{"id":297464,"date":"2023-10-29T08:12:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=297464"},"modified":"2023-10-29T08:12:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-29T08:12:06","slug":"rugby-world-cup-final-rules-explained-line-outs-penalties-scrums-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/rugby-league\/rugby-world-cup-final-rules-explained-line-outs-penalties-scrums-and-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Rugby World Cup final rules explained – line-outs, penalties, scrums and more"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Africa will be looking to win their fourth Rugby World Cup by beating New Zealand in tonight’s highly-anticipated final at the Stade de France. The Springboks, who edged past England by a single point in the last four, will face a stern test against the All Blacks in their bid to retain the Webb Ellis Trophy.<\/p>\n
South Africa managed to get through the pool stages with ease despite losing to Ireland before knocking out tournament hosts France in the quarter-finals. They went on to secure a narrow win over England thanks to Handre Pollard’s last-gasp penalty, which saw the Springboks snatch a famous victory despite being behind for the vast majority of the contest.<\/p>\n
New Zealand, meanwhile, lost their opening pool game to France but have responded well to hit their stride at just the right time. They overcame Ireland by a narrow margin of just four points in the last eight before making light work of Argentina in the semi-finals.<\/p>\n
Express Sport<\/em> is on hand to explain the basic rules for those new to rugby ahead of this weekend’s match…<\/p>\n JUST IN: <\/strong> Meet the six England players set to retire after Argentina Rugby World Cup game<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The aim of the game is to score more points than the opposition over 80 minutes of play, split into two 40-minute halves. Each team is made up of 15 players, which includes eight forwards and seven backs. Forwards are mainly responsible for clearing out rucks and winning scrums, while backs are usually tasked with finishing off attacking moves to score tries.<\/p>\n Players must only pass the ball backwards using their hands, with forward passes not allowed. Kicking the ball forward is allowed if all players on a team are behind the ball at the moment it is kicked. Any players ahead of the kicker at the moment of contact are in an offside position.<\/p>\n When a player is tackled and goes to ground, a ruck forms as players from both teams compete for possession of the ball. In a ruck, the ball is on the ground and cannot be handled by any of the players, who must use their feet to drag the ball backwards. The player who has been tackled must release the ball upon going to ground or risk giving away a penalty.<\/p>\nWhat are the basic rules?<\/h3>\n
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