Rugby Laws Explained

A player is offside if they're ahead of a teammate who last played the ball.

What it says

If you're standing closer to the opposition's try line than the teammate who's carrying the ball, or who last touched it, you're offside. If the ball was last kicked, the offside line is drawn from wherever the kicker's foot made contact, not from where the kicker happens to be standing.

Why it exists

Rugby needs space to work. If attackers could just stand next to the try line waiting for a pass, and defenders had no rule stopping them from swarming ahead of the ball, the game would collapse into chaos with no room to run, pass, or tackle. Offside is what keeps players tied to the actual contest instead of camping out for an easy score or an easy tackle.

In practice

Standing in an offside position isn't a crime on its own, it happens constantly during open play and nobody blows a whistle for it. The penalty only comes if that player then does something: touches the ball, tackles the ball carrier, or blocks an opponent from playing. That's why a player who realises they're offside will throw their hands up and back away, showing the ref they're staying out of it, which is completely legal.

Common confusions

This applies to attackers just as much as defenders, any time you're ahead of the ball, not just defenders camped near the try line. It also gets mixed up with the separate offside rules at rucks, mauls, scrums, and lineouts, which have their own lines and distances. This law only covers open play.

Last checked against the official law book: 2026-08-24