What makes a pass forward?
The laws call a forward pass a throw forward. The definition says it happens when a player throws or passes the ball forward, that is, if the arms of the player passing the ball move forward. Forward means towards the opposition's dead-ball line, the line at the back of the in-goal area your team is attacking.
In the laws, a pass is any time a player throws or hands the ball to another player. A throw forward can happen anywhere in the playing area. Losing the ball forward, or knocking it forward with the hand or arm, is a different offence called the knock-on.
What happens after a forward pass?
For an accidental forward pass, the referee gives a scrum. The other team throws the ball in, at the point in the scrum zone closest to where the forward pass happened. The referee can play advantage first and let the game continue if the other team gains a clear and real advantage.
| Situation | What the referee gives |
|---|---|
| Accidental forward pass in open play | Scrum to the other team, at the nearest point in the scrum zone |
| Accidental forward pass that goes into touch | The other team chooses a scrum, a lineout or a quick throw |
| Forward pass at a lineout | Scrum to the other team, 15 metres in from the mark of touch |
| Deliberate forward pass | Penalty to the other team |
When is a forward pass a penalty?
A player must not throw or pass the ball forward on purpose. The sanction is a penalty instead of a scrum. With a penalty, the other team can kick at goal for three points, kick for touch and throw in at the lineout, take a quick kick and play on, or choose a scrum instead.
Under Law 11, what turns a scrum into a penalty is intent: the player meant to throw or pass the ball forward.
How it looks in a match
The referee's signal for a forward pass is a gesture with the hands, as if passing an imaginary ball forward. World Rugby lists the signal as "throw forward or forward pass", so both names mean the same thing. The referee also signals the scrum, or holds an arm out towards the other team while advantage is played.
Common confusions
- "The catcher was offside." A player who receives an accidental forward pass is not offside. The offence is the pass.
- "It was a hand-over, not a pass." Handing the ball to a team-mate is a pass under the laws, so the same forward test applies.
- "Every forward pass is a penalty." Law 11 makes only a deliberate forward pass a penalty. An accidental one gives a scrum.
Is it different in sevens or junior rugby?
Law 11 is the same in World Rugby's variations for sevens, tens and under-19 rugby, and in its Game On variations for community rugby. The scrum after a forward pass can look different. A sevens scrum has three players from each team and a tens scrum has five. Game On also lets match organisers use fewer players in a contested scrum or uncontested scrums. For younger players, check your union's own age-grade law variations.