Introduction to Rugby

Lessons

Senior 4 · Physical Education

Introduction to Rugby

3 lessons

Lesson 3 of 3

Scoring

25 min

Five ways to put points on the board

Every attack in rugby aims at one of two targets: the opponents' in-goal, where a try is scored, or the space between the goal posts above the crossbar, where goals are kicked. A try is worth the most, and it also earns a kick at goal, the conversion, whose difficulty depends on where the try was scored. This lesson explains how each score is made under World Rugby's Laws of the Game 2026, how to ground the ball safely and legally, and why a try scorer who has time should run round towards the posts before grounding the ball.

Definition

In-goal: the area between the try line and the dead-ball line, 6–22 m deep (Law 1). The try line is part of the in-goal.

Try: scored when an attacking player is first to ground the ball in the opponents' in-goal: 5 points (Law 8).

Grounding the ball: touching the ground with the ball while holding it, or pressing down on the ball with a hand or hands, arm or arms, or the front of the body from the waist to the neck.

Conversion: a kick at goal after a try, taken on a line through the place where the try was grounded, parallel to the touchlines: 2 points.

Penalty try: 7 points, awarded between the posts when foul play prevents a probable try; no conversion is attempted.

Penalty goal and dropped goal: 3 points each: a penalty goal is kicked at goal after a penalty; a dropped goal is a drop-kick over the crossbar in open play.

Goal: a kick that goes over the crossbar and between the posts (or their upward extension) without first touching a team-mate or the ground.

The scores

Score	Points	How
Try	5	First to ground the ball in the opponents' in-goal.
Conversion	2	Place-kick or drop-kick after a try, from a point on the line through where the try was grounded, within 60 seconds (playing time). In sevens it must be a drop-kick, within 30 seconds.
Penalty try	7	Awarded between the posts when foul play stops a probable try; the offender is shown a yellow card or sent off.
Penalty goal	3	A place-kick or drop-kick at goal after a penalty is awarded.
Dropped goal	3	A drop-kick over the crossbar in open play.

Grounding a try safely

Carry the ball in two hands as you cross the try line.
If you have time, run round towards the posts: the conversion will be easier.
Ground the ball firmly with both hands, or go down on it pressing with the hands and the front of the body; keep control.
In a non-contact game, simply place the ball down with two hands. Never dive head-first into players, posts or the boundary.

The goal posts are 5.6 m apart, with the top of the crossbar 3 m above the ground (Law 1).

Worked example

Worked example 1: how far back should the kicker go? A try is grounded 15 m to the side of the centre of the posts, so the conversion is taken from a point on the line 15 m to the side. The posts are at $\pm 2.8\,\mathrm{m}$ from the centre. From a distance $x$ out from the try line, the angle between the posts is

\theta(x) = \tan^{-1}\frac{15 + 2.8}{x} - \tan^{-1}\frac{15 - 2.8}{x}

$x$ (m)	5	10	14.7	20	25	30
$\theta$	6.6°	10.0°	10.8°	10.3°	9.4°	8.6°

The angle is narrow close to the try line, widest at about 14.7 m, and narrower again further out. (With calculus, the widest angle is at $x = \sqrt{15^{2} - 2.8^{2}} = 14.7\,\mathrm{m}$ .) A kicker also wants a short kick, so most kickers go back somewhat less far than the widest-angle point when the try is wide. For a try grounded between the posts the angle only shrinks with distance, so the kicker can take the kick from close in.

Worked example

Worked example 2: adding up a score. In a match, Team A scores 3 tries, kicks 2 conversions and 1 penalty goal, and is awarded 1 penalty try. Team B scores 2 tries, kicks 2 conversions, 2 penalty goals and 1 dropped goal.

Team A: $3 \times 5 + 2 \times 2 + 1 \times 3 + 1 \times 7 = 15 + 4 + 3 + 7 = 29$ .
Team B: $2 \times 5 + 2 \times 2 + 2 \times 3 + 1 \times 3 = 10 + 4 + 6 + 3 = 23$ .

Team A wins 29–23. Notice that Team B kicked more goals but scored fewer tries: tries are worth the most, so most points come from attacking play that reaches the in-goal. (Illustrative match.)

Video: "Rugby Basics: How to score points", Rugby Basics. As you watch, check each score against the table: how it is made and what it is worth.

Tip

"Over the line, round to the posts, two hands down." If no defender can reach you, run round towards the posts before grounding the ball: you turn a hard conversion into an easy one.

Warning

Common mistakes. Grounding the ball with one hand and losing control (no try). Grounding on the dead-ball line or beyond it (the ball is dead, not a try). Grounding wide when there was time to run round. Kicking from too close to the try line when the try was wide.

Safety. No diving at the line in tag or touch rugby. Pad the goal posts if players run near them. In kicking practice, stand behind the kicker, never between the kicker and the posts, and collect balls only when the kicking has stopped.

✦

Practice

List the five ways of scoring in rugby union and the points for each.
Describe two legal ways of grounding the ball.
Where must a conversion be taken from? How long does the kicker have in fifteen-a-side, and in sevens?
A try is grounded 10 m to the side of the centre of the posts. Calculate the angle between the posts from 5 m out.
For the try in question 4, the widest angle is at x = √(10² − 2.8²). Calculate x and the angle there, using θ = tan⁻¹(2.8 ÷ x).
A team scores 4 tries, 3 conversions and 2 penalty goals. What is its total?
Explain why a try scorer with time should run round towards the posts.
A coach tells the team to kick a penalty goal every time a penalty is awarded within 30 m. Evaluate this policy.

Show answersHide answers

Try 5, conversion 2, penalty try 7, penalty goal 3, dropped goal 3.
Holding the ball and touching the ground with it; pressing down on the ball with a hand, hands, arm, arms or the front of the body from the waist to the neck.
On a line through the place where the try was grounded, parallel to the touchlines. Within 60 seconds of playing time (fifteen-a-side); in sevens a drop-kick within 30 seconds.
θ = tan⁻¹(12.8 ÷ 5) − tan⁻¹(7.2 ÷ 5) = 68.66° − 55.22° = 13.4°.
x = √(100 − 7.84) = √92.16 = 9.6 m; θ = tan⁻¹(2.8 ÷ 9.6) = 16.3°.
4 × 5 + 3 × 2 + 2 × 3 = 20 + 6 + 6 = 32 points.
The conversion is taken in line with the grounding, so grounding near the posts gives the kicker a wide angle and an easy kick for 2 more points.
Too rigid. A kick earns 3 points with a fair chance of success, but kicking to touch or attacking may lead to a try worth 5 or 7. The decision depends on the score, the time left, the kicker's accuracy and the angle, and on how well the team attacks near the line.

Quick check

Match each score to its points.

Tap one on the left, then its partner on the right.

Remember

Try 5, conversion 2, penalty try 7, penalty goal 3, dropped goal 3.
Ground the ball by holding it to the ground or pressing down with the hands, arms or front of the body; keep control.
The conversion is taken in line with where the try was grounded, so run round to the posts when you can.
For a wide try, the angle between the posts is widest some way back: $x = \sqrt{d^{2} - 2.8^{2}}$ for a try $d$ metres from the centre.

1Five ways to put points on the board

2The scores

3Grounding a try safely

Five ways to put points on the board

The scores

Grounding a try safely