How to Recognise a Valid 50:22

A valid 50:22 happens when a player kicks from within their own half and the ball goes indirectly into touch within the opposition’s 22, provided the ball was not passed or played back into the kicking half and the kick was not gained directly from a restart. These conditions come from World Rugby’s official definitions.

The reward is significant: the team that kicked the ball receives the throw at the resulting lineout, giving it an attacking platform deep in opposition territory, as the Rugby World Cup explainer confirms.

Related: Rugby Kick Offside: Opponent Touch Is Not Enough.

The short answer: what counts as a 50:22?

A 50:22 is a territorial kick with several precise conditions—not merely any long kick that reaches the opposition’s 22.

The kick must:

• be made by a player in their own half;
• follow play in which the ball was not passed or played back into that half;
• be separate from a restart kick;
• go indirectly rather than directly into touch; and
• enter touch within the opposition’s 22.

“Indirectly into touch” means the ball does not fly straight across the touchline. Before entering touch, it must land in the playing area or touch a player or referee.

When every condition is satisfied, the kicking team is awarded the throw at the resulting lineout.

Beginner explanations often describe the ball bouncing inside the opposition’s 22. That is a straightforward example, but the official definition is broader: the ball must go indirectly into touch within the 22. It is therefore better to assess the full sequence than to judge the kick solely by the position of its first bounce.

The five checks for a valid 50:22

Use these five checks in order:

1. Was the kick taken from the kicker’s own half? It is not enough for a kick taken in the opposition half to cross halfway during its flight.

2. Had the ball been passed or played back into that half? If the team passes or plays the ball back from the opposition half into its own half, it cannot claim a 50:22 from the resulting kick. Eligibility depends on the preceding play as well as the kicker’s position.

3. Was the kick separate from a restart? A 50:22 cannot be gained directly from a restart kick.

4. Did the ball go indirectly into touch? The ball must land in the playing area or touch a player or referee before crossing the touchline. A kick that flies straight into touch does not qualify.

5. Did it enter touch within the opposition’s 22? The point where the ball enters touch must be within the required area.

The opposition’s 22 is the area between its try line and 22-metre line and between the two touchlines. The 22-metre line is included, but the try line and touchlines are not. These location, play-back, restart and indirect-touch requirements are set out together in the official World Rugby definition of a 50:22.

Valid and invalid examples

The quickest way to assess an attempted 50:22 is to separate three parts of the play: where the kick originated, what happened before the kick and how the ball entered touch.

Scenario	Verdict	Reason
The ball has not been passed or played back into the team’s half. A player kicks from that half, and the ball bounces inside the opposition’s 22 before entering touch there.	Valid 50:22	The conditions are met, so the kicking team receives the lineout throw.
The kick flies straight over the touchline without landing in the playing area or touching a player or referee.	Not a 50:22	The ball went directly into touch.
A teammate passes or plays the ball back from the opposition half before the player kicks.	Not a 50:22	The play-back restriction prevents the kick from qualifying.
The player kicks directly from a restart.	Not a 50:22	A 50:22 cannot be gained from a restart kick.
The ball enters touch outside the opposition’s 22.	Not a 50:22	It entered touch in the wrong area of the field.
The ball enters touch level with the 22-metre line after otherwise satisfying the conditions.	Valid 50:22	The 22-metre line forms part of the 22.

During a match, identify the point of the kick first. Then ask whether the ball had been passed or played back into the kicking team’s half and whether the kick came directly from a restart. Finally, follow the ball’s route and note where it crosses into touch.

This method is more reliable than watching for one impressive bounce. A kick may cover enough distance to look like a 50:22 but fail because it originated in the wrong half, followed a play-back, went directly into touch, came from a restart or entered touch outside the 22.

The available definitions do not resolve every unusual deflection, disputed play-back or specialist kicking situation. In those cases, the match officials must apply the relevant laws to the complete sequence.

Why winning the lineout throw matters

A lineout restarts play after the ball has gone into touch. The usual expectation is that the team responsible for putting the ball into touch will not receive the throw. A qualifying 50:22 creates an exception: the kicking team is awarded the throw at the resulting lineout.

That gives the team an attacking restart deep in opposition territory. It may use the lineout to launch a planned move, form a maul or transfer the ball away from the set piece.

The reward is an opportunity rather than a guaranteed outcome. The kicking team must still secure the lineout and use the possession effectively; a successful kick does not ensure that it will win the ball or score.

This explains why players and supporters celebrate a 50:22. One kick can convert possession in a team’s own half into both substantial territory and the right to throw at the subsequent lineout.

Why the 50:22 was introduced

The 50:22 entered World Rugby’s law trials in 2021. Its intended tactical logic was to make defenders respect the threat of a long kick into an uncovered backfield, according to a contemporary explanation of the law trials.

If a defending team assigns more players to cover the backfield, its 22 and the touchlines, it may have fewer defenders available closer to the ball. In theory, that can leave more space for the attacking team to run or pass.

That was the intended effect of the law, not proof that every defence will drop players back or that every attacking phase will gain more space. In practice, both teams face a tactical decision: the attack can look for space behind the defence, while the defence must balance backfield coverage against the strength of its front line.

For a one-sentence match-day test: check where the kick originated, whether the ball was passed or played back, whether the kick came from a restart, whether the ball went indirectly into touch and whether it entered touch within the opposition’s 22; if every condition is met, the kicking team receives the lineout throw.