Glossary of Rugby League Terms - B

B

Ball and all

A type of tackle that prevents the player being tackled being able to offload the ball to a team mate for them to carry on the attack before the tackle has been completed. This type of tackle involves preventing the player being tackled from being able to move their arms effectively.

Ball-carrier

The player in possession of the ball.

Ball-carrying arm

An instance in which a tackle can be judged to be complete is when the attacking player's ball-carrying arm is touching the ground at the same time that a defending player is in contact with the attacker.

Ball back

If the ball enters touch, then play is restarted by a scrum at the point where the ball left the field of play. However, if the ball is kicked into touch without first bouncing inside the field of play (on the full). In this case, the scrum is taken from level with the place from where the ball was kicked from. The ball is given back to the team who did not kick it out of bounds; ball back is waived in certain circumstances:

1. If a side elects to kick a penalty into touch
2. If the kick took place from behind the 40m line and cleared the 20m line before going out of play (the 40/20 rule).

Banana kick

A medium-range kick performed in general play that goes to off to the side of the kicker rather than in front, for chasers further afield. The aim of the banana kick is to be less predictable than conventional kicks and is named such thus as the rise and fall of the ball is in a curve like that of a banana.

Biff

Fighting.

Black dot

The underside of the crossbar connecting the goal posts will have a marking on it in the centre, usually black in colour, that is referred to a the "black dot". The black dot can be used as an aid to kickers with their aiming. A player scoring a try in the centre of the goal line or in goal, that is beneath the posts, might be said to have scored "under the black dot".

Blindside

The narrow side of the pitch in relation to a scrum or a play the ball; the opposite of openside.

Blood replacement (obsolete)

See: Interchange

Bomb

See: Up and under

Break

A breach of the line of defenders by the player in possession of the ball on the attacking team.

Bridging (obsolete)

Bridging refers to a team linking or binding players together at the play-the-ball into a scrum-like formation.

Broken-time (obsolete)

Broken-time payments compensated players for the time they missed from work due to their rugby playing commitments. The use of these payments was one of the issues that led to the schism of rugby football in England. Broken-time payments were the original player payment system of the Northern Rugby Football Union in 1895.

Bust

A bust, or tackle bust, is when a player breaks through an attempted tackle.