# Mark (rugby) > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mark_(rugby) > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mark_(rugby).md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_(rugby) > Source revision: 1352062599 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Rugby term This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Mark" rugby – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2026) (Learn how and when to remove this message) In [rugby union](/source/Rugby_union), a player may **mark** a ball, which means that the player may catch it and cannot be [tackled](/source/Tackle_(football_move)) by rival players. The marking player can choose to take a [free-kick](/source/Free_kick_(rugby_union)) or a [scrum](/source/Scrum_(rugby_union)) at the position of the mark. To mark a ball, the player must catch the ball inside their own team's twenty-two metre line.[1] The mark is performed by a player (often the [fullback](/source/Rugby_union_positions#15._Fullback)), making a clean catch and shouting "Mark!". It is also common for the player to touch the ball on the ground or to hold up the ball with one hand to make their intentions clear to the referee and other players. If for any reason, the player cannot take the kick within one minute, the marking team must take a [scrum](/source/Scrum_(rugby_union)) (and cannot otherwise choose a scrum). A ball may be marked if it has rebounded off the posts or crossbar.[2] A mark may not be made from a kick-off.[3] After the marked ball is caught, 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](/source/Penalty_(rugby_union)) taken from the position of the mark, unless the infringing player was [offside](/source/Offside_(rugby)), in which case the penalty will be given from the offside line. ## History For much of rugby's history, a mark could be made anywhere on the field, but under more stringent conditions: the marking player had to have both feet on the ground at the time of calling "Mark!", the defending side were allowed to advance as far as the mark in defending against the subsequent kick, and the kick itself had to propel the ball at least as far forward as the mark (in conjunction with the second stipulation, this effectively prevented the marking side from keeping possession with a tap-kick). However, under these restrictions a [goal](/source/Goal_from_mark) could be attempted. In the 1970s the mark was changed to the definition given above, except that it could be made anywhere in the defending side's 22; it is no longer a requirement that the marking player have both feet on the ground. ## Other football codes The mark in rugby is similar to the [fair catch](/source/Fair_catch) in [American football](/source/American_football). The [fair catch kick](/source/Fair_catch_kick) is still an option following a fair catch in the [National Football League](/source/National_Football_League) and [high school football](/source/High_school_football) rule books but is not mandatory and rarely used due to strategic disadvantages;it was absent from the college football rulebook for decades, though Division I college football restored the option for the 2026 season.[4] Marks are used in [Australian Football](/source/Australian_Football) as well. Although the difference is, that marks are taken all over the ground and is one of the most important skills. ## See also - [Free kick](/source/Free_kick_(rugby_union)) - [Fair catch](/source/Fair_catch) - [Goal from mark](/source/Goal_from_mark) - [Garryowen](/source/Bomb_(kick)) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["World Rugby Passport - 17 Mark"](https://passport.world.rugby/laws-of-the-game/laws-by-number/17-mark/). *passport.world.rugby*. Retrieved 2026-05-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["World Rugby Passport - 17 Mark"](https://passport.world.rugby/laws-of-the-game/laws-by-number/17-mark/). *passport.world.rugby*. Retrieved 2026-05-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["World Rugby Passport - 17 Mark"](https://passport.world.rugby/laws-of-the-game/laws-by-number/17-mark/). *passport.world.rugby*. Retrieved 2026-05-01. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Changes to penalty structure for targeting in DI football approved"](https://www.ncaa.org/news/2026/3/19/media-center-changes-to-penalty-structure-for-targeting-in-di-football-approved.aspx). *NCAA.org*. 2026-03-19. Retrieved 2026-05-01. v t e Rugby football terminology General Ankle tap Blitz defence Blood replacement Bomb kick Cap Cauliflower ear Crash ball Drop goal Dummy Field goal Flying kick Goal from mark Grandfather rule Grubber kick Hat-trick Mark Offside Penalty Penalty box Place kick Professional foul Set piece Tackle Dump High Spear Touch Touch judge Try celebration Rugby union Glossary Bonus point Dangerous play Drop kick Experimental law variations Eye-gouging Free kick Gain line Giteau's law Line-out code Numbering schemes Penalty Scrum Test match Rugby league Chicken wing tackle Grapple tackle One on one tackle --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mark (rugby)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_(rugby)) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_(rugby)?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.