To mark a ball the player must be inside that player's twenty two metre line. The mark is performed by a player making a clean catch and shouting "Mark!" Once a mark is made the marking player may not be tackled. The player is awarded a free-kick at the position of the mark and the kick must be taken by the marking player, if for any reason the player cannot take the kick within one minute the marking team must take a scrum. A ball may be marked if it has rebounded off the posts or crossbar. A mark may not be made from a kick off.
The normal rules of a free kick apply except in the case of a scrum option. A scrum from a mark should ideally be taken from the position of the mark but must be at least five metres from touch. If the mark was made in the in-goal area the scrum is taken five metres from the goal line on a line running through the mark parallel to the touch line but always at least five metres from the touch line.
If a player from the opposing team charges the marking player after the call of "Mark!" then the team will be awarded a penalty kick taken from the position of the mark, unless the infringing player was offside, in which case the penalty will be given from the offside line.
See also
Last updated: 05-30-2005 18:25:10
