Rugby Referees Glossary

Robert Burns

, Referees in Canada, RugbyRefs.com Webmaster
Staff member
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Because referees from all over the world may use terms that other referees may not understand I have created this thread to become a glossary.

Please feel free to add to the glossary, once I add it to this post I shall delete your post. Please also do not have conversation in this thread as they will also be deleted.

I have started this list with these:

AR - Assistant Referee
ATP - Ask, Tell, Penalize
CB - Constituent Body
CRB - Criminal Records Bureau
CTPE - Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage
DBL - Dead Ball Line
ELRA - Entry Level Referees Award
ELV - Experimental Law Variation
FK - Free Kick
KO - Kick Off
FADO - Federation Assessor Development Officer
FoP - Field of Play
FRs - Front Rows
Handbags - A fight between players that does not last very long and causes no injuries.
IG - In-Goal
IOLO - If it's Out, Leave it Out (scrum, ruck etc)
iRB - International Rugby Board
LHP - Loose Head Prop
LO - Line Out
LOT - Line of Touch
LOTG - Laws of the Game
MOMO - Manager of Match Officials
muckle (maul/ruck/tackle pile up thingy)
O/S - Offside
RC - Red Card
RDO - Referee Development Officer
RFU - Rugby Football Union
RRF - RugbyRefs.com Forums
PK - Penalty Kick
PT - Penalty Try
QT - Quick Throw
SADO - Society Assessor Development Officer
TiG - Touch in Goal
THP - Tight Head Prop
TJ - Touch Judge
TMO - Television Match Official
TRM - Tackle/Ruck/Maul
YC - Yellow Card
 
Last edited:

chopper15

Learned Terrace Ref
Joined
Aug 26, 2007
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RB can you include these in your glossary, please? There's no handy pull-down reference in the 'Laws'.

