In rugby league football, the Laws of the Game are the rules governing how the sport is played.RLIF, 2004: 1ARL, 2009: 1 The Laws are the responsibility of the Rugby League International Federation,The Laws of Rugby League and cover the play, officiating, equipment and procedures of the game.
The Laws have undergone significant changes since pioneers of the sport broke away from the Rugby football establishment in 1895. The sport has been described as a "constantly evolving animal, particularly with professional coaches, [with which] the rules have to keep pace".
Laws The current Laws of the Game and Notes on the Laws are set out in 17 sections: Section 1: Playing Field Section 2: Glossary Section 3: Ball Section 4: Player and Players' Equipment Section 5: Mode of Play Section 6: Scoring Section 7: Timekeeping Section 8: Kick-off and Drop-out Section 9: Touch and Touch in-Goal Section 10: Knock-on and Forward Pass Section 11: Tackle and Play-the-Ball Section 12: Scrum Section 13: Penalty Kick Section 14: Offside Section 15: Misconduct Section 16: Referee and Touch Judges Section 17: Referee's Signals
The current 17 sections, which include notes, are detailed in fewer than 50 pages and around 17,000 words. The Laws therefore have some flexibility to enable decisions to be made without the need to amend them. For example, Section 15, Law 1 (i) considers behaviour "in any way contrary to the true spirit of the game" to be misconduct.RLIF, 2004: 38 That law has been used to prevent chicken-wing tackling techniques, for example.
Origins
Rugby football The rules of football as played at Rugby School in the 19th century were decided regularly and informally by the pupils. For many years the rules were unwritten. In 1845 three pupils at the school, William Delafield Arnold, Walter Waddington Shirley and Frederick Leigh Hutchins were tasked with writing a codified set of rules by the then Head Schoolboy and football captain Isaac Gregory Smith. The three pupils submitted 37 rules which were approved on 28 August 1845. Another pupil, Charles Harcourt Chambers, illustrated the Rules.
The Rules played at the school continued to develop over time and as pupils left they took with them the game as they had played it. In 1871, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded with the purpose of standardising the rules for the clubs playing the Rugby style of football in England. The RFU invited three former pupils, all lawyers, to write the standardised rules, and they titled their work as laws. In June of that year the first Laws of the Game were approved.
Unions were formed to govern the game in other countries but the English RFU continued to control the Laws until 1885. In 1884, there had been a dispute over the rules between the English and Scottish unions after a match between the two countries; this led to the formation of the International Rugby Football Board in 1886 with the intention of settling such disputes. The RFU refused to join and in 1887 the members of the new organisation, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, stated that no matches would be played against England until the RFU joined and accepted its rules. In 1890 the RFU joined and in 1892 a significant revision of the laws took place.
Rugby league From 1895, the year of the schism in the game, the laws of rugby league were initially referred to as "Northern Union" rules, after the new governing body, and were a slight variation on the rules of rugby football as played at that time. What began as modifications to make the competition more entertaining to spectators continued until a distinct sport had emerged.
Initially the rules were decided by the Northern Rugby Football Union, today's Rugby Football League, the governing body for rugby league in the United Kingdom. As the sport spread to around the world, other rugby leagues were established, notably in Australia, France and New Zealand, a more international approach was adopted. In 1948, the International Rugby League Board (IRLB) was formed. Initially the RFL retained this responsibility for the Laws while it was seen how the new Board would develop. The IRLB was invested with responsibility for the Laws later.
During the Super League war, a dispute over media rights and the control of the game originating in Australia, the laws of rugby league were altered by the rival factions, the IRLB and its only remaining member, the Australian Rugby League, and the Super League International Board and its members.
Since 1998 when the different sides reunited, the Laws have been the responsibility of the Rugby League International Federation.
History of changes to the Laws The Northern Rugby Football Union inherited the existing laws of rugby football, as played until that time by its member clubs. The NRFU immediately made changes. In addition to the time before 1948 when an international governing body was established, members of the International Federation and its predecessors have had the authority to make significant changes to the Laws applied within their jurisdiction.
The following is an incomplete list of changes made to the laws of rugby league since the 1895 schism. Changes to the laws used for senior competitions within the jurisdictions of RLIF members with test nation status are included here.
1890s 1895
NRFU During the inaugural season of rugby league, the rules were changed to require the scrum-half to retire behind a scrum until the ball was out.Fagan, 2007: 351 The scrum-half would now be deemed offside if they moved past their team's forwards while the ball was in the opposing pack.Fagan, 2007: 365 When the game was introduced to Australia several years later, the change was noted by The Sydney Sportsman on 15 April 1908 to "make the game fast and open" as it allowed the side that wins the contest for the ball to mobilise their backs "without interference". Before this a scrum-half had been permitted to follow the ball as it progressed through the packed forwards of their opponents half of the scrum.
