In July 2022, World Rugby brought into full effect the 50:22 law. This benefits attacking teams and is one of its welfare-based laws. The law was trialled before this in Super Rugby competitions and was seen as a positive addition to the laws.
What is a 50:22?
A 50:22 is a tactical kick for attacking teams to try and regain possession, while also gaining territorial advantage. A 50:22 kick must go from within the attacker’s own half. It must then go out inside the opposition’s 22, but it must bounce in the field before going into touch.
Similar to the rules around kicking directly into touch from inside the 22. A phase which ends in a 50:22 must originate inside their own half.
The reward of a 50:22
A successful 50:22 allows the attacking team to retain the ball at the lineout. An attacking lineout in the opposition’s 22 is one of the best attacking platforms for teams to score from.
The perfect 50:22 not only allows the attacking to reset with a set-piece but also can offer huge territorial gains. The perfect kick and leave teams with the ball on the opposition five metre line.
The type of kick that now leads to a 50:22 was often tried in professional rugby just for the territorial gains, but is now rewarded with possession at the lineout also.
The most effective 50:22 attempts come in a broken field or transitional situation where there is no backfield set up. A quick turnover, or knock-on, can give the team with the ball the opportunity to make huge gains in territory in a short period.
2026 rules updates and how it can be exploited
Similar to how the law was introduced, there are variations in the law currently being trialled in Super Rugby for this season. If successful, the variation will be introduced to the rest of the world after this trial.
The trial will allow for a 50:22 to be given even if the ball has been passed back over the halfway line beforehand.
This will allow for teams to tactically kick if they are stuck just past the halfway line. They will be able to put a kicker into the pocket as if it were a drop goal attempt and give them more opportunity to place a deep kick into the opposition’s 22.
How to defend a 50:22?
A 50:22 is ultimately hard to defend. Traditionally, when a team had approached the halfway line, they normally weren’t incentivised to kick. Therefore, defending teams may have only had one player in the backfield.
With the dangers of a 50:22, defensive teams may be encouraged to keep two or three defenders in the backfield to shield the touchlines. They are ready to re-engage with the defensive line when the attack crosses the halfway line.
Being in the backfield, this will discourage attacking teams from even trying to attempt one of these kicks. With the ball being required to bounce, a position in the wide channel around the 22 would give attackers limited position to try and land the ball before bouncing into touch.
