Field goal (rugby)
Encyclopedia
A drop goal, also referred to as a dropped goal or field goal, is a method of scoring points in rugby union
and rugby league
. A drop goal cannot be scored in open play by punt
ing the ball, and instead must be scored by drop kick
ing the ball over the crossbar
and between the uprights. After the kick, the ball may touch the crossbar or goalposts, but not the ground (i.e. it must be on the full), before it goes over and through.
A drop goal is worth three points in rugby union
and one point in rugby league
. If the drop goal attempt is successful, play stops and the non-scoring team (the scoring team in rugby union sevens
) restarts play with a kick from the centre spot. If the kick is unsuccessful, the offside rules for a kick apply and play continues until a normal stoppage occurs, usually by the kicked ball going dead or into touch. Defenders may tackle the kicker while he is in possession of the ball, or attempt to charge down or block the kick.
Teams which are in the lead often use the drop-goal to maintain a margin over the opposition of more than seven points, i.e. more than a converted try, the maximum single score possible. They will often do so immediately after their lead has been cut.
Some teams play a strategy of ensuring that they score points every time they get close to their opponents' 22 metre line. If they do not score a try within a certain period of getting there and if their opponents are disciplined and not giving away penalties, they attempt a drop goal.
Sometimes a team defending their try line makes a hurried clearing kick or hack at a loose ball which goes down the centre of the field. In these circumstances the attacking team's fullback will sometimes try a long-range drop goal from there or near the half-way line. Paul Warwick of Stade Francais was particularly well-known for this during his time at Munster
.
A team often tries a drop goal just before half-time, especially if they think the referee is going to blow the whistle at the next stoppage and they feel their attacking move is about to break down.
The advantage rule for a penalty is also exploited by teams to score a drop-goal. In such a scenario, the referee signals penalty advantage to the attacking team when the location of the infringement is difficult for kicking a penalty goal. If the attackers aren't in a good position to score a try, they may attempt the drop-goal. If they miss they do not lose anything, because they have not gained an advantage, and the referee still gives them the penalty.
Some teams such as the South African Springboks have been notable for use of the drop-goal, while others such as the New Zealand All Blacks seem to spurn it and prefer to run the ball. There is a view that this contributed to the All Blacks, then the world's No 1 ranked team
, being knocked out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
, which the Springboks won . (this tournament also featured more kicking than usual)
have been decided by dropped goals, in extra time in the case of the finals.
With the introduction of the golden point
rule in the Australasian National Rugby League
, the field goal is often the first choice option when looking to secure a win.
Notable Field Goals in Rugby League
-In 2010, Hull FC
was down 26-6 to St Helens RLFC, however Hull fought back in the second half, and with 5 minutes left it was 26 - 26,
In the last seconds of the game Danny Tickle
made a drop goal to give hull the win 27 - 26. It is considered one of the best come backs in Rugby League
History.
-In 2010 Benji Marshall
kicked a 51 metre field goal to give the West Tigers a one point lead going in to halftime.
-Also in 2010 during week 1 of the NRL Playoffs the West Tigers led 15-14 over the Sydney Roosters
until a 40 metre field goal by Braith Anasta
tied the game up and went to extra time for the first time in a finals game.
and Canadian football
, other football codes descended from Rugby football
. For example, in the New England Patriots
' regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins
on January 1, 2006, Doug Flutie
successfully drop kicked a football for an extra point, something that had not been done in a regular-season NFL game since 1941.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. A drop goal cannot be scored in open play by punt
Punt
Punt may refer to:In boats:*Punt , a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow developed on the River Thames*Norfolk Punt, a type of racing dinghy developed in Norfolk*Cable ferry, known as a punt in Australian EnglishIn people:...
ing the ball, and instead must be scored by drop kick
Drop kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
ing the ball over the crossbar
Goal (sport)
Goal refers to a method of scoring in many sports. It can also refer to the physical structure or area of the playing surface where scoring occurs....
and between the uprights. After the kick, the ball may touch the crossbar or goalposts, but not the ground (i.e. it must be on the full), before it goes over and through.
A drop goal is worth three points in rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and one point in rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
. If the drop goal attempt is successful, play stops and the non-scoring team (the scoring team in rugby union sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
) restarts play with a kick from the centre spot. If the kick is unsuccessful, the offside rules for a kick apply and play continues until a normal stoppage occurs, usually by the kicked ball going dead or into touch. Defenders may tackle the kicker while he is in possession of the ball, or attempt to charge down or block the kick.
Rugby union
In rugby union, the play is officially called a dropped goal and commonly abbreviated to "drop goal".Tactical use of the drop goal
At three points in union, the drop goal is relatively valuable and therefore it is not unusual to see it attempted at any point in a match. However teams which believe they are stronger than their opponents in scoring more valuable tries generally do not want to sacrifice a good territorial position by going for a drop goal.Teams which are in the lead often use the drop-goal to maintain a margin over the opposition of more than seven points, i.e. more than a converted try, the maximum single score possible. They will often do so immediately after their lead has been cut.
