A penalty try is awarded when foul play prevents a probable try from being scored.

A referee will run under the posts and signal a try in the traditional way with their arm raised and the offending team will have a player sent to the sin bin if the official can easily identify the individual responsible.

The law states that: “A penalty try is awarded between the goal posts if foul play by the opposing team prevents a probable try from being scored, or scored in a more advantageous position. A player guilty of this must be cautioned and temporarily suspended or sent off. No conversion is attempted.”

Read more: Why is a try in rugby union called a try?

How many points for a penalty try?

Previously teams still had to convert penalty tries from under the posts before the law was changed to ensure sides automatically received the seven points without having to waste time to take the kick.

The change came into force ahead of the 2017-18 season as part of a move to speed up the game.

The most common incidents that lead to a penalty try include high tackles close to the try line and collapsing rolling mauls.

What is the difference between a try and a penalty try?

A try is scored when a player grounds the ball over the tryline. A try is worth five points. It was increased from four to five in 1992. It had been three up until 1971 when it was increased to four points. In rugby league a try is still worth four points.

For a normal try, the conversion is taken in line with where the try was scored. Traditionally, the closer you score to the posts, the easier the conversion.

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