The short answer
A rugby union lineout requires at least two players from each team, and the throwing team sets the maximum numbers. A quick throw is a different restart with different direction and ball-use rules. Non-participants normally remain ten metres back until the lineout ends; a catch alone does not necessarily end it.
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A lineout restarts rugby union after the ball goes into touch. Two lines of players compete for a throw between them, but there need not be seven players in either line. The throwing team chooses the maximum numbers, with at least two players from each side required.
World Rugby Law 18 also regulates quick throws. Those are not simply lineouts performed faster.
Where the players stand
The two lines form half a metre on either side of the mark of touch, leaving a metre between them. Their players stand between the five-metre and 15-metre lines. A lineout cannot be formed within five metres of a try line.
The non-throwing side may ordinarily use fewer players than the throwing side, but not more. Watching the forwards count their opponents is therefore practical rule management, not just a tactical discussion.
The set piece differs from a scrum: a lineout lets the throwing team choose how many players to commit rather than requiring a fixed full forward formation in ordinary play.
A quick throw uses the same ball
A quick throw is available only before a lineout has formed and requires the original ball. An extra touch after the ball goes out, by someone other than the thrower or the player who carried it into touch, rules it out.
| Requirement | Formed lineout | Quick throw |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Mark of touch | Between that mark and thrower’s own try line |
| Direction | Along the mark, subject to the current trial | Parallel to or toward own try line |
| Initial travel | Must reach five-metre line before hitting ground | Must reach five metres before ground or player |
| Replacement ball | Ordinary lineout procedure | Cannot substitute a different ball |
The assistant referee’s throw-in guidance gives these as checks to make before allowing the quick restart. A convenient ball from a ball attendant cannot revive a lost quick-throw opportunity.
The current not-straight trial needs a contest
World Rugby’s online Law 18.23 labels the not-straight provision as a global law trial. Play continues if the non-throwing side does not lift a teammate to compete for the ball. If it does lift to compete, the specified lineout-or-scrum option applies to a crooked throw.
The trial text must be read alongside the ordinary throw requirements. It does not abolish the five-metre requirement or permit a dummy throw. The same trial package introduced a 30-second formation requirement measured from the mark being made.
This guide describes the published global wording, not an assumption that every age-grade or local competition has identical variations. The broader rugby law changes explain why identifying the applicable ruleset matters.
Lifting includes bringing the jumper down
Supporting a jumper does not end when their hands reach the ball. The lifters must lower their teammate safely once either team has won it. World Rugby’s Rugby Ready lineout guidance treats landing support as part of the skill.
A television close-up of the catch can conceal this second responsibility. Anyone learning to lift should use qualified coaching and progressive practice; the law’s permission to support a teammate is not, by itself, instruction in how to do it safely.
A catch does not automatically release the backs
Non-participating players normally stay at least ten metres from the mark, or behind their try line if nearer. Under Law 18.38, a lineout ends through specified events, including the ball or carrier leaving it, going beyond 15 metres, or a formed ruck or maul moving entirely beyond the mark.
Suppose a jumper catches and the forwards form a maul on the mark. The backs cannot treat the catch alone as permission to charge forward. First check whether the lineout has ended. That distinction between possession and the end of a phase also runs through the wider rugby union laws.