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DEFINITION
Foul play is anything a person does within the
playing enclosure that is against the letter and spirit of the
Laws of the Game. It includes obstruction, unfair play, repeated
infringements, dangerous play and misconduct.
1 OBSTRUCTION
(a) Charging or pushing. When a player
and an opponent are running for the ball, either player must not
charge or push the other except shoulder-to-shoulder.
Penalty: 
Penalty Kick
(b) Running in front of a ball-carrier.
A player must not voluntarily move or stand in front of a team-mate
carrying the ball thereby preventing opponents from tackling the
current ball-carrier or the opportunity to tackle potential ball-carriers
when they gain possession.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(c) Blocking the tackler. A player must
not voluntarily move or stand in a position that prevents an opponent
from tackling a ball-carrier.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(d) Blocking the ball. A player must not
voluntarily move or stand in a position that prevents an opponent
from playing the ball.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(e) Ball-carrier running into team-mate at
a set-piece. A player carrying the ball after it has left
a scrum, ruck, maul or line-out must not run into team-mates in
front of the player.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(f) Flanker obstructing opposing scrum-half.
A flanker in a scrum must not prevent an opposing scrum-half
from advancing around the scrum.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(g) A player carrying the ball cannot be penalised
for obstruction under any circumstances.
2 UNFAIR PLAY
(a) Voluntary Offending. A player must not voluntarily
infringe any Law of the Game, or play unfairly.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
A penalty try must be awarded if the offence
prevents a try that would probably otherwise have been scored.
The player who voluntarily offends must be either admonished,
or cautioned that a send off will result if the offence or a similar
offence is committed, or sent off. After a caution a player is
temporarily suspended from the match for a period of ten minutes
playing time. After a caution, if the player commits the same
or similar offence, the player must be sent off.
(b) Time-wasting. A player must not voluntarily
waste time.
Penalty: 
Free Kick
(c) Throwing into touch etc. A player must
not voluntarily knock or throw the ball into touch, touch-in-goal,
or over the dead ball line.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick on the 15
metre line
A penalty try must be awarded if the offence prevents
a try that would probably otherwise have been scored.
For an offence in the player’s in-goal, the mark
for the kick is 5 metres from the goal-line in line with the place
of infringement.
3 REPEATED INFRINGEMENTS
(a) Repeatedly offending. A player must
not repeatedly infringe any Law. Repeated infringement is a matter
of fact. The question of whether or not the player intended to
infringe is irrelevant.
Penalty Kick
If necessary, the player is cautioned. If the
player repeats the offence, the player must be sent off.
(b) Repeated Infringements. The problem
of repeated infringements usually arises with the scrum, line-out,
off-side, ruck, maul or tackle Laws. A player penalised for several
infringements of any Law is cautioned and temporarily suspended
from the match for a period of 10 minutes playing time. If the
player repeats the offence, the player is sent off.
(c) Repeated infringements by the team. When
different players of the same team repeatedly commit the same
offence, the referee must decide whether or not this amounts to
repeated infringement. If it does, the referee gives a general
warning to the team and if they then repeat the offence, the referee
cautions and temporarily suspends the guilty player(s) for a period
of 10 minutes playing time. If a player of that same team then
repeats the offence the referee sends off the guilty player(s).
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
A penalty try must be awarded if the offence prevents
a try that would probably otherwise have been scored.
(d) Repeated infringements: standard applied
by referee. When the referee decides how many offences constitute
repeated infringement, the referee must always apply a strict
standard in representative and senior matches. When a player offends
three times the referee must caution that player.
The referee may relax this standard in junior
or minor matches, where infringements may be the result of ignorance
of the Laws or lack of skill.
4 DANGEROUS PLAY AND MISCONDUCT
(a) Punching or striking. A player must
not strike an opponent with the fist or arm, including the elbow,
shoulder, head or knee(s).
Penalty Kick
(b) Stamping or trampling. A player must
not stamp or trample on an opponent.
Penalty Kick
(c) Kicking. A player must not kick an
opponent
Penalty Kick
(d) Tripping. A player must not trip an
opponent with the leg or foot.
Penalty Kick
(e) Dangerous tackling. A player must not
tackle an opponent early, late or dangerously.
A player must not tackle (or try to tackle) an
opponent above the line of the shoulders. A tackle around the
opponent’s neck or head is dangerous play.
A ‘stiff-arm tackle’ is dangerous play. A player
makes a stiff-arm tackle when using a stiff-arm to strike an opponent.
Playing a player without the ball is dangerous
play.
The referee decides whether or not a tackle is
dangerous. The referee takes into account the circumstances, such
as the apparent intentions of the tackler, or the nature of the
tackle, or the defenceless position of the player being tackled
or knocked over. Any of these may result in serious injury.
All forms of dangerous tackling must be punished
severely. A player who commits this type of foul must be sent
off. Advantage may be played, but if the offence prevents a probable
try, a penalty try must be awarded.
A player must not tackle an opponent whose feet
are off the ground
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(f) Playing an opponent without the ball.
Except in a scrum, ruck or maul, a player must not hold, or push,
or charge into, or obstruct an opponent not carrying the ball.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(g) Dangerous charging. A player must not
charge or knock down an opponent carrying the ball without trying
to grasp that player.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
Tackling the jumper in the air. A player
must not tackle nor tap, push or pull the foot or feet of an opponent
jumping for the ball in a line-out or in open play.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(i) Dangerous play in a scrum, ruck or maul.
