Photo Fabien Kahn
The ball may be kicked in order to gain ground into unoccupied space on the field or looking for touch. As the rebounds of the oval rugby ball are unpredictable, it is safer to release the ball from your hands and kick it before it touches the ground. This is called kicking out of hand.
Here Welshman Stephen Jones is kicking the ball in front of the French goalposts near the 22 metres line, he is obviously attempting to score a field-goal or drop-goal by kicking the ball above the crossbar over the head of the opponent’s defense line. This will bring 3 points if successful
Dégagement du Gallois Stephen Jones depuis les 22 mètres au cours du match du Tournois des Six Nations au Stade de France, en 2007.