3. How To Play Touch

NO RUGBY EXPERIENCE? NO PROBLEM. OUR HOW-TO-PLAY VIDEOS WILL ENSURE YOU’RE READY AND RARING TO TAKE TO THE PITCH. TOUCHBASE, TOUCHBASE+ AND TOUCHLEAGUES MEAN THERE’S AN EVENT FOR EVERY LEVEL OF PLAYER.

THE BALL MUST BE PASSED BACKWARDS OR DIRECTLY SIDEWAYS AT ALL TIMES. A FORWARD PASS RESULTS IN A PENALTY TO THE OTHER TEAM. A ‘TOUCH AND PASS’ – WHEN A TOUCHED PLAYER PASSES THE BALL AFTER THE TOUCH – ALSO RESULTS IN A PENALTY.

A TOUCH CAN BE MADE ON ANY PART OF THE BODY, BALL, CLOTHING OR HAIR WITH ONE HAND OR TWO. MINIMUM FORCE IS USED AT ALL TIMES. THE TEAM IN POSSESSION IS ENTITLED TO SIX TOUCHES BEFORE POSSESSION IS TURNED OVER.

THIS RESTARTS THE GAME AFTER A TOUCH. THE PLAYER IN POSSESSION STANDS WHERE THE TOUCH WAS MADE FACING THE OPPONENTS’ DEFENDING LINE AND ROLLS THE BALL BACKWARDS BETWEEN HIS OR HER FEET A DISTANCE OF NOT MORE THAN ONE METRE. THIS PLAYER MAY NOT PICK UP THE BALL. THE PLAYER PICKING UP THE BALL IS KNOWN AS THE DUMMY HALF.

THE TAP RESTARTS PLAY FROM A PENALTY. THE BALL IS PLACED ON THE GROUND AT THE MARK. THE ATTACKING PLAYER RELEASES IT FROM BOTH HANDS AND TAPS IT WITH EITHER FOOT A DISTANCE OF NOT MORE THAN ONE METRE BEFORE PICKING IT UP CLEANLY. ANY PLAYER FROM THE ATTACKING TEAM MAY TAKE THE TAP OR PICK THE TAPPED BALL UP.

AN ATTACKING PLAYER IS OFFSIDE WHEN IN FRONT OF ANOTHER PLAYER WHO CURRENTLY HAS POSSESSION OR WHO LAST HAD POSSESSION OF THE BALL. A DEFENDING PLAYER IS OFFSIDE WHEN NOT RETREATING FIVE METERS FOR A ROLLBALL OR TEN METRES FOR A PENALTY OR RESTART OF PLAY. DEFENDING PLAYERS CANNOT MOVE FORWARD UNTIL THE DUMMY HALF HAS TOUCHED THE BALL.