A lineout is a set-piece restart in rugby union used when the ball has gone into touch. Players from the two teams form parallel lines near the touchline, while the team awarded the throw attempts to deliver the ball to a selected receiver. Teammates can lift or support jumping players to help them compete for the ball in the air. The lineout combines precision throwing, jumping, lifting, timing, communication, tactical deception, and physical contesting. It is therefore both a method of restarting play and a structured opportunity for teams to launch attacking movements from a predictable field position.
The lineout is particularly important in rugby union because touch is a common territorial mechanism. When the ball crosses the touchline, play stops and the relevant lineout procedure is used unless another law or circumstance changes the restart. The number of players participating depends on the circumstances and applicable laws, and teams can organise different formations to create uncertainty for the defence. The thrower must deliver the ball according to the laws, while the receiving team attempts to secure possession and establish an organised platform for the next phase.
Lineout throwing requires exceptional accuracy because the thrower must place the ball into the intended corridor between the two groups of players. Teams often develop extensive coded calls that communicate the target position, movement pattern, timing, and subsequent attacking action. A lineout may appear simple to spectators because the players are stationary before the throw, but professional teams can use elaborate variations involving shifts, dummy movements, multiple jumping options, and rapid transitions. These systems aim to make defensive prediction more difficult while preserving enough coordination for the attacking team to secure possession.
Jumping and lifting are central components of many lineouts. A jumper is supported by teammates who lift the player to gain height and stabilise the body while the ball travels overhead. The jumper must coordinate their movement with the throw and then secure possession while being challenged by opponents. Modern lineout lifting has transformed the physical dynamics of the set piece because players can reach much higher than they could by jumping independently. The technique requires strength, timing, balance, communication, and strict attention to the relevant safety laws governing lifting, jumping, and contact.
Lineouts are used for both attacking and defensive purposes. The attacking team wants reliable possession and may use the lineout as the starting point for a planned maul, direct pass, forward movement, or backline attack. The defending team attempts to predict the target, contest the ball legally, disrupt the throw, and prevent the attackers from establishing an effective platform. Defensive lineout analysis therefore involves studying opposition formations, personnel, throwing tendencies, movement patterns, and tactical calls. Teams can use extensive video analysis to identify recurring behaviours and prepare appropriate responses.
The lineout also has an important relationship with territorial kicking. Teams frequently kick the ball into touch deliberately to gain territory and force an opposition lineout or to place the ball in a strategically useful location. The laws governing whether the kicking team retains or loses possession can depend on the circumstances, including where the kick was made and whether the ball entered touch directly. Consequently, the lineout cannot be understood independently from rugby's broader territorial strategy because kicking decisions often determine where and under what conditions the next lineout will occur.
The technical roles within a lineout are specialised. The hooker or designated thrower must deliver accurate and repeatable throws, jumpers need explosive power and aerial coordination, lifters need strength and timing, and the scrum half or other distributor must prepare for the ball's arrival after possession is secured. Locks are frequently important targets because of their height and jumping ability, although modern rugby increasingly uses varied personnel and movement patterns. The lineout also requires communication systems that allow players to react quickly while preventing the opposition from decoding the intended play.
A lineout differs from a scrum because it is triggered by the ball entering touch and is primarily an aerial possession contest rather than a grounded pushing contest. It also differs from a ruck because it occurs as a formal restart before the ball is put back into play, whereas a ruck develops during continuous play around a ball on the ground after a tackle or other phase. The lineout is consequently a distinctive rugby set piece in which territorial positioning, throwing accuracy, aerial competition, lifting technique, tactical deception, and coordinated movement determine the quality of the restart.
