What happens when the ball goes into touch in rugby union?
B · Beginner · Set pieces and discipline · 7 of 8Play restarts with a lineout, or a quick throw before the lineout forms. Usually the team that did not put the ball out throws in. After a penalty kicked to touch, the kicking team throws in. Each team forms a line half a metre from the mark of touch, the ball is thrown straight down the middle and players may be lifted to catch it.
How it works
- Who throws: usually the opposition of the player who carried or kicked the ball into touch.
- After a penalty: the team that kicked the penalty into touch throws in where the ball crossed the touchline.
- The 50:22: a player in their own half kicks the ball so that it bounces into touch in the opposition's 22. The kicking team throws in.
- No gain in ground: a kick that goes directly into touch from outside the kicker's 22 gives the throw to the other team in line with where it was kicked.
- Inside the 22: a defender who did not take the ball back into the 22 may kick it directly into touch and gain the ground.
- The lines: half a metre either side of the mark of touch, between the five-metre and 15-metre lines.
- How many: at least two players from each team. The throwing team sets the most, and the other team may not have more.
- 30 seconds: "Teams form the lineout within 30 seconds of a mark being made." Free-kick.
- The throw: "straight along the mark of touch", reaching the five-metre line before it hits the ground.
- Not straight: if the other team lifted a player to compete, it chooses a lineout or a scrum. If not, play continues.
- Lifting: not before the ball leaves the thrower's hands. Lifted players must be lowered safely.
- Everyone else: players not in the lineout stay at least 10 metres back from the mark of touch.
- Quick throw: with the same ball, from between the mark and the thrower's own try line, before the lineout forms.
The glossary has the lineout, the throw-in, the quick throw, the touchline, the kicked directly into touch entry and the maul.
Tricky cases
A penalty is kicked into touch. Who throws in?
The kicking team, at the place where the ball crossed the touchline.
A player kicks from their own half and the ball bounces into touch five metres from the opponents' try line. Who throws in?
The kicking team, under the 50:22 rule. The one exception is a team that took the ball back into its own half and kicked it, with no tackle, ruck, maul or touch by an opponent in that half first.
A defender catches the ball outside the 22, steps back into it and kicks straight into touch. Is ground gained?
No. That player has taken the ball back into the 22, so the throw is in line with where the ball was kicked.
The throw is crooked but the other team did not jump. Is it called back?
No. If the non-throwing team does not lift a player to compete, play continues.
Why the rule exists
The lineout is a fair contest for a ball that has left the field: thrown down the middle, with both teams able to jump. The rules on who throws in reward territory. A penalty kicked to touch keeps the throw, which makes it one of the most useful choices in the game. The no-gain rule stops teams from kicking straight out to escape from anywhere.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Fifteens | Lineout formed within 30 seconds | WR Law 18.12 |
| Sevens | Within 15 seconds | WR Sevens Law 18.12 |
| Penalty kicked to touch | Kicking team throws in | WR Law 18.8c |
| Kick from own half bouncing into the opposition 22 | Kicking team throws in | WR Law 18.8a |
From the rule book
World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026, Law 18. Checked 21 October 2026. Official document: Laws of the Game, Rugby Union 2026 (PDF).