# What Is a 50:22 in Rugby? The Complete Rule, Explained
A 50:22 rewards a team that kicks indirectly from inside its own half and finds touch inside the opposition 22. The kicking team then receives the throw at the lineout. That simple summary is useful, but it leaves out several conditions that decide whether the kick actually qualifies.
The most common misunderstanding concerns the bounce. The ball must bounce before going into touch, because the kick has to be indirect. It does not have to bounce inside the opposition 22. What matters is that it reaches the touchline inside that 22 after bouncing in the playing area.
This guide turns World Rugby's law into a practical sequence you can follow while watching a match.
The short answer
A kick is a 50:22 when all of these conditions are met:
1. The kicker is inside their own half when they kick. 2. The ball goes indirectly into touch, so it bounces in the field of play first. 3. The ball reaches touch inside the opposition 22. 4. The kicking team did not simply carry or pass the ball back into its own half immediately before the kick, unless a tackle, ruck or maul then took place there or an opponent touched the ball there. 5. The kick is not a kick-off or another restart kick.
When those conditions are satisfied, the kicking team throws into the lineout where the ball reached touch. That change of possession at the restart is the reward.
Why it is called a 50:22
The name describes the two important areas of the pitch. The kick begins in the kicking team's own half, behind the halfway line, and ends in touch inside the opposition's 22-metre area.
It is not a demand that the ball travels exactly 50 metres. It is not a scoring play and it does not award points. It changes who has the throw at the resulting lineout.
For readers still learning the wider scoring and competition framework, our rugby hub collects the sport's current explainers and features. The separate guide to rugby bonus points explains how league points work after the match rather than during a phase of play.
The decisive detail: where must the ball bounce?
The bounce can occur outside the opposition 22. World Rugby Law 18.8(a) says that a player in their own half must kick the ball indirectly into touch in the opposition 22. In this context, indirectly means the ball touches the ground in the playing area before reaching touch.
Imagine a kicker standing five metres behind halfway. The ball lands ten metres inside the opposition half, rolls or skips forward and crosses the touchline five metres inside the opposition 22. That can qualify.
Now imagine the same kick lands inside the opposition 22 but a defender catches it before it reaches touch. There is no 50:22 because the ball did not go into touch. If the kick crosses the touchline outside the 22, it is also not a 50:22, even if it bounced inside the 22 before rolling backwards or being deflected out farther upfield.
The position where the ball reaches the touchline is therefore the key finishing point. The position of the bounce only establishes that the kick was indirect.
The five checks in order
| Check | What the referee is establishing | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Kicker's position | Was the kicker inside their own half? | A kick made from the opposition half cannot be a 50:22. |
| How the ball reached touch | Did it bounce in the field before going out? | A direct kick into touch does not qualify. |
| Place of touch | Did it reach the touchline inside the opposition 22? | The 22 is defined by where the ball goes into touch, not where it first bounces. |
| How possession entered the half | Was the ball taken back by the kicking team without a later tackle, ruck, maul or opposition touch? | A simple pass or carry back prevents the reward. |
| Type of kick | Was it open play rather than a kick-off or restart? | World Rugby expressly excludes restart kicks. |
This sequence is more reliable than judging the kick from the crowd's reaction. A spectacular touch-finder can still fail one of the less visible conditions.
What does "taken back into the half" mean?
The restriction prevents a team from deliberately moving the ball backwards across halfway just to manufacture more room for a 50:22 attempt.
If the kicking team carries, passes, throws or otherwise plays the ball from the opposition half into its own half, an immediate kick cannot earn the 50:22 reward. Normal touch law applies instead.
The eligibility can be restored if one of three things then happens in the kicking team's half:
- a tackle takes place;
- a ruck or maul forms;
- an opponent touches the ball.
The law also allows the 50:22 when the kicking team did not take the ball into its own half in the first place. For example, a player receiving an opposition kick in their own half is not barred merely because possession arrived from beyond halfway.
What happens after a successful 50:22?
The game restarts with a lineout where the ball reached touch, and the kicking team has the throw. That is valuable because the team has gained territory without surrendering the normal lineout advantage.
The lineout must still be executed. Winning the throw is not guaranteed, and the team does not receive an automatic attacking platform or points. A poor throw, a strong defensive contest or an error in the following phase can remove much of the benefit.
The mark of touch also cannot be within five metres of a try line. Law 18 places the lineout at least five metres out, even when the ball reaches touch closer to the line.
