When is the ball in touch?
The touchline counts as out. A loose ball is in touch when it touches the touchline or anything beyond it. A ball-carrier is in touch when they, or the ball they hold, touch the touchline or the ground beyond it. The ball is then dead, and play restarts with a throw from touch.
- A player standing in touch who catches the ball once it has reached the space directly above the touchline, which the law calls the plane of touch, has not taken it into touch. If they catch or pick up the ball before it reaches that plane, they have. This decides who throws in.
- A player who jumps, catches the ball and lands in the field of play keeps it in play, even if they jumped from outside the field.
- A player who jumps from the field and knocks the ball back in before landing in touch keeps it in play.
Who throws in, and where?
A lineout forms on the mark of touch, a line across the field through the place of the throw. It can never form within five metres of a try line.
| What happened | Where the mark of touch is | Who throws in |
|---|---|---|
| The ball-carrier goes into touch, or a player accidentally knocks or passes the ball into touch without it going forward | Where the ball or player reached the touchline | The other team |
| A kick in open play or from a free-kick, from outside the kicker's own 22, goes directly into touch | Level with the kick, or where the ball crossed if that is nearer the kicker's try line | The other team |
| A kick in open play or from a free-kick, from inside the kicker's own 22, goes directly into touch | Where the ball crossed, unless the kicking team took the ball back into its 22 itself | The other team |
| A penalty is kicked into touch, other than a kick at goal | Where the ball crossed | The team that kicked |
| A kick from the kicker's own half bounces into touch inside the opponents' 22, the 50:22 | Where the ball crossed | The team that kicked, unless it took the ball back into its own half itself |
If the kicking team took the ball back into its own 22, or its own half for a 50:22, and kicked before any tackle, ruck, maul or touch by an opponent there, it loses the benefit. The 50:22 does not apply to kick-offs or restart kicks. A kick-off or restart kick that goes straight into touch lets the other team choose a re-kick, a scrum, a lineout or a quick throw. A knock-on or forward pass into touch gives the other team a scrum, or a lineout or quick throw if it prefers. If a kick at goal from a penalty goes into touch, the other team throws in.
When is a quick throw allowed?
A quick throw is taken before the lineout forms, by the team that would have thrown into the lineout. It is not allowed if the lineout has already formed, if anyone other than the thrower or the player who carried the ball out has touched it since it went into touch, or if a different ball is used. The same team then throws into a lineout instead.
The thrower must have both feet outside the field of play and throw from anywhere between the mark of touch and their own try line. The ball must go straight across the field or back towards the thrower's own try line, and it must reach the five-metre line before it touches the ground or a player. A player who carries the ball into touch must let go of it straight away so a quick throw can be taken.
How does a lineout form?
- It forms on the mark of touch, between the dashed lines five and 15 metres in from the touchline.
- Each team stands in a single line half a metre from the mark of touch on its own side, which leaves a one-metre gap. The gap must stay until the ball is thrown.
- Each team needs at least two players. The throwing team decides the maximum, and the other team may use fewer but not more, unless the throw is taken as soon as the lineout forms.
- The non-throwing team must have one player between the touchline and the five-metre line, two metres from the mark of touch on its own side and two metres from the five-metre line.
- Each team may have one receiver, standing two metres away from its lineout players.
- Everyone else stays at least 10 metres back from the mark of touch, or behind their try line if that is nearer.
- Teams must form the lineout within 30 seconds of the mark being made. This is a Global Law Trial. Sevens uses 15 seconds.
What are the rules for the throw?
The thrower stands on the mark of touch with their feet on or behind the touchline and must not step into the field until the ball is thrown. The ball must go in straight along the mark of touch towards a lineout player, reach the five-metre line before it hits the ground, and be thrown without delay. The thrower must not pretend to throw, and nobody may block the throw.
Jumping, lifting and contesting
- Lifters may grip the jumper before the throw, but not below the shorts from behind or below the thighs from the front.
- Nobody may jump, lift or support a jumper before the ball leaves the thrower's hands, and nobody may make contact with an opponent before the throw.
- After the throw, lineout players may compete for the ball, catch it or deflect it. A jumper may use the outside arm only with both hands above the head.
- Lifters must lower the jumper safely as soon as either team wins the ball.
- A player may bring down an opponent who has the ball, but not while that opponent is in the air, and not once a maul has formed.
Offside at the lineout and when it ends
The lineout begins when the ball leaves the thrower's hands. Until the ball has been thrown and has touched a player or the ground, the offside line for lineout players is the mark of touch. After that, it is a line through the ball. A jumper who crosses the mark of touch without catching the ball must go straight back.
Once a team-mate has thrown the ball in, players standing 10 metres back may move forward, and then their opponents may too. If the ball does not go beyond the 15-metre line, they must go straight back. Nobody may leave the lineout until it ends, except to fill an empty receiver position or take a pass from a lineout player.
The lineout ends when the ball, or a player holding it, leaves the lineout, goes between the touchline and the five-metre line, or goes beyond the 15-metre line. It also ends when a ruck or maul forms and all the feet of all its players have moved beyond the mark of touch, or when the ball becomes unplayable.
Common lineout offences and what the referee gives
| Offence | Referee gives |
|---|---|
| Throw not straight (Global Law Trial) | Play on if the other team did not lift, otherwise its choice of a lineout or scrum |
| Throw short of the five-metre line, thrower stepping into the field, or an incorrect quick throw | The other team's choice of a lineout or scrum |
| Closing the gap, or too many players in the non-throwing team's line | Free-kick |
| Taking longer than 30 seconds to form (Global Law Trial), or delaying the throw | Free-kick |
| Pretending to throw, or blocking the throw | Free-kick |
| Jumping or lifting early, or gripping a jumper too low | Free-kick |
| Not lowering the jumper safely | Free-kick |
| Contact with an opponent before the throw | Penalty |
| Bringing down a jumper in the air | Penalty |
| Leaving the lineout before the throw, other than to change places or to match the other team's numbers | Free-kick |
| Offside, or leaving the lineout after the throw and before it ends | Penalty |
A penalty or free-kick for a lineout offence is taken 15 metres in from touch on the mark of touch. A team awarded a penalty there may take a lineout or a scrum at the same mark instead, and a team awarded a free-kick may take a lineout.