21.4 Penalty and Free Kick Options and Requirements
Posted by IRB Laws on July 9th, 2009(a) Scrum alternative. A team awarded a penalty or free kick may choose a scrum instead. They throw in the ball.
(b) No delay. If a kicker indicates to the referee the intention to kick a penalty kick at goal, the kick must be taken within one minute from the time the player indicates the intention to kick at goal. The intention to kick is signalled by the arrival of the kicking tee or sand, or when the player makes a mark on the ground. The player must complete the kick within one minute even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again. If the one minute is exceeded, the kick is disallowed, a scrum is ordered at the place of the mark and the opponents throw in the ball. For any other type of kick, the kick must be taken without undue delay.
(c) A clear kick. The kicker must kick the ball a visible distance. If the kicker is holding it, it must clearly leave the hands. If it is on the ground, it must clearly leave the mark.
(d) Place kicking for touch. The kicker may punt or drop kick for touch but must not place kick for touch.
(e) Kicker’s freedom of action. The kicker is free to kick the ball in any direction and may play the ball again.
(f) Kick taken in the in-goal. When a penalty or free kick is taken in the team’s in-goal and a defending player by foul play prevents an opponent from scoring a try, a penalty try is awarded.
(g) Out of play in-goal. If a player retires into in-goal to take a penalty or free kick awarded in the field of play and following the kick the ball goes into touch-in-goal, or on or over the dead ball line, or a defending player makes the ball dead before it has crossed the goal line, a 5 metre scrum is awarded. The attacking team throws in the ball.
(h) Behind the ball. All the kicker’s team at a penalty or free kick must be behind the ball until it has been kicked, except the placer for a place kick.
(i) Kick taken quickly. If the penalty or free kick is taken so quickly that players of the kicker’s team are still in front of the ball, they are not penalised for being offside. However, they must retire immediately. They must not stop retiring until they are onside. They must not take part in the game until they are onside. This applies to all players of that team, whether they are inside or outside the playing area.
(j) In this situation, players become onside when they run behind the team-mate who took the penalty or free kick, or when a team-mate carrying the ball runs in front of them, or when a team-mate who was behind the ball when it was kicked runs in front of them.
(k) An offside player cannot be put onside by any action of an opponent.
Penalty: Unless otherwise stated in Law any infringement by the kicker’s team results in a scrum at the mark. The opposing team throw in the ball.
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