Rugby league / Rules explained

40/20 and 20/40 kicks explained

A well-placed kick can win the ball back for your team. Here’s how the starting zone, the bounce and the touchline decide whether it counts.

Two kicks. Three things to watch.

40/20

Kick in general play from your own 40-metre zone. The ball must bounce before crossing the sideline inside the opposition’s 20-metre zone.

20/40

Kick in general play from your own 20-metre zone. The ball must bounce before crossing the sideline inside the opposition’s 40-metre zone.

For either successful kick, the kicking team keeps possession with a tap restart. Watch where it was kicked, whether it bounced, and where it first crossed into touch.

Scope: senior 13-a-side rules. Main definitions: IRL 2026, Section 9, Law 6. NRL references are identified below; junior and modified competitions may use different rules.

See the zones

Both examples attack from left to right. Shading shows the starting and target zones; the circle marks a bounce before the ball reaches the sideline.

40/20 example: kick from your own 30m; bounce; touch inside their 20m. Your team earns the tap.

20/40 example: kick from your own 15m; bounce; touch inside their 40m. Your team earns the tap.

Illustrations show the 100m between goal lines, omitting in-goal areas. Blue dot = kick; outlined circle = bounce. Paths are illustrative, not measured ball flights.

What happens after a successful kick?

The kicking side restarts with a tap, after the referee’s whistle. Officials must be ready and the defenders must have reasonable time to take their positions. It is not an invitation to restart before the referee is ready.

For a 40/20, the mark is 20 metres in from touch, level with the point where the ball first crossed the sideline, and at least 10 metres from the opposition goal line. The NRL’s published interpretation gives that same positioning for a 20/40.

References: IRL 2026, Section 9 Law 6 and its note; NRL interpretation reference, “20/40”. The NRL adopted the tap after a 40/20 in place of the earlier scrum restart.

Would this kick count?

Own 35m → bounce → touch at their 15m: a successful 40/20.
Own 15m → bounce → touch at their 30m: a successful 20/40.
Own 45m → bounce → touch at their 10m: neither; the kick began outside both starting zones.
Own 25m → bounce → touch at their 30m: neither; it misses the 20/40 starting zone and the 40/20 target zone.

These examples assume no intervening player touch or other infringement.

Common questions

Does it count if the kick goes out on the full?

No. The ball must bounce before entering touch. A long kick directly over the sideline does not qualify.

Does the first bounce have to be inside the target zone?

No. The target test concerns where the ball first crosses the touchline, not where it first bounces.

Can a penalty kick to touch be a 40/20?

No. These rules concern kicks in general play. A penalty kick to touch has its own restart.

What if a defender catches or returns the kick?

If the ball stays in play, the kicking side has not earned this tap restart. A defender’s touch can change the ruling; the examples above assume a kick travelling directly into touch after bouncing.

Sources and related guides

Reviewed 25 October 2026. This page covers these two kicking rules; it is not a review of every competition’s current laws.