What are a ruck and a maul in rugby?
I · Intermediate · Open play · 4 of 6Two ways of contesting the ball after contact. A ruck forms when at least one player from each team is on their feet, in contact, over a ball on the ground. Hands are then off the ball and it is won by pushing. A maul forms when the carrier is held up by an opponent and a team-mate binds on.
How it works
- A ruck: "at least one player from each team are in contact, on their feet and over the ball which is on the ground".
- No hands: once it forms, no player may handle the ball unless their hands were on it first and they stay on their feet.
- Winning it: "by rucking or by pushing the opposing team off the ball".
- Joining: on their feet, from behind the offside line, binding onto a player.
- The offside line: through the hindmost point of any player in the ruck. Others must stay behind it or join.
- Use it: when the ball is won and available the referee calls "use it", and it must be played away within five seconds.
- Not allowed: collapsing the ruck, jumping on it, kicking the ball out of it or diving on the ball as it comes out.
- A maul: "a ball carrier and at least one player from each team, bound together and on their feet".
- Joining a maul: from an onside position, binding on the hindmost player.
- Must not: collapse a maul or drag an opponent out of it.
- Heads and hips: in both, heads and shoulders no lower than hips.
- Unplayable: a scrum, thrown in by the side last moving forward at a ruck.
The glossary has the ruck, the maul, the breakdown, the use it entry, the offside line and the jackler.
Tricky cases
A defender has hands on the ball before any attacker arrives. Then an attacker binds on. Must the defender let go?
No. A player who got their hands on the ball before the ruck formed, and stays on their feet, may keep playing it.
The ball is sitting at the back of a ruck and the scrum-half waits. How long is allowed?
Five seconds from the referee's call of "use it". After that, a scrum to the other team.
A player joins a ruck from the side. What is the sanction?
A penalty. Players must join from behind their offside line, alongside or behind the hindmost player.
Where are mauls most often seen?
From lineouts, often near the try line: the catcher's team-mates bind on and drive forward. That is how the game is played, not a law.
Why the rule exists
The ruck turns a pile-up into a contest with rules: you must be on your feet, come from your own side and push, not grab. The player who gets their hands on the ball before the ruck forms may keep them there, which is the steal that wins so many penalties.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ruck | Ball on the ground, no hands | WR Law 15.2; 15.11 |
| Maul | Ball held off the ground, must move towards a try line | WR Law 16.2; 16.3 |
| Tackle only | Hands allowed for players on their feet from their own side | WR Law 14.8 |
| Sevens | No variation | WR Sevens variations |
From the rule book
World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026, Laws 15 and 16. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Laws of the Game, Rugby Union 2026 (PDF).