Rugby
How Long and Wide Is a Rugby Union Pitch? Dimensions Explained
Football fields and cricket ovals often vary in size. Football and cricket fields have minimum and maximum lengths, breadths, circumferences, and diameters. Rugby Union is different: SportsBoom explains how long a rugby pitch is.
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World Rugby (WR), the governing body for rugby union, states that a rugby pitch must be between 96 and 100 metres long to play professional rugby. SportsBoom did some digging to find out why rugby fields must be a certain length and breadth and why the size of a rugby pitch varies.
The space from the try line (goal line) to the dead-ball line can be anywhere from six to 22 metres long. This rule is in place because rugby is often played on football fields and vice versa. Football fields can be short and narrow. If rugby is played on a football field, the in-goal area needs space for players to move when defending or scoring.
The breadth from touchline to touchline must be 68 to 70 metres wide. These dimensions make the size anywhere between 7,200 to 10,000 square metres. Different lines mark the field of play. These lines represent starting and finishing points like kickoffs, 22-drop outs, lineouts, scrums, and scoring.
When a try is scored, conversions must be taken from in line with where the try was scored. Penalties are taken from the spot of the infringement. Teams have several options. They can opt for a kick at goal, for a scrum, or a kick to touch for a lineout closer to the opposition’s goal line. The referee will award a penalty try by running underneath the posts. Drop goals can be attempted anywhere on the field.
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What are the Different Markings on a Rugby Pitch?
There are many markings on a rugby pitch, not just the demarcated length (touchline) and breadth lines (try line/dead-ball line). They are often drawn with pain or chalk powder. The playing surface must be 96 to 100m long and 68 to 70 metres wide. The scoring zone is called the in-goal area. The distance from the try line to the dead-ball line is six to 22m.
The touchlines on either side determine when the ball or a player goes out of play, which results in lineouts. The lines run from goal line to goal line, crossing the halfway line. The try line is the scoring point. Goal line dropouts are taken from here if the attacking team is held up over the try line.
The first line from the try line is a five-metre line. Restarts such as scrums, lineouts, free kicks, and penalties must be taken five metres from the goal-line. Next is the 22-metre line, which is 17m from the 5m and 22m from the goal line. Restarts are called goal-line dropouts and 22-metre dropouts. The 22m to 10m line is 18m long.
It’s 10m from the 10-metre line to the halfway. The halfway line is where the game begins and restarts after every score. The kickoff and restart drop kick must go 10 metres for the kicking team to avoid a centre-field scrum. If the ball goes out on the full or over the dead-ball line, the option for a scrum or lineout is given to the receiving side.
The 22m line is solid, while the 10m line is a series of dashes. There are the 5m and 15m dashed lines that run the length and breadth of the field. They are used to set lineouts and scrums. The 5m line that runs parallel to the try line is the closest distance where scrums and lineouts can take place from the try line.
Kaylan Geekie is a sports fanatic. He attended Durban High School before moving to Scotland, where he lived for 15 years. During his time in the United Kingdom, Kaylan graduated with a first-class BA Honours Degree in Sports Journalism at the University of the West of Scotland. Kaylan worked for nine years as the Match-Day Editor of SuperXV.com, reporting on Super Rugby, The Rugby Championship, the 2015 Men's Rugby World Cup and the 2017 British & Irish Lions series for the website.