What does not count as a 50:22?
Several kicks can look similar without qualifying.
A direct kick into touch
The ball must bounce in the playing area. If it flies straight over the touchline, the 50:22 rule does not apply.
A kick made from the opposition half
The kicker must be inside their own half. A player standing just beyond halfway cannot earn the reward by finding touch in the opposition 22.
A kick that reaches touch outside the 22
The ball may bounce inside the 22, but that alone is insufficient. It must reach the touchline inside the 22.
An immediate kick after taking the ball back
If the kicking team moves the ball from the opposition half into its own half and then kicks without the required intervening event, the kick is ineligible.
A restart kick
The variation does not apply at a kick-off or any type of restart kick. A restart that bounces and reaches touch inside the relevant area is governed by the restart provisions, not the 50:22 reward.
A kick kept in play
A defender can prevent the outcome by gathering the ball or keeping it inside the field. The kick only becomes a 50:22 when it goes into touch under the qualifying conditions.
Why World Rugby introduced the rule
World Rugby first trialled the 50:22 globally before adopting it into law from 1 July 2022. The governing body's stated intention was welfare-led: encourage defending teams to place more players in the backfield to cover the kick, potentially creating more space in the defensive line and reducing repeated high-speed defensive collisions.
That does not mean every match automatically becomes more open. Coaches can respond in different ways, and game state matters. A team protecting a lead may value territory, while a side chasing points may decide that keeping possession offers more upside than attempting a difficult kick.
The rule creates a credible threat. A defence that leaves the backfield empty risks conceding an attacking lineout deep in its own territory. A defence that drops a wing or full-back to cover the grass may leave fewer bodies in the front line.
How teams create the chance
A useful 50:22 attempt normally depends on several details working together.
First, the ball carrier or playmaker needs time. Slow possession and heavy pressure make an accurate low trajectory much harder. Second, the kicker needs a picture of the backfield. The opportunity is strongest when the touchline and grass behind the defensive line are insufficiently covered. Third, the chase still matters. A well-positioned defender can collect the ball before touch or force the kick to stay infield.
Teams can use passes and decoy runners to hold defenders near the line before the kicker steps into space. They can also threaten the kick repeatedly without taking it, using the possibility to influence the defensive shape.
Is every long kick towards touch a 50:22 attempt?
No. Some kicks are intended simply to relieve pressure, contest possession, force an awkward return or establish territory. The player's position, score, time remaining, defensive spacing and chase can all change the purpose.
It is also risky to infer intent solely from the outcome. A kick may receive a fortunate bounce and become a 50:22 even if it was not executed exactly as planned. Another may be a well-designed attempt that a defender reads and gathers.
That distinction matters when evaluating teams and players. The result of one kick does not tell you whether the tactical decision was sound.
How the rule affects betting analysis
A 50:22 can create a high-value attacking position, but it should not be treated as a predictive shortcut. Team kicking quality, lineout success, opposition backfield coverage, weather, venue and match situation all interact.
The rule is most useful as part of a broader tactical reading. If a team consistently creates space for its kicker and then converts attacking lineouts into pressure, that process may be more informative than the raw count of successful 50:22s from a small sample.
Anyone comparing match markets should separate tactical observation from certainty. Our Betting Academy explains probability, prices and settlement in more detail, while the responsible gambling guide covers limits and support. Betting should remain optional entertainment for adults aged 18 and over.
Frequently asked questions
Does the ball have to bounce inside the 22 for a 50:22?
No. It must bounce in the playing area and then reach touch inside the opposition 22. The bounce itself can occur outside the 22.
Who throws in after a 50:22?
The team that made the successful kick throws into the resulting lineout.
Can a 50:22 go directly into touch?
No. The kick must go indirectly into touch, which means the ball bounces in the field of play first.
Can a 50:22 come from a kick-off?
No. World Rugby excludes kick-offs and all other restart kicks from the variation.
Can the ball be passed back over halfway before the kick?
Not for an immediate 50:22 attempt. Eligibility can return if a tackle, ruck or maul then takes place in that half, or if an opponent touches the ball there.
Does a 50:22 score points?
No. Its reward is possession of the throw at a lineout inside the opposition 22.
The rule in one sentence
A 50:22 is an indirect open-play kick from inside a team's own half that reaches touch inside the opposition 22 and gives the kicking team the lineout throw, provided the ball was not simply taken back into that half and the other law conditions are met.