge down can begin their attempt as soon as the kicker begins their movement towards the ball. If they begin too soon then the referee can allow the player to take it again if the kick misses.
It should be noted that if a penalty try is scored then there is no conversion attempt and 7 points is awarded for the try. You can red more about blocking conversion kicks and charge downs here: Can You Block A Kick In Rugby?
Penalty kicks
When a team commits a penalty offence then the team gaining the penalty can decide to either: kick the ball to touch and take the lineout, tap the ball and run, or choose to kick for goal in the form of a place kick.
Some of the most common reasons for having points awarded against them: the tackler not rolling away from the tackle, or not releasing the player, the tackled player not releasing the ball on the floor, offsides at rucks and mauls, players going off their feet at rucks and sealing off.
There are many reasons for penalties to be awarded; you can read more about them in our full guide to the basic rules of rugby here.
The best thing to do is to listen carefully to what the referee has to say when he awards a penalty. You will start to notice that he gives clear explanations and will also provide a corresponding body action that symbolises each type of penalty. The more you watch the easier it gets to understand what the penalties have been given for.
It should come as no surprise that the team that conceded the fewest number of penalties in the Gallagher Premiership last season, Harlequins also won the league.
Drop Goals
The least common method of scoring points is the drop goal which is worth three points. This is when a player drop kicks the ball through the opponents posts from anywhere on the pitch.
Drop kicks are often attempted in close games when sides are finding it difficult to score in another manner. The kicker tends to be the fly half who will drop deep behind a ruck or maul usually in the opposition’s twenty two in order to give himself time and space to line up the drop kick.
Probably the most famous drop goal of all time is Jonny Wilkinson’s drop kick which he kicked off his weaker right foot minutes from the end of extra time in the final of the world cup securing the game for England.
Other people might argue that it was Joel Stransky’s drop goal to win the 1995 World Cup for South Africa, or even Jeremy Guscott’s drop goal for the British and Irish Lions versus South Africa in 1997.
In summary, the drop goal, over the years has provided many magical memories and is the fourth and final way of scoring points in rugby.
You might want to read The 11 types of Kick In Rugby or What Sports Play Overtime/Extra time? here
Photo Credits
Bath Rugby v Bristol Rugby – 8 September 05 – Championnat d’Angleterre. ozzzie from Flickr, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commonshoto
