What is rugby union, and how does the fifteen-a-side game work?
B · Beginner · The fifteens game · 1 of 8Two teams of fifteen try to ground the ball in the other team's in-goal for a try, or kick it over the crossbar for a goal. The ball may be carried and kicked forward but passed only sideways or back. A match lasts 80 minutes. After a tackle play goes on, and the ball is contested on the ground in rucks or held up in mauls. Minor errors restart with a scrum of eight players a side, and the ball going out restarts with a lineout.
How it works
- Fifteen: "Each team has no more than 15 players in the playing area during play."
- Fewer if agreed: a match organiser may authorise matches with fewer than 15 players a side.
- Replacements: a union may nominate up to eight in an international match. For other matches the match organiser decides, up to eight.
- The pitch: the field of play is 94 to 100 metres long and 68 to 70 metres wide, with an in-goal of 6 to 22 metres at each end.
- Time: two halves of no more than 40 minutes plus time lost, with a half-time of up to 15 minutes.
- Scoring: a try is five points, a conversion two, a penalty goal or dropped goal three, a penalty try seven.
- The ball goes back: it may not be thrown or knocked forward from the hand or arm.
- Play goes on after a tackle: the tackled player must release the ball, and both teams contest it on their feet.
- Scrums: eight players from each team, after a knock forward and other minor stoppages.
- Lineouts: after the ball goes into touch, with at least two players from each team.
- Yellow card: ten minutes off the field.
The glossary has the team, the playing area, the half, the try, the scrum and the lineout.
Tricky cases
Is the fifteens pitch bigger than the sevens pitch?
No. Both use the same ground. Sevens changes the number of players and the laws on play, not the field.
Can a match be played with fewer than fifteen a side?
Yes, if the match organiser authorises it. A team may also be short during a match through a yellow or red card.
Is rugby league the same game?
No. Rugby league is a different sport with its own laws, 13 players a side and no rucks or lineouts. It is not in this set.
How many replacements are allowed?
Up to eight in an international match. In other matches the match organiser decides, up to eight. Some levels allow rolling replacements, where players may come back on.
Why the rule exists
Rugby union keeps the ball alive through contact: a tackle is the start of a contest, not the end of a play. Fifteen players cover the pitch closely, so space is made by winning the ball at set pieces and at the breakdown, and by kicking for territory, more than by running into open field as in sevens.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fifteens | Fifteen players, up to eight replacements | WR Law 3.1; 3.4; 3.5 |
| Sevens | Seven players, up to five replacements | WR Sevens Law 3.1; 3.4 |
| Both | The same pitch | WR Law 1.3 |
| Rugby league | A different sport with its own laws | Not in this set |
From the rule book
World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026, Laws 1, 3, 5, 8 and 9. Checked 21 October 2026. Official document: Laws of the Game, Rugby Union 2026 (PDF).