Law 16 Maul

Law 16 Maul

1. What is the principle of the maul?
Answer: To allow players to compete for the ball when it is off the ground.

Forming A Maul
1. Where can a maul take place?
Answer: Only in the field of play

2. What does a maul consist of?
Answer: A ball carrier and at least one player from each team bound together on their feet.

3. Once formed, how must it move?
Answer: Towards a goal-line.

Offside At A Maul
1.  Where are the offside lines at a maul?
Answer: Each team’s offside line runs parallel to the goal line through the hindmost foot of any player in the maul; if that point is behind the goal-line, the goal-line for that team is the offside line.

2. How must a player join a maul?
Answer: From an onside position or retire behind their offside line.

Sanction: PK.

3. What must players who leave the maul do?
Answer: Immediately retire to the offside line; these players may rejoin the maul.

Sanction: PK.

Joining A Maul
1. How must players join a maul?
Answer: A. from an onside position, B. by binding onto the hindmost player in the maul

Sanction: PK.

C. by having their heads and shoulders no lower than their hips.

Sanction: FK.

During A Maul
1. May a ball carrier in a maul go to ground?
Answer: Yes, provided they make the ball available immediately.

Sanction: scrum.

2. Must all players other than the ball carrier stay on their feet?
Answer: Yes.

3. May players be alongside a maul?
Answer: No, they must be caught in or bound to it.

4. In a maul, what must players not do?
Answer: A. intentionally collapse it, B. attempt to drag an opponent out

Sanction: PK.

C. take any action to make opponents believe the maul has ended when it has not.

Sanction: FK

5. Does a maul continue If players of the team not in possession intentionally leave the maul?
Answer: Yes.

6. If a team not in possession of the ball at a maul leave the maul, may they re-join?
Answer: Yes, as long as the first player joins onto the front most player of the team in possession.

Sanction: PK.

7. What must happen when a maul has stopped moving forward for 5 seconds?
Answer: The referee instructs players to use the ball whereby the team in possession must use the ball within reasonable time.

Sanction: scrum.

8. If a maul has stopped moving forward towards a goal-line, what must happen?
Answer: It must restart within 5 seconds but if it stops for a second time the ball must be used within reasonable time.

Sanction: scrum.

Ending A Maul
1. When a maul ends, how can play continue?
Answer: A. the ball or ball carrier leaves the maul, B. the ball is on the ground, C. the ball is on or over the goal-line.

2. How does a maul end unsuccessfully?
Answer: A. the ball becomes unplayable, B. the maul collapses (not as a result of foul play), C. the maul stops moving forward for more than 5 seconds and the ball does not emerge, D. the ball carrier goes to ground and the ball is not immediately available, E. the ball is available to be used but it does not get played within 5 seconds.

Sanction: scrum.

3. What does the referee rule if a maul forms immediately after a player catches the ball directly from an opponent’s kick in open play and the ball does not emerge?
Answer: Award a scrum to the ball catching team.