Who kicks off after a try in rugby sevens?
B · Beginner · The sevens game · 3 of 8The team that scored. That is the reverse of fifteen-a-side rugby. The kick is a drop kick from the centre of the half-way line and must be taken within 30 seconds of the conversion. If it fails to go 10 metres, goes straight into touch or the kicker's team-mates are in front, the other team has a free-kick.
How it works
- Drop kicks: "All kick-offs and restart kicks are drop kicks."
- Where: "on or behind the centre of the half-way line".
- Who: "After a team has scored, the same team restarts".
- When: within 30 seconds from the time a conversion has been taken or declined, or a penalty goal or dropped goal is kicked.
- Ten metres: "The ball must reach the 10-metre line."
- Behind the ball: the kicker's team-mates must be behind the ball when it is kicked.
- Not straight out: "The ball must not go directly into touch."
- The sanction for each: a free-kick to the other team.
- Into in-goal: if the kick goes into in-goal untouched and is grounded at once or goes dead, the receiving team has a free-kick.
- Second half: the opponents of the team that kicked off the match start it.
- The 22-metre drop-out: when an attacker puts the ball into in-goal and a defender makes it dead, other than from a kick-off.
The glossary has the kick-off, the drop-out, the free-kick, the kick, sevens and the half.
Tricky cases
The kick-off lands nine metres from half-way and nobody touches it. What happens?
A free-kick to the receiving team.
In fifteens the receiving team can choose a scrum or a retake for a bad kick-off. And in sevens?
A free-kick in each case. The sevens variations replace the options with one sanction.
A team scores and takes 40 seconds over the restart. Is that penalised?
Yes. The restart must be taken within 30 seconds, and the sanction is a free-kick.
The kick-off bounces and then rolls into touch. Is that a free-kick?
No. Only a ball that goes directly into touch is penalised. One that bounces first leads to a lineout.
Why the rule exists
If the conceding team kicked off, as in fifteens, the scorers would get the ball straight back and a strong team could keep it all match. Making the scorers kick gives the other side the first chance at the ball. In practice kick-offs are hung high and short so that the kicking team can compete for them.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Sevens | The scoring team restarts | WR Sevens Law 12.4 |
| Fifteens | The conceding team restarts | WR Law 12.4 |
| Sevens, faulty kick | Free-kick | WR Sevens Law 12.5; 12.6; 12.8 |
| Fifteens, faulty kick | Retake or scrum, with more options for touch | WR Law 12.5; 12.6; 12.8 |
From the rule book
World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026, Law 12 and Law variations: Sevens, Law 12. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Laws of the Game, Rugby Union 2026 (PDF).