Introduction to Rugby

Lessons

Senior 4 · Physical Education

Introduction to Rugby

3 lessons

Lesson 1 of 3

Catching and passing the ball

25 min

A game where the ball goes backwards to go forwards

Rugby union is the only major team game in which you may not pass the ball forwards. A team gains ground by running with the ball and by kicking it, and it uses passes to move the ball sideways and backwards to a team-mate who is in space. That makes catching and passing the first skills of the game. This is a new sport for most Senior 4 classes, so this unit starts from the beginning and uses safe, non-contact forms of the game (tag and touch rugby) for practice. It follows World Rugby's Laws of the Game 2026, which include a clearer definition of a forward pass.

Definition

Rugby ball: an oval ball of four panels, 280–300 mm long and weighing 410–460 g (Law 2); smaller balls are used by young players.

Pass: throwing the ball by hand to a team-mate. Throw forward: a pass in which the arms of the player passing the ball move forward (Law 11 and Definitions). Sanction: a scrum to the other team; a penalty if it is deliberate.

Knock forward: losing the ball forward, or hitting it forward with the hand or arm, so that it touches the ground or another player before the same player catches it; it was previously called a knock-on.

Target hands: the receiver's hands held up and out towards the passer, fingers spread and pointing up, ready to catch the ball early.

Spin (spiral) pass: a pass in which the hands spin the ball about its long axis so that it flies faster, further and more steadily.

Pop pass: a short, soft pass, often lobbed upwards for a team-mate running onto it at close range.

Tag rugby: a non-contact form of the game in which defenders stop the ball carrier by pulling a tag (a ribbon on a belt) instead of tackling.

Catching

Show target hands: hands up and out at chest height, towards the passer, fingers spread and pointing up.
Eyes on the ball from the passer's hands into your own.
Catch early: reach out and take the ball with the hands, in front of the body, not against the chest.
Give and bring it in: let the arms give and bring the ball to the chest in both hands, ready to run or pass on.

Passing

Pass	Key points	Use it for
Swing (lateral) pass	Ball in two hands, fingers along the seams; look at the target; swing the arms across the body from the hip on the far side; follow through with the hands pointing at the target hands. Step towards the receiver, not forwards.	Most passes of 3–8 m; the first pass a beginner learns.
Spin pass	As the swing pass, but the back hand pushes and the front hand guides, spinning the ball; the fingers of the back hand finish pointing at the target.	Longer passes of 8–15 m, missing out a player.
Pop pass	A short, soft lob from both hands, up into the space in front of a support runner.	A team-mate running close behind or alongside.

The law. Since the 2026 laws, a throw forward is judged by the passer's arms: if the arms move forwards, the pass is forward. Because the passer is running, the ball also carries the runner's forward speed, so a correctly thrown pass may still drift forwards over the ground, as the diagram shows. Referees look at the hands, not only at where the ball lands.

Worked example

Worked example 1: a legal pass that drifts forwards. A player runs forward at $7\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ and passes at $10\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ relative to herself, 20° behind square (behind the line straight across the pitch). Find the ball's velocity over the ground.

Relative to the passer: across $10\cos 20^{\circ} = 9.40\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ ; backwards $10\sin 20^{\circ} = 3.42\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ .
Add the passer's velocity: forwards $7 - 3.42 = 3.58\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ ; across still $9.40\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ .
Speed $\sqrt{9.40^{2} + 3.58^{2}} = 10.1\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ , at $\tan^{-1}\frac{3.58}{9.40} = 20.9^{\circ}$ forward of square.

The ball moves forwards over the ground, but her arms moved backwards, so under Law 11 it is not a throw forward. To pass the ball backwards over the ground as well, the backward part of the pass, $10\sin\alpha$ , would have to be more than 7, so $\sin\alpha > 0.7$ and $\alpha > 44^{\circ}$ behind square. (Speeds illustrative.)

Worked example

Worked example 2: how deep should the receiver stand? Two attackers run forward at the same speed, $6\,\mathrm{m\,s^{-1}}$ . A pass across 5 m takes about 0.6 s (illustrative).