Some teams play a strategy of ensuring that they score points every time they get close to their opponents' 22 metre line. If they do not score a try within a certain period of getting there and if their opponents are disciplined and not giving away penalties, they attempt a drop goal.
Sometimes a team defending their try line makes a hurried clearing kick or hack at a loose ball which goes down the centre of the field. In these circumstances the attacking team's fullback will sometimes try a long-range drop goal from there or near the half-way line. Paul Warwick of Stade Francais was particularly well-known for this during his time at Munster
Munster Rugby
Munster Rugby is an Irish professional rugby union team based in Munster, that competes in the RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup.The team represents the Irish Rugby Football Union Munster Branch which is one of four primary branches of the IRFU, and is responsible for rugby union in the Irish...
.
A team often tries a drop goal just before half-time, especially if they think the referee is going to blow the whistle at the next stoppage and they feel their attacking move is about to break down.
The advantage rule for a penalty is also exploited by teams to score a drop-goal. In such a scenario, the referee signals penalty advantage to the attacking team when the location of the infringement is difficult for kicking a penalty goal. If the attackers aren't in a good position to score a try, they may attempt the drop-goal. If they miss they do not lose anything, because they have not gained an advantage, and the referee still gives them the penalty.
Some teams such as the South African Springboks have been notable for use of the drop-goal, while others such as the New Zealand All Blacks seem to spurn it and prefer to run the ball. There is a view that this contributed to the All Blacks, then the world's No 1 ranked team
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
, being knocked out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup
2007 Rugby World Cup
The 2007 Rugby World Cup was the sixth Rugby World Cup, a quadrennial international rugby union competition inaugurated in 1987. Twenty nations competed for the Webb Ellis Cup in the tournament, which was hosted by France from 7 September to 20 October. France won the hosting rights in 2003,...
, which the Springboks won . (this tournament also featured more kicking than usual)
Notable drop goals in rugby union
A number of quarterfinals and semifinals and two finals in the Rugby World CupRugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
have been decided by dropped goals, in extra time in the case of the finals.
- South AfricaSouth Africa national rugby union teamThe South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
's victory margin in the 1995 World Cup1995 Rugby World Cup FinalThe 1995 Rugby World Cup Final, was the final match in the 1995 Rugby World Cup, played in South Africa.The match was played at Ellis Park Stadium, Johannesburg on 24 June 1995 between the host nation, the South African Springboks, and the New Zealand All Blacks...
came from a Joel StranskyJoel StranskyJoel Theodore Stransky is a former South African rugby union rugby player, most notable for scoring all of South Africa's points, including the famous dramatic winning drop goal, against New Zealand in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final. He played as a fly-half.-Early life:Stransky was born in...
drop goal in extra time. - Jonny WilkinsonJonny WilkinsonJonathan Peter "Jonny" Wilkinson OBE is an English rugby union player and member of the England national team. Wilkinson rose to acclaim from 2001 to 2003, before and during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and was acknowledged as one of the world’s best rugby players...
duplicated the feat for EnglandEngland national rugby union teamThe England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...
against AustraliaAustralia national rugby union teamThe Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
in the World Cup final in 20032003 Rugby World CupThe 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
. Notably, the normally left-footed Wilkinson kicked the winning goal with his right foot. - Australia were eliminated from the 1995 Rugby World Cup by a Rob AndrewRob AndrewChristopher Robert "Rob" Andrew MBE , nicknamed "Squeaky", is a former English rugby union footballer and currently Director of Operations at the RFU. He was formerly the Director of Rugby of Newcastle Falcons. As a player, Andrew was assured in his kicking and defensive skills off both feet...
drop goal for England. - Australia's Stephen LarkhamStephen LarkhamStephen Larkham is an Australian rugby union footballer currently playing for the Ricoh Black Rams in Japan. He is best known for his career with the Brumbies in Super Rugby, for whom he played from the inception of the professional Super 12 in 1996 through 2007, and his long tenure with the...
kicked a forty-eight metre match winning drop goal in extra time in the 1999 World Cup semi-finals against South Africa. - Jerry GuscottJeremy GuscottJeremy Clayton Guscott is a former rugby union outside centre who played for Bath, England and the British and Irish Lions. On rare occasions, he has also appeared for England on the wing....
dropped a match and series-winning goal in the second test for the British LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
on the 1997 British Lions tour to South Africa1997 British Lions tour to South AfricaThe 1997 British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa was a series of matches played by the British and Irish Lions rugby union team in South Africa.This tour followed the Lions' 1993 tour to New Zealand and preceded their 2001 tour to Australia....
. - In their 44-21 quarter-final win over England in the 1999 Rugby World Cup1999 Rugby World CupThe 1999 Rugby World Cup was the fourth Rugby World Cup, and the first to be held in rugby union's professional era. The principal host nation was Wales, although the majority of matches were played outside the country, shared between England, France, Scotland and Ireland...
