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But if the ball does not come out of the ruck quickly enough, the referee will award the team moving forwards at the ruck the put in at the scrum.

There are strict rules for a ruck which players must follow; otherwise they will give away needless penalties.

See the rucking and mauling offences section for more details.

Maul

The maul is about physical strength and power.

A maul is when one or more players from either side are in contact together, challenging the player with the ball, moving towards a goal line.

But what makes a maul different to ruck is that the ball is being carried.

The side with the forward momentum always hold the advantage - if a maul goes to ground and the ball does not come out quick enough, then they will be given the put in at the scrum.

But there are exceptions.

If a player has caught the ball from a kick-off or a drop-out and is caught up in the middle of a maul, then the referee will award the scrum to their side if the ball has not come out in time.

Knock on

Rugby union is one of the few ball games where the ball can only travel backwards.

So that means the ball cannot be passed forwards at anytime.

And that includes if you accidentally knock the ball forwards with your hands or arm when you fumble the ball.

No excuses in this game.

So if you do knock the ball on forwards, the referee will stop play and award a scrum to the other team.

Forward pass

Rugby union is is one of the few ball games where the ball can only travel backwards.

So that means the ball cannot be passed forwards at anytime.

And that includes if you accidently knock the ball forwards with your hands or arm when you fumble the ball.

No excuses in this game.

So if you do knock the ball on forwards, the referee will stop play and award a scrum, with the other team getting the put in.

22m drop-out

This is way of re-starting play when the ball has gone over the dead ball line.

For example, if the attacking team kicks the ball too far, beyond the dead ball line, the defending team will be given the ball.

The defending team can also ground the ball in their in goal area if a player on the other side was the last person to touch the ball.

The defending team must then kick the ball forwards from the 22m line.

Often they can put up a high kick for the forwards to get under.

But they also have the option of kicking as far as they can down the field.

Five-metre scrum

The five meter scrum is one of the best ways of putting loads of pressure on your opponent's defence.

It is given to the attacking side after one of the defending team has grounded the ball inside their own goal area.

But it will only be given if the defender has carried the ball into their own in goal area.

The other way a five meter scrum will be awarded is if the attacking team gets past the try line, but are held up by the defenders.

Because the attacking team has the momentum going forward, then the referee will award the scrum and they will also have the put in.

Tackling

Tackling is the only way of legally bringing down your opponent in rugby union.

But there are certain laws on how you can tackle an opponent which you must follow; otherwise you will give away a needless penalty which your team-mates will not appreciate.

When you tackle an opponent, you cannot make contact with their head. This is entirely for safety reasons.

The referee will instantly give a penalty if he sees a high tackle.

And he will also have a few words to say to the tackler if he thinks the challenge was dangerous.

Expect a yellow card and a spell in the sin-bin or worse, a red card and instant dismissal.

So aim for your opponent's chest, waist or legs, you will make a better tackle if you aim for those areas in the first place.

If a tackler and the ball carrier go to ground, the tackler cannot handle the ball because they are not on their feet.

It can be tempting to bring the ball back to your side, but the referee will see it and give a penalty.

Obstruction

In rugby union, you can only tackle a player in possession of the ball.

That means you cannot challenge your opponent at any other time.

So if they do not have the ball, you cannot tackle them. Simple.

Sometimes, a player will deliberately get in the way of an opponent without the ball because they think the attacker has a good chance of scoring a try.

But if the referee sees this, the defender will be in trouble.

A penalty will be awarded to the opposition and the defender could find themselves sitting in the sin-bin for 10 minutes after being shown a yellow card.

Sin-bin

This is a place you should avoid at all costs.

The sin-bin is the bench where all players who have been bad sit out of the game for 10 minutes.

If the referee believes a player has committed a serious foul or shown indiscipline, then he will show them a yellow card, just like in football.

However, unlike football, that player must then immediately leave the pitch.

They then have to sit in the sin-bin for 10 minutes while the game continues without them.

This is music to the opposition's ears because they have one more player on their side.