Glossary of Rugby League Terms - C

C

Caution

A player who deliberately or repeatedly infringes the laws is cautioned, and shown a yellow card. A cautioned player is suspended from playing for ten minutes.

Centre

The centres, or 'centre three-quarters', (numbered 3 and 4) are positioned one in from the wings and together complete what is known as the three-quarter line. They are divided into left and right centres.

Usually the best mixture of power and vision, their main role is to try to create attacking opportunities for their team and defend those of the opposition. Along with the wingers, the centres score plenty of tries throughout a season.

Changeover

Another term for handover.

Charge-down

The blocking of an attacker's kick as it rises from the foot. Done with outstretched arms and hands, this is not a knock-on.

Checkside punt

Chicken-wing

A shoulder lock wrestling technique, often used to slow down the play-the-ball, that places "undue pressure" on joints of players. It is punishable under Section 15, Law 1 (i) of the Laws of the Game as it is deemed "contrary to the true spirit of the game".

Club Call

A feature of the Super League play-offs in which the highest ranked team from the regular season table to win their match in the first week of the play-offs will be able to select their opponents for their next game, a qualifying semi-final in week three, from the teams that won their preliminary semi-final in week two. First used in 2009 for Super League XIV.

Completion rate

The percentage of times in possession that a team holds the ball for a full set of six tackles.

Conversion

See also: Try#Conversion

If a team scores a try, they have an opportunity to "convert" it for two further points by kicking the ball between the posts and above the crossbar - that is, through the goal. The kick is taken at any point on the field of play in line with the point that the ball was grounded for the try parallel to the touch-lines. So it is advantageous to score a try nearer to the posts as it is easier to convert it.

The kick can be either a drop kick or a place kick.

Cover defence

The attempt to tackle an attacker who has breached the main line of defenders.

Crash ball

It is an attacking tactic where a player receives a pass at pace and runs directly at the opposition's defensive line. The crash ball runner attempts to commit two or more opposing players to the tackle, then attempts to make the ball available to team-mates by off-loading in the tackle or recycling the ball quickly from the ruck.

By committing players to the tackle, the crash ball runner creates holes in the opposition's defense, thereby creating attacking opportunities for team-mates.

Crash tackle

Another name for the crash ball.

Cut out pass

Sometimes referred to as a "cut out ball", "face ball", or "face pass", the ball is passed by an attacking player across the front of one of their team mates and caught by a team mate positioned further away. This pass may be used to move the ball more speedily away from defenders who are closing in and likely to be focussing on the player who is "cut out".