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A try (at goal), is the major way of scoring points in rugby union and rugby league.
It is scored when a player forces the ball, (defined to be the football touching the ground under downward pressure), in the opposition in goal area.
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. If successful additional points are scored. For the conversion to be successful the ball must pass over the crossbar and between the uprights.
In league a try is worth 4 points and in union it is worth 5, though it was previously worth four. In both games a conversion is worth 2.
In early forms of rugby football the point of the game was to score 'goals' and the value of the try was that it allowed you an opportunity to kick at goal without interference from the other team. 'Try' meant attempt. As time went on tries came to be seen as more important than goals and the scoring system changed to reflect this.
A try is analogous to a touchdown in American football with the major difference being a touch down 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.
In both codes, 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.
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