, South African Jannie de BeerJannie de BeerJan Hendrik de Beer , nicknamed Jannie, is a South African former rugby union player. He played flyhalf for the South African national team, the Springboks. In all he represented the Springboks in 13 tests, scoring 183 points. He stands 1.82 meters tall, and weighs 87 kilograms...
dropped 5 goals, a record for a test match. - In the 2009 Six Nations2009 Six Nations ChampionshipThe 2009 Six Nations Championship, known as the 2009 RBS 6 Nations because of the tournament's sponsorship by the Royal Bank of Scotland, was the tenth Six Nations Championship, an annual rugby union competition contested by the six major Northern Hemisphere rugby union national teams...
, when IrelandIreland national rugby union teamThe Ireland national rugby union team represents the island of Ireland in rugby union. The team competes annually in the Six Nations Championship and every four years in the Rugby World Cup, where they reached the quarter-final stage in all but two competitions The Ireland national rugby union...
played WalesWales national rugby union teamThe Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
to decide whether Ireland would win their first Grand Slam since 19481948 Five Nations ChampionshipThe 1948 Five Nations Championship was the nineteenth series of the rugby union Five Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the fifty-fourth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship. Ten matches were played between...
, Wales scored a late Stephen Jones drop goal to seemingly deny Ireland, only for Ronan O'GaraRonan O'GaraRonan John Ross O'Gara is an Irish rugby union player, playing at fly-half for both Munster and Ireland. He is the all time highest point scorer for both Munster and Ireland. In addition to his prolific point-scoring, he has captained Munster, Ireland and the British and Irish Lions...
to score a drop goal of his own two minutes later to give Ireland the lead. A Jones penalty from near midfield in the last few seconds fell short, securing the Slam for Ireland. - Jonny Wilkinson holds the record number for drop goals in an international career: presently (2009) 31. The record was previously held by ArgentineArgentina national rugby union teamThe Argentina national rugby team, nicknamed Los Pumas, represents Argentina in international rugby union matches. The team, which plays in sky blue and white jerseys, is organised by the Argentine Rugby Union .Argentina played its first international rugby match in 1910 against a touring British...
Hugo PortaHugo PortaHugo Porta is a former Argentine Rugby Union footballer, an inductee of both the International Rugby Hall of Fame and IRB Hall of Fame, and one of the best fly-halves the sport has seen...
with 28.
Points value of a drop goal
From time to time suggestions have been made in some quarters of the international rugby community that the number of points for a drop goal should be reduced, or drop goals should be limited or discouraged in other ways. These suggestions have often come from New Zealand and Australia where the use of the drop goal is not so common.Rugby league
In rugby league, since the reduction of their value from two points to one in the early 1970s, the drop goal's use has largely been in the latter stages of a match (or half) in order to break a deadlock, or for "insurance" points: to extend a lead to more than a converted try, or to reduce a deficit to less than a converted try.With the introduction of the golden point
Golden point
The golden point, a sudden death overtime system, is used to resolve drawn rugby league football matches. The term is borrowed from soccer's now defunct golden goal.-Australasia:...
rule in the Australasian National Rugby League
National Rugby League
The National Rugby League is the top league of professional rugby league football clubs in Australasia. The NRL's main competition, called the Telstra Premiership , is contested by sixteen teams, fifteen of which are based in Australia with one based in New Zealand...
, the field goal is often the first choice option when looking to secure a win.
Notable Field Goals in Rugby League
-In 2010, Hull FC
Hull FC
Hull Football Club, commonly referred to as Hull or Hull FC, is a professional rugby league football club established in 1865 and based in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. The club plays in the Super League competition...
was down 26-6 to St Helens RLFC, however Hull fought back in the second half, and with 5 minutes left it was 26 - 26,
In the last seconds of the game Danny Tickle
Danny Tickle
Danny Tickle, is an English professional rugby league footballer for Hull of Super League. His usual position is in the .-Playing career:...
made a drop goal to give hull the win 27 - 26. It is considered one of the best come backs in Rugby League
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
History.
-In 2010 Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall
Benji Marshall is a professional rugby league footballer with the Wests Tigers of the National Rugby League . A goal-kicking five-eighth, he is the current captain of the New Zealand national team, with whom he won the 2008 World Cup and 2010 Four Nations tournaments...
kicked a 51 metre field goal to give the West Tigers a one point lead going in to halftime.
-Also in 2010 during week 1 of the NRL Playoffs the West Tigers led 15-14 over the Sydney Roosters
Sydney Roosters
The Sydney Roosters are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney. The club competes in the National Rugby League and is one of the oldest and most successful clubs in Australian rugby league history, having won twelve New South Wales Rugby League...
until a 40 metre field goal by Braith Anasta
Braith Anasta
Braith Anasta is a Greek-Australian professional rugby league footballer who captains the Sydney Roosters of the National Rugby League...
tied the game up and went to extra time for the first time in a finals game.
In other Rugby descendant football codes
The drop-kick field goal is a rare but still legal part of American footballAmerican football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
and Canadian football
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
, other football codes descended from Rugby football
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
. For example, in the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
' regular-season finale against the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on January 1, 2006, Doug Flutie
Doug Flutie
Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
successfully drop kicked a football for an extra point, something that had not been done in a regular-season NFL game since 1941.