Touch Rugby Rules

Introduction to Touch

Touch Rugby or TOUCH, as it is known, is a non-contact sport that is played worldwide by men, women and children of all ages. The game emphasizes running, agility and ball handling skills such as passing and catching.

Looking something similar to Rugby, without the tackling, scrumming, kicking and the like, the aim of the game is to score tries. Played on a flat surface, half the size of a conventional sports field, Touch rugby is “The Game taking the World by Storm”.

Touch Rugby is suitable for both beginners and experienced players. You can play either men's, women's or mixed Touch. RCUK is running a mixed tournament.

Object of the Game

The object of the game is for each team to score touchdowns and to prevent the opposition from scoring. The ball may be passed, knocked or handed between onside players of the attacking team who may in turn run or otherwise move with the ball in an attempt to gain territorial advantage and score.

Defending players prevent the attacking team from gaining a territorial advantage by touching the ball carrier. Either defending or attacking players may initiate the touch.

Play Touch - The Basics

Number of Players

Between 6 and 12 players are required for the RCUK Touch tournament. 6 players are on the field at any one time, of which 2 must be female.

Start of Game

The team that wins the coin toss chooses the direction of play and must start with a tap from the middle of the field; the defending team must be back 10 meters for the start of play and after each touchdown.

Method of Scoring

A touchdown (worth 1 point) is awarded when an attacking player places the ball on the ground, on or over the defending teams scoreline; after a team scores, the play begins again with a tap in the middle of the field by the non scoring team.

The person who takes the role of dummy half can cross the try-line but not score.

The Touch

Players of both defending and attacking teams are to use the minimum force necessary to affect the touch. A touch can be made on any part of the person, their clothing or the ball.

After a touch has been affected, the player in possession is required to stop, return to the mark where the touch occurred if the mark has been over-run, and perform a Rollball without delay.

After being touched 6 times the ball is handed over to the other side.

If a touch is considered to be too strong a penalty will be awarded against the offending team.

The dummy half (the person who receives the ball from the player starting the game) is not allowed to be caught while in possession of the ball. If the dummy half is caught with the ball, possession is handed over to the opposition who will recommence play with a Rollball.

The Rollball

The Rollball is affected by the attacking player positioning on the mark, facing the defenders scoreline, standing parallel to the sidelines, and rolling the ball backwards along the ground between their feet. If the ball is rolled more than 1 meter a penalty will be awarded to the opposition.

Support the Ball Carrier at all Times

Close support of the ball carrier allows more options in attack and means possession can be maintained. Close support also means no ground needs to be lost by having to pass the ball a long way backwards to a team-mate. Remember, a pass directly sideways is allowed and can often be the most effective pass.

Interchange players as much as possible

A fresh set of legs on the field can be the difference between winning and losing. Look to interchange your players while on attack and in the area of the interchange box. Once you have made a touchdown it is good to get a whole new set of players out there to keep up the intensity. However, please remember that there must always be 2 females on the field of play at any one time.

Play Touch – The Detail

Voluntary Rollball

Vountary Rollball is when the player is not touched and rolls the ball between their legs, this is not allowed and will result in a penalty to the opposition.

The Penalty

If someone is penalised their team must retreat 10 meters.

A penalty is taken by placing the ball on the ground, letting go of the ball, touching the ball with your foot and picking up the ball.

Passing

A forward Pass is when the ball is passed in front of the player who possessed the ball. In this situation the ruling will be a penalty.

A Touch and Pass is when the person who is touched then passes the ball. Again the ruling will be a penalty.

Offside

An attacking player is offside when that player is forward of another attacking player who has possession or who last had possession of the ball.

A defending player is offside when that player has not retreated the required 5 meters (Rollball) or 10 meters (Penalty and restart of play after touchdowns) at recommencement of play.

For all offside incidents the opposition will be awarded a penalty.

Over Stepping or Off the Mark

Occurs when the player who has been touched goes past the point where they were touched. In this case a penalty will be awarded to the opposition.

Ball to Ground

When the ball goes to ground for any reason, possession changes and the game is recommenced with a Rollball.

Shepherding or Obstruction

Will result in a penalty being awarded to the opposition.

Deviation

Happens at recommencement of play when a defender does not retreat straight back 5 meters to an on-side position and thereby obstructs the attacking player. This will result in a penalty being awarded to the opposition.

Minor offences

Bickering with refs, shouldering, leg trips etc... the referee will initiate an automatic substitute between the offending player and another team player in the sub box.

Repeated offences

For repeated offences the referee will yellow card the player and have that player move to the sin bin for a period of five minutes without replacement (sin bin - oppositions deadball line).

Foul play

Foul play of any nature (the referee being the sole judge) will result in the offending player being sent from the field without replacement.

In Attack

The aim of the game is to score more touchdowns than the opposition; this is achieved by advancing towards the try line.

At times it can be tactically advantageous to move towards the sideline to enable more room for further attacking plays.

In Defence

When defending try to deny your opponents time and space by moving forward and making the touch. The faster you move up on the attacking team the less advancement toward your try line they will make.