Laws of rugby league

The laws of rugby league, officially the Laws of the Game,[1][2] are the laws governing the game of rugby league football. The Laws apply to the play, officiating, equipment and procedures of the sport. The Laws are the responsibility of the Rugby League International Federation.[3]

Rugby league governing bodies are permitted to vary the Laws for use in their own competitions.[4] This allows countries to cater for their own "priorities, competitors and opportunities", while avoiding the hindrance to progress that a necessity for international agreement might cause.[4] In the past, "pre-tour agreements" between opponents have been employed to deal with differences.[4]

International rugby competitions, including the World Cup, are often played under rules that differ from the official Laws.

The Laws have undergone significant changes since pioneers of the sport broke away from the Rugby football establishment in 1895. Sean Fagan, a rugby league historian, describes the sport as a "constantly evolving animal, particularly with professional coaches, [with which] the rules have to keep pace".[4]

Laws

The current Laws of the Game and Notes on the Laws are set out in 17 sections:[1]

The current 17 sections, which include notes, are detailed in fewer than 50 pages and around 17,000 words. The Laws are further clarified through practice and the enforcement by referees of rulings and guidelines issued by their governing bodies. These guidelines, and the referees themselves, may utilise the flexible provisions of the Laws to officiate the Game without the need to amend the Laws, for example Section 15, Law 1 (i) allows a judgement of misconduct to be made against a player for behaviour "in any way contrary to the true spirit of the game".[5] That law was used to combat the incidence of chicken-wing tackling techniques, for example.[6][7]

Citation

To cite the Laws of the Game and Notes on the Laws published for rugby league football, the following formats have been used:

When citing previous versions of the Laws of the Game it is helpful to note the date of publication.

History

Origin

The rules of football as played at Rugby School in the 19th century were decided regularly and informally by the pupils. For many years the rules were unwritten.[10] In 1845 three pupils at the school, William Delafield Arnold, Walter Waddington Shirley and Frederick Leigh Hutchins were tasked with writing a codified set of rules by the then Head Schoolboy and football captain Isaac Gregory Smith.[10] The three pupils submitted 37 rules which were approved on 28 August 1845.[11][12] Another pupil, Charles Harcourt Chambers, illustrated the Rules.[10]

The Rules played at the school continued to develop over time and as pupils left they took with them the game as they had played it.[13] In 1871, the Rugby Football Union (RFU) was founded with the purpose of standardising the rules for the clubs playing the Rugby-style of football in England.[14] The RFU invited three former pupils, all lawyers, to write the standardised rules, they titled their work as laws.[13] In June of that year the first Laws of the Game were approved.[13]

Unions were formed to govern the game in other countries but the English RFU continued to control the Laws until 1885.[13] In 1884, there had been a dispute over the rules between the English and Scottish unions after a match between the two countries;[13] this led to the formation of the International Rugby Football Board in 1886 with the intention of settling such disputes.[11][13] The RFU refused to join and in 1887 the members of the new organisation, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, stated that no matches would be played against England until the RFU joined and accepted its rules.[11] In 1890 the RFU joined and in 1892 a significant revision of the laws took place.[11]

Rugby league

From 1895, the laws of rugby league were initially referred to as "Northern Union" rules, after the new governing body, and were a slight variation on the rules of rugby football as played at that time.[15] What began as modifications to make the competition more entertaining to spectators continued until a distinct sport had emerged.[16]

Initially the rules were decided by the Northern Rugby Football Union, today's Rugby Football League, the governing body for rugby league in the United Kingdom. As the sport spread to around the world, other rugby leagues were established, notably in Australia, France and New Zealand, a more international approach was adopted. In 1948, the International Rugby League Board (IRLB) was formed.[17] Initially the RFL retained this responsibility for the Laws while it was seen how the new Board would develop.[18] The IRLB was invested with responsibility for the Laws later.

During the Super League war, a dispute over media rights and the control of the game emanating in Australia, the laws of rugby league were altered by the rival factions, the IRLB and its only remaining member, the Australian Rugby League, and the Super League International Board and its members.

Since 1998 when the different sides reunited, the Laws have been the responsibility of the Rugby League International Federation.