1896
NRFU If a team committed a deliberate knock-on a free kick would now be awarded to the opposing team. Previously a scrum would have been formed in such an event. The scrum-half feeding the ball into the scrum was required to do so from the same side of the scrum as the referee was positioned.
1897
NRFU The options presented to a team as a means to restart play after the ball had been kicked into touch were changed. The line-out was abolished and replace with the punt-out. The team would now be able to choose whether to have a scrum or a punt-out (also known as a "kick-in"), where previously the options had been to have a scrum or a line-out. A punt-out was taken from the touch-line by a player who could kick the ball back into play, in any direction. In order to promote the scoring of tries: The value of a drop goal was reduced from four points to two points. The value of a penalty goal was reduced from three points to two points. The value of a goal from mark was reduced from four points to two points. The value of a field goal was reduced from four points to two points.Fagan, 2007: 393
1899
NRFU The location of the restart after a try had been scored, either a place-kick if the try had been converted or a drop-kick if the try-scoring team was unable to convert, was moved from the line of the non-scoring team to the halfway line. After a player had been tackled a loose scrum was now ordered formed to allow the ball to be brought back into play.
1900s 1900
NRFU Defenders were banned from charging players attempting a place-kick at goal. The location at which a penalty was awarded against a defender that had obstructed a kicker after the ball had been kicked was changed from where the incident took place to where the ball had landed.
1901
NRFU Should a player go into touch while in possession of the ball play would now be restarted with a scrum rather than a punt-out. The punt-out was retained for those times when the ball was kicked into touch. The knocking-on rule was altered. While trying to catch the ball, a player would now be permitted to "juggle" it, i.e. the ball could be re-gathered if it had not been caught cleanly in the first attempt to take possession. Previously a "clean catch" had been required, except in instances when the ball moved backwards after touching the hands or arms, because a knock to the ball causing forward movement was classed a knock-on.Fagan, 2007: 352 Another change to the knock-on rule meant, provided that the ball did not touch the ground, play would continue uninterrupted if a player dropped the ball into the hands of a player on the opposing team.
1902
NRFU The punt-out, or kick-in, was abolished. In the event of the ball being kicked into touch, play would restart with a scrum infield.
1903
NRFU Kicking the ball into touch on the full, i.e. without the ball bouncing inside the field of play before going into touch, was no longer allowed for any kick except a penalty kick.
1904
NRFU A team could no longer position more than three players in the front row of a scrum. Previously there had been no restrictions on how many members of a team could join the front row. The knocking-on rule was adjusted so that in the event the non-offending team picked up the ball after their opponents had knocked-on, and even if it had touched the ground, play would continue.
1906
NRFU The play-the-ball rule was introduced. Previously after each tackle had been completed or a player had been "held" the rules mandated that a scrum be ordered by the referee. These scrums had taken up a significant portion of game time and it was felt that the ball was hidden from spectators too often as a result, diminishing the game's entertainment value. The play-the-ball restored the early rugby football principle that play does not carry on when the player is no longer standing, but that a tackle is complete when a player is "held" on the ground or while on their feet. The Yorkshire Post commented on 13 June 1906 that the proposals, "provided in effect for a return to the 'play the ball' rule". In New Zealand, a newspaper column in The Truth on 10 November 1906 while describing the sport to its readers wrote, "the most excellent rule, that was obliterated from the earlier laws of the Union has again been introduced, 'That a player, when collared, must put the ball into play'." The number of players on each team was reduced from fifteen to thirteen. If a ball was kicked out of play on the full, a scrum back where it had been kicked from would now be formed.
1909
NSWRFL Teams were restricted from placing more than three players in the front row of a scrum; the other rows remained unrestricted.ARL, 2008: 1908–17
1920s 1920
NSWRFL A scrum-half was now required to feed the ball into the scrum.ARL, 2008: 1918–27
1922
NSWRFL The goal from mark after a fair catch was abolished. The 'field goal', which could be scored in open play by kicking a loose ball above the cross bar and between the posts, was abolished.
1926
NSWRFL The goal-line drop-out replaced drop-outs from the line after the ball was played dead by a defender. A new version of the play-the-ball was created which consisted of two players from each team. The ball was contested by only the defending marker and tackled player who was playing the ball, the marker was required to keep both feet on the ground until the ball was dropped or placed. The other two players stood ready act as halfback should their teammate win the contest.
1927
RFL Play-the-ball rules were amended for the 1927–28 season with the 1926 Australian development in which the play-the-ball consisted of two defensive markers, the tackled player and the acting half-back.
1930s 1931
NSWRFL