Rugby sevens rules rules, for watching
Start with how a match works. Then the rules you see every few minutes, then the ones that change results.
Settling an argument? Search all 14 rules
- How is rugby sevens different from fifteen-a-side rugby?
- How long is a rugby sevens match?
- How do you score in rugby sevens?
- Who kicks off after a try in rugby sevens?
- Why can you not pass forward in rugby, and what is a knock-on?
- What is offside in rugby?
- What are the rules of the tackle in rugby?
- What are a ruck and a maul in rugby?
- What does the referee mean by "advantage" in rugby?
- How does a scrum work in rugby sevens?
- What happens when the ball goes into touch in rugby sevens?
- What can a team do with a penalty in rugby sevens?
- What do yellow and red cards mean in rugby sevens?
- What happens when the ball goes into the in-goal area but no try is scored?
Where these rules come from
| Tag | Document |
|---|---|
| WR Law plus number | World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026 (file 2607en). Re-read for this set: Laws 7 (in part), 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 (opening), 13 (in part), 14, 15, 16, 18 (formation, throw and offside), 19, 20 (in part) and 21 (in part) |
| WR Sevens Law plus number | The same document, "Law variations: Sevens", read in full. The number is that of the main law the variation replaces or adds to |
| R | "Why the rule exists", or a point reasoned from the rule, not stated in it |
| C | Common usage or general knowledge, not a rule |
All checked on 14 October 2026.
How the set is built. Sevens has no rule book of its own. It is the fifteen-a-side laws with about forty replaced, added or deleted paragraphs. The first and third files carry most of the variations. The second file, on open play, is the main laws unchanged, written so that a sevens reader does not need the fifteens set, and each of its rules says "no variation" in its table.
Not covered: the Olympic and series competition formats (pools, placing matches, how draws are settled), which are tournament rules and not laws; Law 3 on replacements beyond the numbers (blood, head injury assessment, rolling replacements); Law 4 (clothing); Law 6 beyond the in-goal judges (the television match official); Law 17 (the mark); the Law Application Guidelines and the head contact process, which decide yellow against red; the referee signals; the 10s and under-19 variations.
Not covered: the Olympic and series competition formats (pools, placing matches, how draws are settled), which are tournament rules and not laws; Law 3 on replacements beyond the numbers (blood, head injury assessment, rolling replacements); Law 4 (clothing); Law 6 beyond the in-goal judges (the television match official); Law 17 (the mark); the Law Application Guidelines and the head contact process, which decide yellow against red; the referee signals; the 10s and under-19 variations.