The lineout
How rugby union restarts play after the ball goes into touch — where the lineout forms, how many players it may contain, the throw requirements, lifting, and the 10-metre offside line.
Overview
A lineout restarts play after the ball has gone into touch. Two lines of forwards form perpendicular to the touchline and compete for a ball thrown in between them, usually with players lifted into the air to contest it.
A lineout is formed on the mark of touch, but never within five metres of a try line. The players stand in a single line parallel to and half a metre from the mark of touch, between the five-metre and 15-metre lines.
Numbers are the throwing team's choice
A minimum of two players from each team are required to form a lineout. The maximum is set by the team throwing in — and the receiving team may not exceed it.
This is one of rugby's quiet structural advantages. By choosing the number, the throwing side decides how much space exists behind the lineout and how many defenders are committed to it, which is why a short lineout is a tactical decision rather than a shortage of players.
The throw and the gap
The ball must be thrown in straight along the mark of touch and must reach the five-metre line before it hits the ground. The gap between the two lines must be maintained until the ball is thrown in.
Each team may have one receiver, standing between the five-metre and 15-metre lines and two metres away from their team-mates in the lineout. Players not in the lineout must remain at least 10 metres from the mark of touch on their own side.
Lifting and supporting
Players may pre-grip a team-mate before the throw, provided they do not grip below the shorts from behind or below the thighs from the front. Those restrictions are what make lifting a controlled, supported action rather than a throw.
The lineout ends when the ball leaves the lineout area, enters the five-metre zone, goes beyond the 15-metre line, or becomes unplayable. Once it has ended, the 10-metre offside line no longer applies and the defence may advance.
Key points
- A lineout needs at least two players a side and is never formed within five metres of a try line.
- The throwing team decides the maximum number of players.
- The ball must be thrown straight and reach the five-metre line.
- Each team may have one receiver, two metres back from the line.
- Players not in the lineout must stay 10 metres away from the mark of touch.
Where it’s used
Sports that use the lineout:
Related rules
Offside
A rule that prevents an attacker from gaining an advantage by being positioned too close to the opponents' goal ahead of the ball and the last defenders.
Yellow and red cards
The disciplinary cards a football referee shows to caution or send off a player for misconduct.
Offside in rugby union
Rugby union's most context-dependent law — where the offside line sits in open play, what an offside player must not do, the 10-metre rule after a kick, and how a player is put onside.
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- Laws of the Game: Rugby Union — World Rugby, Law 18 — Touch, quick throw and lineout (read 2026-09-12)
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Positions
- Rugby union forwardsThe eight players who contest the set piece — front row, locks and back row — what each unit does at scrum, lineout and breakdown, and why the roles are so specialised.
- Rugby union backsThe seven players who attack the space the forwards create — scrum-half, fly-half, centres, wings and fullback — what each does in attack and defence, and how the line is organised.
- HookerThe hooker is a front-row forward in rugby who wins the ball in the scrum and typically throws the ball into the line-out.
- Ice hockey positionsThe six players on the ice and what each does — centre, two wings, two defence and the goaltender — plus why hockey substitutes in lines rather than individually.
Tactics
- Rugby union set-piece strategyWhy the scrum and lineout are attacking platforms rather than restarts — how a set piece fixes defenders in known positions, and what a team is buying when it chooses one over a kick.
- Territory versus possessionRugby union's central strategic trade — when to keep the ball and when to kick it away — and why the 22-metre line makes field position worth more than possession in some parts of the field.
- Offside trapA defensive football tactic where the back line steps up together to leave an attacker offside.
- Man-to-man markingA defensive tactic where each defender is assigned a specific opponent to track and contain.
- Rugby union defensive systemsHow a rugby union defence organises fifteen players across the width of the field — the drift, the blitz and the umbrella — and the specific weakness each system accepts.
Facilities
- The rugby union fieldThe dimensions and markings of a rugby union pitch — the field of play, the in-goal areas, the 22-metre and 10-metre lines, the goal posts, and what the Laws fix versus what they leave open.
- Padel court dimensionsThe exact size and markings of a padel court under FIP rules — the 10 by 20 metre rectangle, the service lines, the line width, and the free height the rules require above it.
Learning paths
Techniques
- Rugby union passingHow a rugby pass is actually made — the sideways swing that replaces a throw, why every pass must travel backwards, and what separates a spiral pass from a pop.
- Rugby union tackling techniqueHow a tackle is made safely and legally — where to place the head and shoulder, the height the Laws require, and why technique is a safety question before it is a performance one.
- Free ThrowAn unguarded basketball shot taken from the free-throw line, relying on a calm, repeatable routine rather than power.
Scoring systems
- Scoring in rugby unionThe five ways points are scored in rugby union and what each is worth — try, conversion, penalty try, penalty goal and drop goal — with the rule that surprises people about the penalty try.
- Basketball scoringBasketball is scored by shooting the ball through the hoop, with baskets worth one, two or three points depending on where the shot is taken.
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How this page is maintained
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- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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