Not all Rugby World Cup pitches are the same dimensions and the differences can be significant…
“Isn’t the goalpost a little small?” Since the start of the Rugby World Cup, this question has concerned many spectators. The dimensions of the pitches and, more precisely, the area for scoring a try are astonishing. Between the Stade de France and the other enclosures, the difference in depth of this crucial part of the playing area is obvious. This is not an impression, but a reality: the grounds are not all the same size.
No reason to cry injustice, it’s quite legal. World Rugby, the body that governs world rugby, provides in its regulations that the size of the different zones may vary. As a minimum, the total length of the field (including in-goals) must be 106 meters, but it can be up to 144 meters! If the field of play, that is to say the distance separating the posts of one side and the other, varies from 94 to 100 m depending on the stadium, the depth of the goals is much more volatile: from 6 to 22 m indicates the regulation.
As the World Cup takes place mainly in stadiums built for football, the dimensions of the pitch are at least regulatory for rugby, those for football being smaller. Thus, in the stadiums of Nantes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Lille (all except the Stade de France), the goal is (all) small but well within standards.
As the playing fields are less than 100m long, this also leads to modifications in certain areas: the 10m line is less than 10m from the center line, the 22m are smaller, as well as the 5m lines. mr. Same with the width: the grounds are a little less extensive.
This regulatory flexibility is not new. It’s up to the teams to adapt, especially on their kicking game, depending on the stadium. Especially since harmonization is not on the agenda.
