Why can you not pass forward in rugby, and what is a knock-on?
B · Beginner · Open play · 4 of 8The ball may be carried and kicked forward but never thrown or knocked forward with the hand or arm. An accidental throw forward or knock forward gives the other team a scrum. Doing either on purpose is a penalty. Charging down a kick and stripping the ball from a carrier are not knock forwards.
How it works
- Knock forward: "A knock forward may occur anywhere in the playing area".
- The sanction: a scrum to the other team. If the ball went into touch, they may choose a quick throw or lineout instead.
- In a tackle: it is a knock forward when a tackler makes contact with the ball and it goes forward.
- On purpose: "A player must not intentionally knock the ball forward with hand or arm." Penalty.
- Trying to catch: it is not intentional if the player knocks it on while trying to catch it with a reasonable expectation of gaining possession.
- Charge down: no offence if a player knocks the ball forward "immediately after an opponent has kicked it".
- The rip: no offence if a player rips or knocks the ball from a carrier and it goes forward from the carrier's hand or arm.
- Throw forward: a scrum, or a penalty if intentional.
- Advantage: if the other team gains from the mistake, the referee plays on.
- Kicking: the ball may be kicked forward at any time in open play.
The glossary has the knock forward, the throw forward, the pass, the charge down, the scrum and the advantage entry.
Tricky cases
A defender sticks out a hand to block a pass and the ball goes forward to the ground. Scrum or penalty?
It depends on whether there was a real attempt to catch. With a reasonable expectation of gaining possession it is a scrum. A deliberate slap down is a penalty, and may be a yellow card.
A player blocks an opponent's kick with their hands and the ball flies forward. Is that a knock forward?
No. That is a charge down, and play continues.
A defender rips the ball from the carrier's arms and it drops forward. Who has knocked on?
Nobody. Play continues, because the ball went forward from the original carrier's hand or arm.
The pass travels forward over the ground because both players are sprinting, though it left the hands backwards. Is it forward?
The law read says only that a player must not throw or pass the ball forward, and defines the terms elsewhere. How momentum is judged is a matter of refereeing guidance that was not read.
Why the rule exists
This is the rule that makes rugby what it is. The ball can only go back from the hands, so ground is gained by running or kicking, and every pass gives a defender a chance to close the gap. In sevens, with so much space, long flat passes are thrown right on the edge of it.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accidental | Scrum | WR Law 11.1; 11.6 |
| Intentional | Penalty | WR Law 11.3; 11.7 |
| Charge down, or ball ripped | Play on | WR Law 11.5 |
| Sevens | No variation | WR Sevens variations |
From the rule book
World Rugby, Laws of the Game: Rugby Union 2026, Law 11. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: Laws of the Game, Rugby Union 2026 (PDF).