That's a bloody open question,
.
In theory the game is continuous, but ref calls tend to break it up.
The ball cant go forward out of the hands, but can be kicked forward.
You can't have blockers to the runner. Strangely the exceptions are the scrum and the maul.
Scrum: the big fat blokes bind together and push each other off the ball. Usually expect the ball to be won by the team that puts the ball into the scrum.
Maul, if the runner does not go to ground, the big fat blokes can bind together in an informal scrum and push each other. The bloke with the ball can, within rules, be blocked and it is a tactic for a group pushing over to score. In a mall you do NOT have to let go of the runner and it can be a pile in.
If the ball goes out there is a lineout, those big fat blokes line up in two lines and the ball is thrown in between them. Usually the team throwing the ball in wins. Throw is to the team that did NOT put the ball out.
Kick out on the full - lineout from where it was kicked. Exception is in the quarter of the field defending. Out on the bounce, lineout from where it goes out.
Ruck, not a maul and where the runner is tackled to the ground. You must release the runner, and the runner must release the ball. There are rules as to how you join the ruck (not from the sides) and about picking the ball up. A turnover (where you get the ball back from the runner) is a big deal.
Look for neither team wanting to do anything from their own end of the field - just hoof it (kick) to the opposition down the other end and then it is their problem.
Get possession closer to the middle of the field and the team is likely to start setting up plays to hold possession. Get closer to the line and the ref starts to get really determined on the rules about defending.
Expect to be befuddled by ref decisions, don't worry about it, so are we most of the time.
