In the interests of consistency
Consistency, we hear over and over, is all the players want. By that they mean treating everybody in the same way in the same circumstances. What they want is not just consistency in a match but also from match to match, and the organising bodies, like the IRB or SANZAR, go to a lot of trouble to get consistency from referee to referee.
They talk about being on the same page, singing from the same hymn sheet and so on.
Have a look carefully at these two clips (below) from recent matches at the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Clip 1 was from the Pool D match between Samoa and Wales – won 17-10 by Wales on September 17.
Clip 2 was from the Pool A game between Tonga and Japan – won 31-18 by Tonga on September 21.
CLIP 1:
CLIP 2:
What happens?
Clip 1. Samoa attack Wales and bash at their line. Maurie Fa’asavalu (7) of Samoa has the ball. Mike Phillips of Wales tackles Fa’asavalu. Fa’asavalu actually gets over the line but the referee penalises him, much to the player’s visible annoyance.
Clip 2. Japan attack Tonga and bash at their line. Kensuke Hatakeyama of japan has the ball. Tukulua Lokotui of Tonga tackles Hatakeyama. Hatakeyama actually gets over the line and the referee refers to the television match official and the try is awarded, much to the confusion of the commentators.
How the players get the ball over the line:
Clip 1. Fa’asavalu keeps the ball close to his body and moves his body over the line.
Clip 2. Hatakeyama keeps the ball close to his body and moves his body over the line.
The players’ status in each case:
Clip 1. Fa’asavalu is a tackled player, held by an opponent and brought to ground.
Clip 2. Hatakeyama is a tackled player, held by an opponent and brought to ground.
The Law:
Law 15.5 tells you what a tackled player may or may not do. Neither Fa’asavalu nor Hatakeyama was not carried into ingoal by momentum; he propelled himself. Neither Fa’asavalu nor Hatakeyama stretched out to place the ball; Both players moved their bodies forward to get the ball over the line.
Law 15.5: THE TACKLED PLAYER:
(a) A tackled player must not lie on, over, or near the ball to prevent opponents from gaining possession of it, and must try to make the ball available immediately so that play can continue.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(b) A tackled player must immediately pass the ball or release it. That player must also get up or move away from it at once.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(c) A tackled player may release the ball by putting it on the ground in any direction, provided this is done immediately.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(d) A tackled player may release the ball by pushing it along the ground in any direction except forward, provided this is done immediately.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(e) If opposition players who are on their feet attempt to play the ball, the tackled player must release the ball.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(f) If a tackled player’s momentum carries the player into the in-goal, the player can score a try or make a touch down.
(g) If a player is tackled near the goal line, that player may immediately reach out and ground the ball on or over the goal line to score a try or make a touch down.
Neither Fa’asavalu nor Hatakeyama complies with the law. Both Fa’asavalu and Hatakeyama infringe (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e).
The decision:
It would seem that Fa’asavalu was rightly penalised and that Hatakeyama should also have been penalised. There is a fair disparity between a penalty against Samoa and a try for Japan.
The referee:
It may be worthwhile looking at the positions the referees have adopted.
Clip 1. The referee is close by and in an exact position to see the playing of the ball.
Clip 2. The referee is far off and clearly has no sight of the ball which is on the far side of the tackle/ruck.
Getting close, finding the position and being ingoal may be advisable, even in these days when there is the back-up of a TMO.
