Rugby Laws Explained

Defines the field of play, its markings, and dimensions.

What it says

The field of play stretches up to 100 metres in length between goal lines, with in-goal areas of up to 22 metres behind each one, and is up to 70 metres wide. The pitch is marked with a halfway line, 22-metre lines, 5-metre and 10-metre lines, and touchlines along both sides.

Why it exists

Every law that depends on distance, including offside lines, the 22, and the 50:22, only works if the pitch itself is standardised. This law is the foundation everything else is measured against.

In practice

Commentators reference these lines constantly: found touch just inside the 22, kicked from inside his own half. Knowing the basic layout, with halfway and two 22s between two try lines, makes most other laws click into place faster, since so many of them describe positions relative to these markings.

Common confusions

The in-goal area isn't part of the field of play itself, it's additional space behind each try line where tries are scored. The field of play and the in-goal areas are measured and treated as separate zones.

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