Can someone explain what a penalty kick is in Rugby Union?
Don't laugh, guys, but I sat through a whole Super Rugby match at McLean Park last weekend and still couldn't tell when exactly the ref was giving a penalty kick versus just a normal free kick. He'd blow the whistle, the team would line up, and half the time they'd boot it into the stands instead of having a shot.
So what actually is a penalty kick, and how does the ref decide one's been earned? And when the team does get one, what are their options, is it just having a crack at the posts or can they do something else with it? Explain like I'm five please 🙏 I'm only a couple of months into following the game properly and I'd rather ask than keep nodding like I get it 😅
5 posts
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✓no laughing here mate, half the blokes at McLean Park couldn't tell you either 😄 simple version. a penalty comes when the ref decides the other side did something serious, offside, a high tackle, collapsing a maul, that sort of thing. the ref sticks his arm out straight up and blows. your team then gets the choice: have a shot at goal for three points, kick the ball into touch for an attacking lineout deep in their territory, or take a quick tap and run it. a free kick is the mild cousin, given for small stuff like a crooked throw, and you can't score directly off it. watch for the ref's arm, straight up means penalty, out to the side means free kick. back in the day you'd learn it from the bloke next to you at Eden Park growling "penalty!" before the arm even went up. seen worse ways to learn 😉 if you're having a punt on it, note that most penalties in a match come from set piece and offside stuff, so once you can spot those two you're most of the way there.Seen it all, trust me.
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Sorry if this is a dumb one 🙈 but when the ref points his arm straight up, does that mean the team has to kick for goal, or can they still choose the tap? 😅Dumb questions are my specialty.
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No dumb questions here mate, I sat through years of club footy before I worked out half the refs' signals 😄 The straight arm up means the ref's given a penalty, but the team gets the choice. They can have a shot at goal for three points if they're close enough and the kicker's on song, kick it out to touch and take an attacking lineout from where it lands, or tap the ball and go, what we used to call a quick tap back in my day. None of it's compulsory. That's the beauty of it, they pick whatever suits the scoreboard and the clock. If they want the tap they just pop the ball off the ground and run before everyone's even set. In the old amateur days at the park the tap was everyone's favourite because nobody trusted the kickers, legs were worth less than a good shove then 😉Remember when the grass was greener 🌱
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It's the choice the attacking team gets that makes it worth tracking for a multi. If they choose to tap and advance, the whole momentum shifts.