The front row of a scrum must not rush against its opponents.
Front-row players must not voluntarily lift opponents
off their feet or force them upwards out of the scrum.
Players must not charge into a ruck or maul without
binding onto a player in the ruck or maul.
Players must not voluntarily collapse a scrum,
ruck or maul.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(j) Retaliation. A player must not retaliate.
Even if an opponent is infringing the Laws, a player must not
do anything that is dangerous to the opponent.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(k) Acts contrary to good sportsmanship. A
player must not do anything that is against the spirit of good
sportsmanship in the playing enclosure.
The player who commits an act of dangerous play
or misconduct must either be admonished, or cautioned that a send
off will result if the offence or a similar offence is committed,
or sent off. After a caution a player is temporarily suspended
from the match for a period of playing time. After a caution if
the player commits the same or similar offence, the player must
be sent off.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
(l) Misconduct while the ball is out of play.
A player, must not, while the ball is out of play, commit
any misconduct, or obstruct or in any way interfere with an opponent.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
The penalty is the same as for sections 10.4 (a)-(k)
except that the penalty kick is awarded at the place where play
would restart. If that place is on the touch-line or within 15
metres of it, the mark for the penalty kick is on the 15-metre
line, in line with that place.
If play would restart at a 5-metre scrum, the
mark for the penalty kick is at that place at least 15 metres
from the touch-line.
If play would restart with a drop-out, the non-offending
team may choose to take the penalty kick anywhere on the 22-metre
line.
If a penalty kick is awarded but the offending
team is guilty of further misconduct before the kick is taken,
the referee cautions or orders off the guilty player and advances
the mark for the penalty kick 10 metres. This covers both the
original offence and the misconduct.
If a penalty kick is awarded to a team but a player
of that team is guilty of further misconduct before the kick is
taken, the referee cautions or orders off the guilty player, declares
the kick disallowed, and awards a penalty kick to the opposing
team.
If an offence is committed outside the playing
area while the ball is still in play, and if that offence is not
covered by any other part of this Law, the penalty kick is awarded
on the 15-metre line, in line with where the offence happened.
For an offence reported by a touch judge a penalty
kick may be awarded where the offence happened, or advantage may
be played.
(m) Late-charging the kicker. A player
must not voluntarily charge or obstruct an opponent who has just
kicked the ball.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick
Place of infringement. If the infringement
happens in the kicker’s in-goal, the mark for the penalty kick
is 5 metres from the goal-line in line with the actual place of
infringement.
If the infringement happens in touch, the mark
for the penalty kick is on the 15-metre line in line with the
place of the actual infringement.
If the infringement happens in touch-in-goal,
the mark for the penalty kick is 5 metres from the goal-line and
15 metres from the touch-line.
Where the ball lands. If the ball lands
in touch, the mark for the optional penalty kick is on the 15-metre
line in line with where it went into touch.
If the ball lands within 15 metres of the touch-line,
the mark is on the 15-metre line opposite where it landed.
If the ball lands in the in-goal, in touch-in-goal,
or on or over the dead ball line, the mark for the optional penalty
kick is 5 metres from the goal-line, in line with the place where
the ball crossed the goal-line and at least 15 metres from the
touch-line.
If the ball hits a goal post or cross bar, the
optional penalty kick is awarded where the ball lands on the ground.
(n) Flying Wedge and Cavalry Charge. A
team must not use the ‘Flying Wedge’ or the ‘Cavalry Charge’.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick at the place
of the original infringement.
‘Flying Wedge’ The type of attack known
as a ‘Flying Wedge’ usually happens near the goal-line, when the
attacking team is awarded a penalty kick or free kick.
The kicker tap-kicks the ball and starts the attack,
either by driving towards the goal-line or by passing to a team-mate
who drives forward. Immediately, team-mates bind on each side
of the ball-carrier in a wedge formation. Often one or more of
these team-mates is in front of the ballcarrier. This, in itself,
is illegal. In any case, the ‘Flying Wedge’ is potentially dangerous
to players who try to stop it. It is illegal.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick at the place
of the original infringement.
‘Cavalry Charge’. The type of attack known as
a ‘Cavalry Charge’ usually happens near the goal-line, when the
attacking team is awarded a penalty kick or free kick. Attacking
players form a line across the field some distance behind the
kicker. These attacking players are usually a metre or two apart.
At a signal from the kicker they charge forward. When they get
near, the kicker tapkicks the ball and passes it to one of them.
Until the ball is kicked, the defending team must stay at least
10 metres from the mark or behind their goal-line, if that is
nearer. The ‘Cavalry Charge’ is potentially dangerous. It is illegal.
Penalty:
Penalty Kick at the place
of the original infringement.
5 SANCTIONS
(a) Any player who infringes any part of the Foul
Play Law must be admonished, or cautioned and temporarily suspended
or sent off.
(b) A player who has been cautioned and temporarily
suspended who then commits a second cautionable offence within
the Foul Play Law must be sent off.
6 YELLOW AND RED CARDS
(a) When a player has been cautioned and temporarily
suspended in an international match the referee will show that
player a yellow card.
(b) When a player has been sent off in an international
match, the referee will show that player a red card.
(c) For other matches the Match Organiser or Union
having jurisdiction over the match may decide upon the use of
yellow and red cards.
7 PLAYER SENT OFF
A player who is sent off takes no further part
in the match.
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