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.
Overview
Offside in rugby union is not one line but a moving condition. Law 10 states it plainly for open play: a player is offside if they are in front of a team-mate who is carrying the ball or who last played it.
Because the ball moves constantly, so does the offside line. A player can be onside, offside and onside again within a few seconds without moving at all, simply because a team-mate ran past them.
Being offside is not the offence
An offside player is not penalised for being offside. They are penalised for interfering with play — playing the ball, tackling the ball-carrier, preventing an opponent from playing as they wish, or loitering in an offside position.
That last phrase does real work. A player who stands in an offside position doing nothing is still influencing what the opposition can do, and "loitering" is what allows a referee to penalise presence rather than action.
The 10-metre law after a kick
When the last action is a kick, the foot that kicked the ball determines the offside line — so every team-mate ahead of the kicker at the moment of the kick is offside. Those players must retire behind an onside team-mate, or behind an imaginary line across the field 10 metres from where the ball is caught or lands.
Failing to retire immediately is the offence. The rule does not apply when the kick is charged down, because a charge-down changes who last played the ball.
Getting back onside
A player puts themselves onside by retiring behind the team-mate who last played the ball, or behind a team-mate who is onside. Alternatively, an opponent can put them onside: an offside player becomes onside when an opponent kicks the ball, or intentionally touches it without gaining possession.
Sanctions are either a penalty at the place of the infringement or a scrum where the offending team last played the ball, depending on the offence.
Offside at the set piece and the breakdown
Open play is only one of rugby's offside contexts. At a ruck, each team has an offside line running parallel to the try line through the hindmost point of any participant. At a scrum, players not participating must remain at least five metres behind the hindmost foot of their team. At a lineout, players not in it must stay at least 10 metres from the mark of touch.
These are different lines derived from different laws, which is why offside cannot be reduced to one sentence. A player who understands only the open-play definition will still be penalised regularly.
Key points
- The offside line in open play is the team-mate who last played the ball.
- Offside is only penalised when the player interferes with play or loiters.
- After a kick, offside players must retire behind an onside team-mate or a 10 m line.
- An opponent kicking or intentionally touching the ball puts offside players onside.
- Rucks, scrums and lineouts each create their own separate offside line.
Where it’s used
Sports that use offside in rugby union:
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.
The tackle
What the Laws require of both players in a rugby union tackle — the height limit, the release obligations on the tackler, what the tackled player must do, and how the offside line is created.
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- Laws of the Game: Rugby Union — World Rugby, Law 10 — Offside and onside in open play (read 2026-09-12)
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- OffsideBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- Yellow and red cardsBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- The tackleBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- The ruckBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Rugby learning path.
- The maulBoth are taught in the “Get to know the game” stage of the Rugby learning path.
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Follow the threads that connect Offside in rugby union to the rest of SocialSportHub.
Tactics
- 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.
- 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.
- Breakdown strategyThe contest that decides most rugby union matches — when to commit players to a ruck and when to leave it, what a jackal is trying to do, and why the counter-ruck is a gamble.
- 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.
Learning paths
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.
Techniques
- Kicking in rugby unionThe kicks rugby union is played with — punt, grubber, box kick, up-and-under, drop kick and place kick — what each achieves and which law governs its use.
- 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.
Officiating
- AdvantageIn many sports, officials let play continue after a foul when stopping would help the offender, so the fouled team keeps the advantage it has gained.
- Foul callA foul call is an official's ruling that a player broke a rule of contact or conduct, triggering a penalty such as a free kick, free throw or penalty.
- Out-of-Bounds CallAn official's ruling that the ball or a player in possession has left the legal playing area, stopping play and handing a restart or possession to the opponent.
Positions
- Defensive midfielderA defensive midfielder sits in front of the defence, breaking up opposition attacks and shielding the back line.
- 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.
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- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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