Ball back is a piece of
terminology
Terminology is a group of specialized words and respective meanings in a particular field, and also the study of such terms and their use; the latter meaning is also known as terminology science. A ''term'' is a word, compound word, or multi-wo ...
in both codes of
rugby football
Rugby football is the collective name for the team sports of rugby union and rugby league.
Canadian football and, to a lesser extent, American football were once considered forms of rugby football, but are seldom now referred to as such. The ...
.
In both codes of rugby, if the ball enters touch, then play is restarted (either by a
line-out in
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
or a
scrum in
rugby league
Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...
) level with the point where the ball left the field of play. The exception to this is if the ball is kicked into touch without first bouncing inside the field of play (on the full). In this case, the scrum or line-out is taken from level with the place from where the ball was kicked, and not from where it entered touch.
Ball back is waived in certain circumstances:
*If a side elects to kick a
penalty into touch
*If the kicking player is inside his own 22m line when he kicks the ball, and (under the
ELVs) the ball has not been immediately passed or run back into the 22 (rugby union only)
See also
*
Line-out (rugby union)
*
Penalty (rugby)
*
Scrum (rugby)
References
Rugby league terminology
Rugby union terminology
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