In both rugby union and rugby league play stops when the ball goes over the sideline. Also in both cases if the kick goes out on the full then it is taken back to where the kick was made, although there are a couple of exceptions to this in rugby union. Once the ball goes out both rugby and league restart play differently. As with most elements of the two sports the rugby restart is contestable while the league one is not.
When the ball goes out rugby in rugby play resumes with a lineout. Here each team stands in a line one metre apart and 5 metres away from where the ball went out. The hooker whose team did not kick it out throws the ball down the middle of the lineout and each team tries to hoist players up to catch the ball. The technical aspects of this make lineouts highly contestable. Furthermore, there are a variety of technical requirements that if not met will result in the opposing team being awarded possession. These include the ball not being thrown in straight or not quickly enough, players being lifted too early or closing the gap between the teams.
These two differences make for strategic importance in how the two games are played. In league the team who kicked it out unequivocally turns over possession from where it went out. This makes the sideline your enemy in league unless you can get good field position and actually want to stop play while the game resets. In rugby however, because the lineout is contested it makes kicking out a much more common and strategic option as both teams have a realistic chance of gaining possession in a rugby union lineout.
If you found this information useful, check out my my rugby union website for more information on rugby versus league or my rugby league website for rugby league news, comments and game reviews.
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