Drop goal
A drop goal, field goal,[1] or dropped goal is a method of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league and also, rarely, in American football and Canadian football. A drop goal is scored by
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 halfway. If the kick is unsuccessful, play continues and the offside rules for a kick apply. Defenders may tackle the kicker while he is in possession of the ball, or attempt to charge down or block the kick.
Rugby union
World Rugby, the international governing body of rugby union, refers to this method of scoring in its publications as a "dropped goal",[2] but this is commonly abbreviated to "drop goal".
Points value
A drop goal is worth three points, and before 1948 it was worth four points.[3] From time to time suggestions have been made by some rugby commentators to reduce the value of drop goals, or to limit or discourage them in other ways.[4]
Field goal
It is sometimes also referred to as a field goal in modern usage. A field goal was an older form of scoring where the goal was kicked from a ball that was in play but on the ground, not drop kicked. It was outlawed in 1906.[5]
Rugby league
In rugby league the drop goal is worth one point.[6] Because of this the drop goal's use is largely in the late stages of a match in order to break a deadlock, or to extend a lead to more than a converted try.[citation needed]
With the introduction of the golden point rule in the Australasian National Rugby League (where the term field goal is usually used[7]), it is often the first choice option when looking to secure a win.[citation needed]
In the
On 11 December 2020, the NRL announced the introduction of a two-point field goal for kicks taken from more than 40 metres out.[10] Adam Reynolds kicked the first such field goal on 8 April 2021.[11]
In other football codes
The drop-kick field goal is a rare but still legal part of
In Australian rules football, a drop kick is a legal way of scoring a goal or a behind, but is rarely executed these days, as punting a goal is also legal and much easier to execute.
See also
- List of leading rugby union drop goal scorers
References
- ^ "Pat Richards field goal stuns Titans as Wests Tigers take NRL win". Stuff. 7 March 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ^ "Law 9: Method of Scoring" (PDF). Laws of the Game. International Rugby Board. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-10-22. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ McCarthy 1968, p. 51.
- ^ Spiro Zavos: "Time to dock points from drop goals". Archived June 22, 2007, at the Wayback Machine Rugby Heaven, Tuesday, June 19, 2007.
- ^ McCarthy 1968, p. 51: "In referring to a dropped goal or 'pot' as a 'field goal', as so many people do today, error is committed. The field goal was scored by a player kicking a goal from a ball that was in play but on the ground—a 'speculator' as it would be called today."
- Rugby League International Federation. 2004-03-11. p. 14. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2007-09-12.
- ^ "Cowboys down courageous Sharks". NRL - The official site of the National Rugby League - NRL.com. September 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
- ^ "Some interesting rule changes over the years. - NRL Game Development - South East Queensland - SportsTG". websites.sportstg.com. Archived from the original on 2017-03-15.
- ^ "Rugby League Tables / Season Summary / All Teams".
- ^ "NRL announces rule changes to make game more entertaining". 11 December 2020.
- ^ "Double or nothing: Reynolds kicks first two-point field goal after week of distraction". 8 April 2021.
Sources
- McCarthy, Winston (1968). Haka! The All Blacks Story. London: Pelham Books.
External links
- The dictionary definition of drop goal at Wiktionary