Mauling 101

Mauls have a couple of primary distinctions from rucks, notably that the ball does not hit the ground and that players do not "go over" the ball. In a maul, the attacking player running the ball will remain up instead of going down upon contacting an opposing defender, and the players behind him, instead of rucking over, bind into the running player.

When others enter the maul, the goal for the attacking team is to push the defending team backwards, creating a surge of energy that results in a collective push down the field. For the defensive team, the goal is to "stand up" the attacking ruck, keeping them from making progress and forcing the official into stopping play.

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