List of changes to the Laws

The Northern Rugby Football Union inherited the existing laws of rugby football, as played until that time by its member clubs. The NRFU immediately made changes. In addition to the time before 1948 when an international governing body was established, members of the International Federation and its predecessors have had the authority to make significant changes to the Laws applied within their purview.

The following is an incomplete list of changes made to the laws of rugby league since the 1895 schism. Changes to the laws used for senior competitions within the jurisdictions of RLIF members with test nation status are included here.

Additional detail: Included are the flags or icons of the territory affected as well as the name of the governing body responsible and a link to the first season the change was implemented in senior competition(s) by that body. If a Law has since been changed, the Law's current status will be marked as "abolished", "repealed", "amended", "Interpretation changed", "restored" or "replaced", and a link to the year of the change in this article.

1890s

1895

NRFU Implemented: 1895–96 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1896

NRFU Implemented: 1896–97 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1897

NRFU Implemented: 1897–98 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1899

NRFU Implemented: 1899–1900 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1900s

1900

NRFU Implemented: 1900–01 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1901

NRFU Implemented: 1901–02 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1902

NRFU Implemented: 1902–03 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1903

NRFU Implemented: 1903–04 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1904

NRFU Implemented: 1904–05 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1906

NRFU Implemented: 1906–07 Northern Rugby Football Union season.

1909

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1909 NSWRFL season.

1920s

1920

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1920 NSWRFL season.

1922

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1922 NSWRFL season.

1926

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1926 NSWRFL season.

1927

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: 1927–28 Northern Rugby Football League season.

1930s

1931

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1931 NSWRFL season.

1932

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1932 NSWRFL season.

1940s

1948

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1948 NSWRFL season.

1950s

1950

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: 1950–51 Northern Rugby Football League season.

1951

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1951 NSWRFL season.

1952

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1952 NSWRFL season.

1954

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1954 NSWRFL season.

1956

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1956 NSWRFL season.

1959

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1959 NSWRFL season.

1960s

1961

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1961 NSWRFL season.

1963

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1963 NSWRFL season.

1964

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1964 NSWRFL season.

1966

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1966 NSWRFL season.

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: 1966–67 Northern Rugby Football League season.

1967

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1967 NSWRFL season.

1968

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1968 NSWRFL season.

1969

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1969 NSWRFL season.

1970s

1970

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1970 NSWRFL season.

1971

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1971 NSWRFL season.

1972

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: 1972–73 Northern Rugby Football League season.

1980s

1981

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1981 NSWRFL season.

1982

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1982 NSWRFL season.

1983

Australia NSWRFL Implemented: 1983 NSWRFL season.

1986

Australia NSWRL Implemented: 1986 NSWRL season.

1987

Australia NSWRL Implemented: 1987 NSWRL season.

1988

Australia NSWRL Implemented: 1988 NSWRL season.

1989

Australia NSWRL Implemented: 1989 NSWRL season.

1990s

1990

Australia NSWRL Implemented: 1990 NSWRL season.

1991

Australia NSWRL Implemented: 1991 NSWRL season.

1993

IRLB Implemented: 1993 NSWRL season.

Australia NSWRL Implemented: 1993 NSWRL season.

1994

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: 1994–95 Rugby Football League season.

1996

SLIB Implemented: 1996 Super League World Nines.

AustraliaNew Zealand ARL Implemented: 1996 ARL season.

United Kingdom France RFL Implemented: Super League I.

1997

Australia ARL Implemented: 1997 ARL season.

AustraliaNew Zealand SL (A) Implemented: 1997 Super League (Australia) season.

1998

AustraliaNew Zealand NRL Implemented: 1998 NRL season.

1999

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: Super League IV.

2000s

2001

AustraliaNew Zealand NRL Implemented: 2001 NRL season.

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: Super League VI.

2003

United Kingdom RFL Implemented: Super League VIII.

2004

AustraliaNew Zealand NRL Implemented: 2004 NRL season.

2006

AustraliaNew Zealand NRL Implemented: 2006 NRL season.

2008

AustraliaNew Zealand NRL Implemented: 2008 NRL season.

United KingdomFrance RFL Implemented: Super League XIII.

2009

AustraliaNew Zealand NRL Implemented: 2009 NRL season.

2010s

2010

United KingdomFrance RFL Implemented: Super League XIV.

AustraliaNew Zealand NRL Implemented: 2010 NRL season.

See also

External links

References

In-line

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