If the receiver runs level with the passer, then during the pass both move $6 \times 0.6 = 3.6\,\mathrm{m}$ forwards; to catch a pass that the passer threw backwards, the receiver would have to slow down or catch it behind her.
If the receiver starts about 2–3 m behind the passer ("depth"), she can run onto a backward pass at full speed and catch it in front of her.

That is why rugby players line up in a diagonal, each one deeper than the last: depth lets every receiver catch at speed.

Video: "How to Pass a Rugby Ball (Beginners Guide: 3 steps)", Luke Treharne (This is 7s). As you watch, check where the ball is held, where the passer looks and where the hands point after the pass.

Tip

"Hands up, eyes on, catch early." And for the pass: "look, swing, point": look at the target, swing from the hip, finish with the fingers pointing at the target hands.

Warning

Common mistakes. Waiting with the hands down, so the ball is caught against the chest or dropped. Turning the shoulders and arms forward as you pass (a throw forward). Running level with the passer instead of behind. Passing to where the receiver is instead of in front of her.

Safety. Take off rings, watches and other jewellery (Law 4 forbids them). Warm up the shoulders, hips and hamstrings. In this unit there is no tackling: defenders touch with two hands or pull a tag. Play on a grass area checked for stones, holes and broken glass.

✦

Practice

Describe the four teaching points of catching a rugby ball.
Describe a swing pass to the left, from holding the ball to the follow-through.
State how the 2026 laws decide whether a pass is a throw forward, and the sanction.
A player runs forward at 8 m s⁻¹ and passes at 12 m s⁻¹, 30° behind square. Find the ball's forward and sideways velocity over the ground.
In question 4, is the pass legal? Explain.
Explain why attackers line up in a diagonal, each deeper than the last.
When would you use a pop pass instead of a spin pass?
A coach teaches beginners the spin pass on the first day. Evaluate this choice.

Show answersHide answers

Target hands up and out; eyes on the ball; catch early, in front of the body with the hands; give and bring it in to the chest in both hands.
Ball in two hands on the right hip, fingers along the seams; look at the target; step towards the receiver; swing the arms across the body from right to left; finish with the hands pointing at the target hands.
If the arms of the passer move forward, it is a throw forward. Sanction: a scrum to the other team (a penalty if deliberate).
Relative to the passer: across 12 cos 30° = 10.39 m s⁻¹, back 12 sin 30° = 6.00 m s⁻¹. Over the ground: forward 8 − 6.00 = 2.00 m s⁻¹, across 10.39 m s⁻¹.
Yes, if the passer's arms moved backwards: the law judges the arms, not the ball's path over the ground.
Depth lets each receiver run onto a backward pass at full speed and catch it in front of the body.
When the receiver is very close and running onto the ball, so a short, soft pass is easier to catch than a fast spinning one.
Probably too early. Beginners need first to catch reliably and to make an accurate swing pass over short distances. The spin pass adds speed and length once that base is secure. A good plan teaches catching and the swing pass first, then the spin pass.

Quick check

Under the 2026 laws, a pass is a throw forward if the passer's arms move forward.

Remember

Catch: target hands, eyes on the ball, catch early in front of the body, give and bring it in.
Pass: look, swing from the hip, point the fingers at the target; swing pass first, then spin and pop passes.
Law 11 (2026): a pass is forward if the passer's arms move forward; a knock forward was previously called a knock-on.
The ball carries the runner's speed, so a legal pass can drift forwards over the ground; receivers run deep to catch at speed.

Sources and credits

World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026: Definitions and Laws 2, 4 and 11 summarised, not copied.
Rugby union gameplay, Wikipedia contributors, Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0: passing and the forward pass. Adapted by Ganzaa.
Photo: Children playing tag rugby3, Samson Ssemakadde, Wikimedia Commons, released under CC0.
Video: "How to Pass a Rugby Ball (Beginners Guide: 3 steps)", Luke Treharne, embedded from YouTube.
Velocity diagram (drawn to scale), tables, worked examples, practice and quick check: written by Ganzaa. Running and passing speeds are illustrative.

This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.

1A game where the ball goes backwards to go forwards

2Catching

3Passing

A game where the ball goes backwards to go forwards

Catching

Passing