A maul in rugby is when the ball carrier is held up by one or more opponents, but is not tackled to the ground. The ball carrier continues pushing through the defense, and other offensive players can give him support by helping to push. Defensive players try to resist the forward movement of the maul, and the maul is whistled down if players collapse to the ground or they stop moving.
Mauls are less common in sevens rugby, but occur frequently in fifteens. Here is a video demonstrating mauls:
Here are some other important tips about mauls:
Enter from the back - Players must join from behind the hindmost teammate
Stay on your feet - Collapsing a maul intentionally can lead to a penalty
If the maul stops moving - The offensive team has 5 seconds to move the ball otherwise
the play is whistled down.
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