Did you like this moment of the penalty shootout during Munster-Toulouse in the quarter-finals of the European Cup on Saturday?
U.S. too.
Probably because these sessions of "penos" as they are called in football are extremely rare in rugby and they provide a feeling of suspense and especially novelty.
So much so that many people, including Toulouse opener Romain Ntamack, seemed to ignore the rule.
The French international even raised his hands to the sky believing he had won the session and qualified his club when he was only halfway through the kicks.
On Monday, World Rugby thus saw fit to clarify the rule around these penalty shootouts.
Finally, the rules.
Because rather than making it simple, the world of rugby has necessarily preferred to make it complicated and each competition has its own
modus operandi
with regard to penalties.
There aren't many shots on goal in rugby, so a quick look at the different rules depending on the competitions played: ⬇ pic.twitter.com/OjHflFggDz
— World Rugby FR 🇫🇷 (@WorldRugby_FR) May 9, 2022
The European Cup
As we saw during Munster-Toulouse: six shots on goal struck by three different shooters.
A first salvo on the 22 meters, one in the center then one on each side, and a second salvo at the 40 meters.
The Top 14
The simplest rule of all: five different shooters who shoot from 22 meters, full axis.
This is the old rule, which has given epic sessions in the past, especially in the European Cup.
Because if the challenge is easy for players with a little talent in front of goal, we can quickly come to sudden death, where “big guys” also come to try the shot on goal against the posts.
World Cup
The one where you have to have a doctorate in atomic sciences to understand.
5 shots on goal hit by 5 different shooters from the 22-meter line.
The 1st and the 4th are in the axis, the 2nd and the 5th from the left side and the 3rd from the right side.
It's also the one that seems the funniest and the most tactical: as it's rare to have 5 scorers capable of passing difficult shots on goal, you have to choose the order in which the five will be sent.
Teasing, World Rugby concluded its explanation with a small valve to Romain Ntamack, hoping that all of this would be "clearer" for him.
Not sure.