Try

How a try is scored

A try is scored when an attacking player is first to ground the ball in the opponents' in-goal (Law 8). Grounding means holding the ball and touching the ground with it, or pressing down on it with a hand, an arm or the front of the body between waist and neck (Law 21).

The in-goal includes the try line, so a ball grounded on the try line counts. A try is also scored when a scrum, ruck or maul reaches the try line and an attacker is first to ground the ball, or when a tackled player's momentum carries them over and they ground it (Law 8).

How many points a try is worth

A try is worth 5 points (Law 8). The scoring team then gets a conversion kick worth 2 more, so a converted try is worth 7. A penalty try is worth 7 points straight away, with no conversion (Law 8).

What the referee does and signals

The referee blows the whistle and signals the try (Law 6). Where a TMO is appointed, the referee can ask for a review of the grounding, of touch, or of an infringement in the build-up (Law 6).

When it is not a try

The referee does not award a try when:

• the ball carrier is held up and cannot ground the ball (Law 21)
• the player holding the ball touches the touch-in-goal line or the dead-ball line, or the ground beyond, as they ground it (Law 21)
• the ball reaches the dead-ball line before it is grounded (Law 6)
• the player knocks the ball on while trying to ground it (Law 12)
• the TMO finds an infringement in the build-up, such as a forward pass (Law 6)

What happens next

The scoring team takes a conversion from a line through where the try was awarded (Law 8). Play then restarts with a drop kick from the centre of the halfway line by the team that conceded (Law 12). A try scored just before time runs out still gets its conversion (Law 5).

Referee signal

Common questions