Rugby Try: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters

When a player grounds the ball in the opponent’s in-goal area, they score a rugby try, the primary method of scoring in rugby union and rugby league, worth five points and the most valuable play on the field. It’s not just about touching the ball down—it’s about timing, power, and precision under pressure. A try isn’t just points; it’s momentum. It shifts the energy of the crowd, forces defensive adjustments, and often decides who wins. In rugby, tries matter more than penalties or drop goals because they’re harder to get and change the entire rhythm of the game.

Scoring a try isn’t just the job of the forwards—it’s often the result of teamwork between backline players, the faster, more agile players who exploit gaps and create space after the initial contact, and the breakdown, the chaotic moment after a tackle where possession is contested and the next phase of play is determined. You can’t just run through a defense and score. You need to outmaneuver, outlast, and outthink. That’s why a try often comes after multiple phases, quick passes, and clever decoy runs. The best tries aren’t just about speed—they’re about reading the defense and making the right decision at the right time.

And it’s not just about the player who scores. The whole team has to set it up. The scrum-half delivers the ball cleanly. The props hold the lineout. The flankers win the turnover. The fullback makes the last-ditch tackle that forces a mistake. Every try has a story behind it. That’s why watching a try isn’t just about the final moment—it’s about following the whole sequence. That’s also why rugby positions, the specific roles each player fills, from props to fly-halves, that determine how the team moves and scores matter so much. A try doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built.

Some tries are flashy—long runs down the sideline, step-and-dodge, crowd-pleasers. Others are ugly—mashed into the mud, five men piled on top, just enough pressure to force the ball loose and a player to dive over. Both count the same. In rugby, it doesn’t matter how you get it, only that you do. That’s why tries are the heartbeat of the sport. They’re unpredictable. They’re physical. They’re beautiful.

Whether you’re new to rugby or you’ve watched for years, understanding the try is the key to understanding the game. It’s the reason fans stand up, the reason players push past exhaustion, and the reason coaches design entire strategies around creating or stopping it. Below, you’ll find real breakdowns of how tries happen, what makes them legal or illegal, and how players at every level learn to score—and defend—them.