DEFINITIONS
A
Actual time: Elapsed time including time lost for any reason.
Advantage: Law 8 - Advantage.
Attacking team: The opponents of the defending team in whose half of
the ground play is taking place.
B
Ball carrier: A player carrying the ball.
Beyond or behind or in front of a position: Means with both feet,
except where the context makes that inappropriate.
Binding: Grasping firmly another player's body between the shoulders
and the hips with the whole arm in contact from hand to shoulder.
C
Captain: The captain is a player nominated by the team. Only the captain
is entitled to consult the referee during the match and is solely responsible
for choosing options relating to the referee’s decisions.
Cavalry charge: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Conversion kick: Law 9 - Method of Scoring.
Converted: A conversion kick that was successful.
D
Dangerous play: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Dead: The ball is out of play. This happens when the ball has gone
outside the playing area and remained there, or when the referee has
blown the whistle to indicate a stoppage in play, or when a conversion
kick has been taken.
Dead ball line: Law 1 - The Ground.
Defending team: The team in whose half of the ground play is taking
place; their opponents are the Attacking Team.
Drop kick: The ball is dropped from the hand or hands to the ground
and kicked as it rises from its first bounce.
Drop out: Law 13 - Kick-Off and Restart Kicks.
Dropped goal: Law 9 - Method of Scoring.
Definitions
F
Field of play: Law 1 - The Ground.
Flanker: Forward player who usually wears jersey No.6 or No.7.
Flying wedge: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Foul play: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Free kick: Law 21 - Penalty and Free Kicks. A kick awarded to the nonoffending
team after an infringement by its opponents. Unless a Law
states otherwise, a free kick awarded because of an infringement is
awarded at the place of infringement.
Front row players: Law 20 - Scrum. The forward players who are the
loose-head prop, the hooker and the tight-head prop. These players
usually wear jersey No. 1, 2 and 3 respectively.
G
Goal: A player scores a goal by kicking the ball over an opponents’ cross bar
and between the goal posts from the field of play, by a place kick or dropkick.
A goal cannot be scored from a kick-off, drop-out or free kick.
Goal-line: Law 1 - The Ground.
Grounding the ball: Law 22 - In-Goal.
H
Half time: The interval between the two halves of the game.
Hindmost foot: The foot of the hindmost player in a scrum, ruck or
maul which is nearest that player’s goal-line.
Hooker: Law 20 - Scrum. The middle front row player in a scrum who
usually wears jersey No. 2.
I
In-field: Away from touch and towards the middle of the field.
In-goal: Law 22 - In-Goal.
K
Kick: A kick is made by hitting the ball with any part of the leg or foot,
except the heel, from the toe to the knee but not including the knee; a kick
must move the ball a visible distance out of the hand, or along the ground.
Kick-off: Law 13 - Kick-off and Restart Kicks.
Knock-on: Law 12 - Knock-on or Throw-forward.
L
Lifting: Law 19 - Touch and Line-out .
Line of touch: Law 19 - Touch and Line-out. An imaginary line at right
angles to the touch-line at the place where the ball is thrown in from
touch.
Line-out: Law 19 - Touch and Line-out.
Line through the mark or place: unless stated otherwise, a line
parallel to the touch-line.
Long throw: Law 19 - Touch and Line-out.
Loose-head prop: Law 20 - Scrum. The left front row player in a scrum
who usually wears jersey No. 1
M
Match organiser: the organisation responsible for the match which may
be a union, a group of unions or an organisation affiliated to the
International Rugby Board.
Mark: Law 18 - Mark.
Maul: Law 17 - Maul.
N
Near: Law 14 - Ball on the Grounf - No Tackle. Within one metre.
O
Obstruction: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Off-side in open play: Law 11 - Off-side and On-side in General Play.
Off-side Line: An imaginary line across the ground, from one touch-line
to the other, parallel to the goal-lines; the position of this line varies
according to the Law.
Off-side the 10-Metre Law: Law 11 - Off-side and On-side in GeneralPlay.
On-side: Law 11 - Off-side and On-side in General Play.
Open or Bleeding Wound: Law 3 - Number of Players -The Team.
Out of play: This happens when the ball or the ball-carrier has gone into
touch or touch-in-goal, or touched or crossed the dead ball line.
Oversteps: A player steps across a line with one or both feet; the line
may be real (for example, goal-line) or imaginary (for example, off-side
line).
P
Pass: A player throws the ball to another player; if a player hands the ball
to another player without throwing it, this is also a pass.
Peeling off: Law 19 - Touch and Line-Out.
Penalty goal: Law 9 - Method of Scoring.
Penalty kick: Law 21 - Penalty and Free Kicks - A kick awarded to the
non-offending team after an infringement by its opponents. Unless a Law
says otherwise, a penalty kick is awarded at the place of infringement.
Penalty try: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Place kick: The ball is kicked after it has been placed on the ground for
that purpose.
Placer: A player who holds the ball on the ground for a team-mate to
kick.
Played: The ball is played when it is touched by a player.
Playing area: Law 1 - The Ground.
Playing enclosure: Law 1 - The Ground.
Playing time: The time that has been played excluding time lost as
defined in Law 5 Time.
Possession: This happens when a player is carrying the ball or a team has
the ball in its control; for example, the ball in one half of a scrum or ruck
is in that team’s possession.
Pre-gripping: Law 19 - Touch and Line-out. Gripping a team-mate in the
line-out prior to the ball being thrown in.
Prop: Law 20 - Scrum. A front row player to the left or right of the
hooker in a scrum. These players usually wear jersey No’s. 1 and 3.
Punt: The ball is dropped from the hand or hands and kicked before it
touches the ground.
Pushover try: Law 22 - In-Goal.
R
Receiver: Law 19 - Touch and Line-Out.
Red Card: A card, red in colour shown to a player who has been sent off
for contravening Law 10 - Foul Play, Law 4.5(c).
Referee: Law 6 - Match Officials.
Repeated infringements: Law 10 - Foul Play.
Replacements: Law 3 - Number of Players - The Team.
Ruck: Law 16 - Ruck.
S
Scrum: Law 20 - Scrum. This happens when players from each team
come together in scrum formation so that play can be started by throwing
the ball into the scrum.
Scrum-half: A player nominated to throw the ball into a scrum who
usually wears jersey No. 9.
Sin Bin: The designated area in which a temporarily suspended player
must remain for 10 minutes playing time.
Substitutes: Law 3 - Number of Players - The Team.
T
Tackle: Law 15 -
Tackle: Ball-Carrier Brought to the Ground.
Team-mate: Another player of the same team.
Temporarily suspended: Law 10 - Foul Play.
The plan: Law 1 - The Ground.
The 22: Law 1 - The Ground.
Throw-forward: Law 12 - Knock-On or Throw-Forward.
Throw-in: The act of the player who throws the ball into a scrum or a
line-out.
Tight-head prop: Law 20 - Scrum. The right front row player in a scrum
who usually wears jersey No. 3.
Touch: Law 19 - Touch and Line-Out.
Touch down: Law 22 - In-goal.
Touch-line: Law 1 - The Ground.
Touch-in-goal line: Law 1 - The Ground.
Touch judge: Law 6 - Match Officials.
Try: Law 9 - Method of Scoring.
U
Union: The controlling body under whose jurisdiction the match is
played; for an International match it means the International Rugby
Board or a Committee of the Board.
Y
Yellow card: A card, yellow in colour shown to a player who has been
cautioned and temporarily suspended for 10 minutes playing time.
 
Last edited:

Richard smith


Referees in Scotland
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
Messages
154
Post Likes
10
Current Referee grade:
Level 9
Because referees from all over the world may use terms that other referees may not understand I have created this thread to become a glossary.

Please feel free to add to the glossary, once I add it to this post I shall delete your post. Please also do not have conversation in this thread as they will also be deleted.

I have started this list with these:

AR - Assistant Referee
ATP - Ask, Tell, Penalize
CB - Constituent Body
CRB - Criminal Records Bureau
CTPE - Crouch, Touch, Pause, Engage
DBL - Dead Ball Line
ELRA - Entry Level Referees Award
ELV - Experimental Law Variation
FK - Free Kick
KO - Kick Off
FADO - Federation Assessor Development Officer
FoP - Field of Play
FRs - Front Rows
Handbags - A fight between players that does not last very long and causes no injuries.
IG - In-Goal
IOLO - If it's Out, Leave it Out (scrum, ruck etc)
iRB - International Rugby Board
LHP - Loose Head Prop
LO - Line Out
LOT - Line of Touch
LOTG - Laws of the Game
MOMO - Manager of Match Officials
muckle (maul/ruck/tackle pile up thingy)
O/S - Offside
RC - Red Card
RDO - Referee Development Officer
RFU - Rugby Football Union
RRF - RugbyRefs.com Forums
PK - Penalty Kick
PT - Penalty Try
QT - Quick Throw
SADO - Society Assessor Development Officer
TiG - Touch in Goal
THP - Tight Head Prop
TJ - Touch Judge
TMO - Television Match Official
TRM - Tackle/Ruck/Maul
YC - Yellow Card


Scrum engagement procedure needs updating
 
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