GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
How do Rugby Union lineout trials handle formation time and a not-straight throw?
World Rugby marks both rules as Global Law Trials. Teams must form the lineout within 30 seconds of the mark or concede a free-kick; that wording does not say “playing time.” On a not-straight throw, play continues if the non-throwing team does not lift a competitor; if it does, it gets a lineout-or-scrum option, with a specific scrum result if a chosen lineout is again not straight.
For Rugby Union viewers following the current World Rugby lineout trials. · Updated
The 30 seconds run from the mark
Law 18.12 says teams form the lineout within 30 seconds of the mark. The sanction for missing that deadline is a free-kick. The law wording does not qualify the 30 seconds as playing time, so do not add a clock rule that is not written there.
The not-straight outcome depends on a lifted competitor
Under the trial in Law 18.23(a)–(b), play continues if the non-throwing team does not lift a teammate to compete for the not-straight throw. If it does lift a competitor, that team is offered a lineout or scrum. If it chooses a lineout and the ball is again not thrown straight, the scrum goes to the team that originally threw in.
These provisions are trials, not universal wording
The 2025 announcement scoped these trials to new competitions or leagues starting after 1 January 2025. World Rugby’s July 2026 update says newer trials remain in play for another season. Check a named competition’s law edition and union implementation before applying either trial to a match.
Fictional lineout timing and throw examples
These are separate hypothetical lineouts. In the first, the referee makes the mark and both teams form within 30 seconds; in a second setup, the deadline passes before formation and the stated sanction is a free-kick. In another lineout, a not-straight throw with no lifted competitor is played on. In a separate contested sequence, the non-throwing side lifts, chooses a lineout, and the retry is again not straight; the scrum is awarded to the original throwing team.
Related questions
Does Law 18.12 say the 30 seconds are playing time?
No. It says to form the lineout within 30 seconds of the mark and does not add the words “playing time.” Do not import the conversion trial’s clock wording.
What happens if a not-straight lineout throw is not contested?
Under the trial, if the non-throwing team does not lift a teammate to compete, play continues. If it lifts a competitor, the team is offered a lineout or scrum.
Who gets the scrum if the chosen lineout retry is not straight again?
The scrum is awarded to the team that originally threw the ball in.
Sources and further reading
- World Rugby Laws of the Game, Law 18.12 and Law 18.23(a)–(b), both marked Global Law Trial, current digital text reviewed October 15, 2026
- World Rugby, 2025-01 Global Law Trials, Council-approved November 14, 2024; applicability notice for new competitions/leagues after January 1, 2025
- World Rugby, 2026-07 Law updates, newer trial status, reviewed October 15, 2026