17 Mark

A means of stopping play within a player’s own 22 by directly catching an opponent’s kick.

17.1 To claim a mark, a player must:

a. Have at least one foot on or behind their own 22-metre line when catching the ball or when landing having caught it in the air; and

b. Catch a ball that has reached the plane of the 22-metre line directly from an opponent’s kick before it touches the ground or another player; and

c. Simultaneously call “mark”.

17.2 A player may claim a mark even if the ball hits a goal post or crossbar before being caught.

17.3 When a mark is called correctly, the referee immediately stops the game and awards a free-kick to the team in possession.

17.4 A mark may not be claimed from a kick-off or a restart kick after a score.

17.5 The player who claimed the mark takes the free-kick (in accordance with Law 20).

17.6 If the player is unable to take the free-kick within one minute, a scrum is awarded to the team in possession.

17.7 The free-kick is taken at the following locations:

Place of the mark	Location of free-kick
Within the 22	At the place of the mark but at least five metres from the goal line, in line with the place of the mark.
Within the in-goal	On the five-metre line in line with the place of the mark.