
During the game play must not take place infront of the ball and subsequently players are penalised for passing the ball forward in the direction of the opposite goal. There are stringent offside rules to prevent this. If the ball is accidentally fumbled forward, a minor infraction called a "knock on" has occurred. At the referee?s discretion, however, play does not stop should the other team gain an advantage from the miscue. The ball can be advanced by: running it forward, kicking it forward, or passing it laterally until an open running space can be found and exploited. Field position can be dramatically enhanced with tactically accurate kicking. Balls are usually kicked to a part of the field left undefended, leading to a frantic foot race for possession.
A mystery to may strangers to the game is the scrummage (or scrum). The referee awards scrums after minor infractions arise (such as a forward pass or knock on). At the given mark each forward pack of eight players interlock, binding together, about an arms length apart. As the two front rows engage, a tunnel is created. All 16 forwards push in unison. On a hand signal from his hooker, the scrum half-back for the side awarded the scrum rolls the ball into the tunnel. The ball is then "hooked" back with a well-timed foot strike (as hands cannot touch the ball in a scrum formation), or by sheer force one pack may push the other over and past the ball to gain possession. The ball is picked up when it emerges at the last scrummager?s foot.
A lineout occurs when the ball travels over the sidelines, or "into touch". Play is resumed from the mark where the ball went into touch, by the side not handling it last. That side calls out a coded play and attempts to direct the ball to their assigned jumper. The ball is thrown down the middle of two parallel rows of opposing forwards, standing a yard apart. The advantage to the throwing side comes in knowing which jumper to favour often hoists him to breathtaking heights. The ball may be caught or tapped back, with creative attacks sometimes coming from a quick, unexpected tap.
Scrums and lineouts are all about possession of the ball. The forward pack with dominant skills can overcome one of greater size. A dominant forward pack can win most set pieces (scrum and lineout), and in so doing, neutralise an extraordinary runner or kicker in the opponents back line, by keeping the ball out of his hands. As the ball readies to emerge from the base of a set piece, a platform for transition into an attacking play exists. That play may come from the forwards, or the scrum half may elect to spin the ball out to his backs. A scrum half is the play maker, quick, and always elusive, crafty and tough. His underhand pass out to the back line may be a 15-meter bullet thrown while diving in the direction of his pass, fully stretched out and perhaps in the grasp of a desperate defender. The swift and strong running back line then attacks the defense in an attempt to find open space, as in a 3-on-2 or 2-on-1 break in basketball. A well-executed back line movement can be graceful, powerful and astonishing all at once.



