Whistleblower! YOUR GUIDE TO THE GAME

If you’re not too familiar with the rules of league, fret not! Warriors captain Roger Tuivasa-Sheck is on hand to give you a quick rundown of some of the basic dos and don’ts of the game.

“Of course, league has many similarities with rugby union,” he tells. “They use a similar ball, there’s tackling, you can’t pass forward, you kick the ball over the goalpost and the end goal to score tries. But there are some critical differences ...”

1 In league, a team can only be tackled six times before the ball has to be turned over to the other team, whereas rugby teams can hold onto the ball for as long as they want. After they’ve used their tackles, a player will either kick the ball away from their try line to gain as much ground as possible or hand the ball over to the opposing team.

2 The tackle is completed when the referee calls “held” – that tells the opposing team to retreat to set up for the next tackle. If the opposing players do not release the player with the ball, they are penalised.

3 To play the ball, they roll it backward between their legs with their foot, where another player, dubbed the dummy halfback, will pick the ball off and either run with the ball or pass it. We’re not sure why everyone calls it dummy half, though!

4 There’s no rucks and mauls (the kicking and stomping) in league. Instead of competing after a tackle for the ball, the team that is not in possession of the ball must retreat 10m before the player who has possession plays the ball. The ball can only be contested during a one-on-one tackle in league.

5 Six players form a scrum and they’re awarded when a team knocks the ball forward (a knock-on) or forward passes.

6 There are no line-outs in league. Scrums are also used instead when the ball goes out of play.

7 If the player with the ball is tackled close to the goal line, they can’t make a second movement to reach out and place the ball over the line. This is called a double movement and the team will be penalised.