Goal from mark
Encyclopedia
A goal from mark is a former scoring move in rugby football
. It occurred when a player "marked
" the ball by making a fair catch and shouting "mark". From this position the player could not be tackled. The player then had the option of a free kick
, which can be taken as a place, drop, or tap kick. The scoring move, however, continues as the set shot
featuring heavily in Australian rules football
. In the modern rugby codes including rugby union
and rugby league
, a goal cannot be scored from a free kick. Rugby league
no longer has any form of 'mark' where marks in rugby union
are now limited to inside the 22 mark of the field.
The points awarded for a goal from mark initially varied between three and four points as point scoring rules evolved in rugby. In the 1900s, the goal from mark was fixed at three points and it remained set at this amount until the rule's eventual abolition. The goal from mark was a goal-scoring option distinct from the drop goal
. The latter was worth four points in rugby union until 1948 when its value was also reduced to three points.
The goal from mark was seldom seen for a number of reasons: the kicking team would have had to make the mark comfortably within range of the opponents' goal, usually implying a gross error on the part of a defending player. The player making the mark would presumably have considered a drop goal attempt less likely to succeed than goal from the mark. The defending team were allowed to advance as far as the mark, meaning that the kick had to be attempted from still further away, and were moreover permitted to charge the attempted kick (as a penalty kick
may not be). A place kick could be attempted under obsolete laws that disallowed a charge attempt until the ball, in possession of a placer, was allowed to touch the ground; otherwise the ball had to be drop-kicked. This mode of scoring was valid until the 1970s and was very rare.
The goal from mark was permitted in rugby union games until the free-kick clause was added to the Laws of Rugby Union in 1977, which stipulated that a player could call a mark only in the defender's 22-metre area and only for a "non-scoring" free kick. This clause was applied to northern hemisphere games from September 1977 and for southern hemisphere games from January 1978 and remains part of the current rules to this day.
An example of a goal from mark occurred in the Oxford and Cambridge University Match. The last goal from a mark scored in an international match was by Romania against France in the FIRA Championship, Pool A, in Beziers on 11 December 1971.
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
. It occurred when a player "marked
Mark (rugby)
To mark a ball in rugby union, 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!". It is also common for the player to touch the ball on the ground to make his intentions clear to the referee and other...
" the ball by making a fair catch and shouting "mark". From this position the player could not be tackled. The player then had the option of a free kick
Free kick (rugby union)
A free kick in rugby union is usually awarded to a team for a technical offence committed by the opposing side. Free kicks are awarded for technical offences such as playing too many players in a line-out or time wasting at a scrum. A free kick is also awarded for making a mark.Once awarded a...
, which can be taken as a place, drop, or tap kick. The scoring move, however, continues as the set shot
Set shot (Australian rules football)
A Set shot in the Australian Football League is a kick for goal after the umpire has blown "time off," in which the player can 'set' himself, rather than have to quickly react during the play. A set shot occurs when a player has been awarded a free kick, or has taken a mark within kicking range...
featuring heavily in Australian rules football
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
. In the modern rugby codes including rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
and rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
, a goal cannot be scored from a free kick. Rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
no longer has any form of 'mark' where marks in rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
are now limited to inside the 22 mark of the field.
The points awarded for a goal from mark initially varied between three and four points as point scoring rules evolved in rugby. In the 1900s, the goal from mark was fixed at three points and it remained set at this amount until the rule's eventual abolition. The goal from mark was a goal-scoring option distinct from the drop goal
Drop kick
A drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
. The latter was worth four points in rugby union until 1948 when its value was also reduced to three points.
The goal from mark was seldom seen for a number of reasons: the kicking team would have had to make the mark comfortably within range of the opponents' goal, usually implying a gross error on the part of a defending player. The player making the mark would presumably have considered a drop goal attempt less likely to succeed than goal from the mark. The defending team were allowed to advance as far as the mark, meaning that the kick had to be attempted from still further away, and were moreover permitted to charge the attempted kick (as a penalty kick
Penalty kick
A penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
may not be). A place kick could be attempted under obsolete laws that disallowed a charge attempt until the ball, in possession of a placer, was allowed to touch the ground; otherwise the ball had to be drop-kicked. This mode of scoring was valid until the 1970s and was very rare.
The goal from mark was permitted in rugby union games until the free-kick clause was added to the Laws of Rugby Union in 1977, which stipulated that a player could call a mark only in the defender's 22-metre area and only for a "non-scoring" free kick. This clause was applied to northern hemisphere games from September 1977 and for southern hemisphere games from January 1978 and remains part of the current rules to this day.
An example of a goal from mark occurred in the Oxford and Cambridge University Match. The last goal from a mark scored in an international match was by Romania against France in the FIRA Championship, Pool A, in Beziers on 11 December 1971.
See also
- Drop kickDrop kickA drop kick is a type of kick in various codes of football. It involves a player dropping the ball and then kicking it when it bounces off the ground. It contrasts to a punt, wherein the player kicks the ball without letting it hit the ground first....
- Free kick (rugby union)Free kick (rugby union)A free kick in rugby union is usually awarded to a team for a technical offence committed by the opposing side. Free kicks are awarded for technical offences such as playing too many players in a line-out or time wasting at a scrum. A free kick is also awarded for making a mark.Once awarded a...
- Mark (rugby)Mark (rugby)To mark a ball in rugby union, 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!". It is also common for the player to touch the ball on the ground to make his intentions clear to the referee and other...
- Fair catch kickFair catch kickThe fair catch kick is a rarely used rule in some forms of American football that allows a team, after making a fair catch of an opponent's kick, to attempt a field goal freely from the spot of the catch. It is one of the three types of free kicks; the other two are the kickoff and the safety kick...
- Set shot (Australian rules football)Set shot (Australian rules football)A Set shot in the Australian Football League is a kick for goal after the umpire has blown "time off," in which the player can 'set' himself, rather than have to quickly react during the play. A set shot occurs when a player has been awarded a free kick, or has taken a mark within kicking range...