Try
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This article refers to the use of the word Try in rugby football terminology.
A try (at goal) is the major way of scoring points in Rugby union and Rugby league. A try is scored when a player grounds the ball in the opposition's in-goal area. A try is analogous to a touchdown in American football with the major difference being a touchdown does not require the ball to touch the ground. In both forms of rugby the term touchdown refers only to the physical act of touching the ball down behind the goal line.
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Point value
In Rugby league a try is worth four points; in Rugby union it is worth five, though it was previously worth four.
Penalty try
In both Rugby league and in Rugby union, if the referee believes that a certain try has been prevented by the defending team's misconduct, he may award the attacking team a penalty try. Penalty tries are always awarded under the posts regardless of where the offence took place.
Conversion
When a try is scored, the scoring team gets to attempt a conversion, which is a kick at goal to convert the try into a goal. The kick, which can be either a place kick or a drop kick is taken at any point on the field of play in line with the point that the ball was touched down for the try, and parallel to the touch-lines. This is so the kicker can position the ball in a more advantageous position to increase the chance of scoring. If successful additional points are scored. For the conversion to be successful the ball must pass over the crossbar and between the uprights.
In both Rugby union and Rugby league a conversion is worth two points.
History of the try
In early forms of rugby football the point of the game was to score goals and the try was introduced to allow a team to kick at goal without interference from the other team. This kick would convert a try into a goal. The original value of a try was one point and the conversion kick was worth two points. Together, they equalled the value of a goal which was three points.
While in modern Rugby union the value of the goal and conversion remain unchanged, tries have come to be seen as more important than goals. The points value for tries has increased over time accordingly.