Rugby League Rules and Regulations

The laws of rugby league were inevitably based on those for rugby union following the schism between the two codes in 1895.

Most of the major changes that distinguish between the two games took place over the next 13 years, with the introduction of the 'play-the-ball' to replace the ruck, the reduction of the teams to 13 players and the removal of the line-out all codified before 1908.

The governing body, the Rugby League International Federation, has guardianship of the international laws of the game, but individual competitions such as the Super League and National Rugby League have their own interpretations and variations.

The rules are currently split into 17 different sections, governing regulations regarding the dimensions of the pitch and the equipment eligible to be used, as well as the actual rules of play.

Rugby league has never been afraid to innovate and tinker with the rules over the years, with recent changes incorporating the '40-20' kick rule (to retain the relevance and skill of kicking in the game), the ability to steal the ball out of the tackle and the number of substitutions a team is allowed to make.

However, other changes, such as allowing the referee to decide if a knock-on was deliberate, have been less successful and the lack of video technology in all games has also caused controversy.

In Australia this year two referees have been employed on the field for the first time, as officialdom seeks to catch up with a game that is becoming faster and stronger with every passing season