Kicking in rugby union
The kicks rugby union is played with — punt, grubber, box kick, up-and-under, drop kick and place kick — what each achieves and which law governs its use.
Overview
Rugby union is a kicking game as much as a running one. Kicking is the only legal way to move the ball forward without carrying it, which makes it the primary tool for winning territory.
There are several distinct kicks, and they are not variations of one skill. A punt for territory, a grubber along the ground, a contestable up-and-under and a place kick at goal have different mechanics and different purposes.
Territorial kicks
A punt is struck out of the hands for distance and is the standard way of clearing or gaining ground. From inside a team's own 22, a punt that goes directly into touch gains ground at the lineout; from outside the 22, it does not, which is one of the most consequential geographic rules in the sport.
A box kick is a short, high punt played by the scrum-half from behind a ruck or maul, usually towards the opposition back three. It is a territory kick that is also contestable, which is why it is usually accompanied by a chasing winger.
Contestable and attacking kicks
An up-and-under — a high, short kick — trades distance for hang time, giving chasers the chance to arrive as the ball does. It converts possession into a 50/50 contest, which is worth doing when field position makes keeping the ball unattractive.
A grubber is kicked along the ground through or behind a defensive line. Because an oval ball bounces unpredictably, a grubber is difficult to field cleanly, which makes it an attacking kick rather than a territorial one.
Kicks at goal
A place kick is taken from a tee or a made mark on the ground and is used for conversions and penalty goals. A drop kick requires the ball to be dropped and struck as it rises from the bounce, and is used for kick-offs, restarts and dropped goals.
A conversion may be taken as either a place kick or a drop kick. A dropped goal in open play, worth three points, must be a drop kick — which is what makes it a genuinely difficult skill under defensive pressure.
How to do it
- 1Decide what the kick is for — territory, contest, or points — before choosing the type.
- 2For a punt, hold the ball out in front with the point angled and drop it rather than tossing it.
- 3Strike through the ball with a locked ankle, following through towards the target.
- 4For an up-and-under, strike lower on the ball to trade distance for height.
- 5For a grubber, strike the top half of the ball so it stays low along the ground.
- 6For a drop kick, drop the ball on its point and strike it as it rises off the ground.
Key points
- Kicking is the only legal way to send the ball forward.
- Direct-to-touch from inside your own 22 gains ground; from outside it does not.
- An up-and-under converts possession into a contestable 50/50.
- A grubber exploits the oval ball's unpredictable bounce.
- A dropped goal must be a drop kick; a conversion may be a place or drop kick.
Where it’s used
Sports that use kicking in rugby union:
Related techniques
Rugby union passing
How a rugby pass is actually made — the sideways swing that replaces a throw, why every pass must travel backwards, and what separates a spiral pass from a pop.
Rugby union tackling technique
How a tackle is made safely and legally — where to place the head and shoulder, the height the Laws require, and why technique is a safety question before it is a performance one.
Sources
The rules, dimensions and specifications on this page were read from these documents.
- Laws of the Game: Rugby Union — World Rugby, Law 8 — Scoring; Law 12 — Kick-off and restart kicks; Law 18 — Touch (read 2026-09-12)
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Tactics
- Territory versus possessionRugby union's central strategic trade — when to keep the ball and when to kick it away — and why the 22-metre line makes field position worth more than possession in some parts of the field.
- Rugby union defensive systemsHow a rugby union defence organises fifteen players across the width of the field — the drift, the blitz and the umbrella — and the specific weakness each system accepts.
- Rugby union set-piece strategyWhy the scrum and lineout are attacking platforms rather than restarts — how a set piece fixes defenders in known positions, and what a team is buying when it chooses one over a kick.
- Phase playHow rugby union teams attack by keeping the ball through successive rucks — what a phase is, why phases move a defence, and the cost that eventually makes a team stop.
- Breakdown strategyThe contest that decides most rugby union matches — when to commit players to a ruck and when to leave it, what a jackal is trying to do, and why the counter-ruck is a gamble.
Positions
- Rugby union backsThe seven players who attack the space the forwards create — scrum-half, fly-half, centres, wings and fullback — what each does in attack and defence, and how the line is organised.
- Rugby union forwardsThe eight players who contest the set piece — front row, locks and back row — what each unit does at scrum, lineout and breakdown, and why the roles are so specialised.
Learning paths
Rules
- Offside in rugby unionRugby union's most context-dependent law — where the offside line sits in open play, what an offside player must not do, the 10-metre rule after a kick, and how a player is put onside.
- Direct and indirect free kicksThe two types of free kick awarded in football to restart play after a foul or other stoppage.
- The tackleWhat the Laws require of both players in a rugby union tackle — the height limit, the release obligations on the tackler, what the tackled player must do, and how the offside line is created.
- The maulThe contest for a ball held off the ground in rugby union — how a maul differs from a ruck, why that difference changes what players may legally do, and why it is a driving weapon.
- The ruckHow a ruck forms in rugby union and what changes the moment it does — the offside line, the ban on handling, the requirement to join from behind, and how a ruck ends.
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- Technique
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- Tier A — evergreen educational
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- Content updated
- 2026-09-01
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