Deliberately placing team mates in front of your ball carrier is a great way to block tacklers, but it is also illegal! A player in front of the ball carrier may not obstruct a defender from attempting to tackle, and could be penalised if spotted!

The player is considered to be obstructing if he is STANDING in any of the 3 tackle zones in front of the ball carrier. A defender must be able to reach this tackle zone in his movement for the obstruction to be called.

If a player obstructs a defender from attempting to tackle the ball carrier a referee roll MUST be made. If the roll is failed a penalty is awarded to the defending team on the spot where the ball is.

Example: Aus No.10 has the ball. His fellow team mate No.12 is ahead of him and also standing in a tackle zone. He is effectively stopping one of the SA defenders from making a tackle. This is considered Obstruction. A referee roll must be made to see if the referee spots the Obstruction.