Glossary of Rugby League Terms - P

P

Pack

Refers to the group of forwards of a team.

Pack down

To form a scrum.

Parramatta Wall

A set-piece move with numerous variations in which attacking players stand side-by-side facing their own goal line while they and their teammates attempt to obscure the ball and confuse the defenders of the opposing team. The move is named after the Parramatta Eels.

Pass

A pass is to transfer a ball to a teammate by throwing it. Passes must not travel forward in direction from the hands of the person passing. There are different varieties of pass, including the flat, direct spin pass; the short, close-quarters pop pass; and the floated pass - a long pass which an advancing player can run onto at pace.

Pattern

Penalty

Penalties are awarded for serious infringements like dangerous play, offside and handling the ball on the ground.

Penalty kick

If a side commits a penalty infringement the opposition can take the option of a place kick at goal from where the infringement occurred. This is called a penalty kick. If successful, it is worth two points.

Penalty try

A penalty try awarded if the referee believes a team illegally prevents a probable try from being scored. Penalty tries are always awarded under the posts regardless of where the offence took place.

Place kick

The place kick is a kicking style commonly used when kicking for goal. It typically involves placing the ball on the ground. To keep the ball in position, a mound of sand or plastic tee is sometimes used.

Placer

Placers are used to hold the ball in-place for a kicker during a place kick attempt. Placers are usually only used in the modern game if weather conditions are causing the ball to move from the position it has been set in by the kicker. In the early years of the game, when defenders could charge the ball as soon as it touched the ground, a placer was permitted to be used to place the ball on the ground at the last moment.

Play-the-ball

The play-the-ball is used to restart play in various instances during a game, but most-commonly immediately following a tackle.

Powerplay

Powerplay refers to the act of running the ball on the fifth tackle instead of kicking it.

Professional foul

A professional foul is a deliberate act of foul play, usually to prevent an opponent scoring.

Prop

The props (numbered 8 and 10) are normally the largest players on field (they typically weigh over 15 stones (100kg) in the open age/senior game). They are positioned in the centre of the line. The prop is an 'enforcer', dissuading the opposition from attacking the centre of the defensive line and in attack give the team momentum by taking the ball up to the defence aggressively.

Punt-out (obsolete)

Between 1897 and 1902, the punt-out, also called a kick-in, was an option for the method of re-starting play after the ball had gone into touch (the other option being a scrum). It replaced the line-out in 1897 and was itself replaced by a scrum on the 10 yard line in 1902. A punt-out was taken from the touch-line by a player who could kick the ball back into play, in any direction.

Put in

See Feeding the scrum