Incidents for discussion from S14, Wk 10

The most interesting decision to discuss this week was probably one by the television match official when the Stormers played the Lions at Newlands.

We shall discuss that and a few others.

So far this week we have given the week’s statistics as we have been doing for years and then we again did a comparison between the scrum resets, free kicks and penalties in 2006 and 2007.

Four of the incidents are explained with clips on the South African referees’ website – www.sareferees.co.za.

1. Knock or no knock

The Chiefs attack against the Highlanders. Big Sione Lauaki is challenged and passes to centre Niva Ta’auso who is challenged from behind by Nick Evans. The ball hits Ta’auso’s hand and bounces up. He grabs it again and falls to earth over the goal-line, where the referee awards the try.

Law 12 DEFINITION – KNOCK-ON

A knock-on occurs when a player loses possession of the ball and it goes forward, or when a player hits the ball forward with the hand or arm, or when the ball hits the hand or arm and goes forward, and the ball touches the ground or another player before the original player can catch it.

If Ta’auso had not caught the ball again, it would not have been a try. If, as it bobbled up from his hands and before he caught it, Evans had touched the ball, it would not have been a try.

2. Free kick justified?

Lachlan Turner of the Waratahs kicks a rolling ball into touch in the Brumbies’ territory. Stephen Larkham gets the ball and shapes to throw it in quickly but big Rocky Elsom is close and hulks over Larkham so that he cannot throw it in quickly. Larkham gestures for Elsom to get out of the way. Elsom does not budge and Larkham throws the ball into Elsom’s midriff.

The referee awards a free kick against Elsom.

Reason? He prevented Larkham from throwing the ball in quickly.

Law 19.2 QUICK THROW-IN

(b) For a quick throw-in, the player may be anywhere outside the field of play between the place where the ball went into touch and the player’s goal-line.

(g) At a quick throw-in, a player must not prevent the ball being thrown in 5 metres.
Penalty: Free Kick on 15-metre line

Referees may be lenient on players who stop quick play in this way – holding onto the ball in touch, throwing it into the crowd, standing slap in front of a would-be thrower. It negates the object of getting speed into the game. It is also annoying and liable to cause ill feeling.

3. Bit of a nitpick

The Chiefs attack down the right. Stephen Donald slips through a grubber which right wing Lelia Masaga grabs. He races for the corner on his right but is tackled by Viliame Waqaseduadua. They both go to ground. Masaga holds onto the ball and gets up with it, trying to get over the goal-line which is barely a metre away.

The referee penalises Masaga because he was in a tackle and did not release the ball. Not releasing the ball and getting up with it still in his possession is not an option for a tackled player.

This a small matter, but where do you award the penalty – a metre from the goal-line or five metres from the goal-line?

2 WHERE PENALTY AND FREE KICKS ARE TAKEN

(a) The kicker must take the penalty or free kick at the mark or anywhere behind it on a line through the mark. If the place for a penalty or free kick is within 5 metres of the opponents’ goal-line, the mark for the kick is 5 metres from the goal-line, opposite the place of infringement.

Near one’s own goal-line and in the field of play the place of the penalty is at the place of infringement.

4. Tough one for the TMO

Schalk Brits of the Stormers passes tall Andries Bekker on the Stormers right. Bekker heads for the Lions’ goal-line but is tackled by Janno Vermaak and Jacques Fourie. Bekker falls in front of them, his momentum taking him a bit further forward. He lifts the ball up to place it over the line which is well within his long reach. The ball is in the air when Jaco van Schalkwyk of the Lions smacks the ball out of Bekker’s grasp sideways into the in-goal area. The referee blows hiss whistle and consults the television match official.

While the TMO was shown replays a commentator said: “This is the part of the TMO I don’t agree with. You could see clearly that it was a knock-on. Let’s get on with the game.”

The TMO advises that Van Schalkwyk had knocked the ball from Bekker’s grasp and that it should be a five-metre scrum to the attacking Stormers.

Bekker did not simply lose possession in the sense that the ball left his grasp. He was deprived of possession by Van Schalkwyk’s clever intervention.

That Van Schalkwyk knocked the ball backwards meant that there was no blame attached to what he did.

If there was a mistake it was probably – an understandable one – that the referee blew his whistle too soon as the Stormers could still have scored a try as the ball rolled loose.

The commentator was wrong. It was not a knock-on. It was just as well that the TMO took his time. The TMO in question has become an expert at his job. The commentator was not an expert at the TMO’s job.

5. Line-out over

The Crusaders throw in at a line-out. Corey Flynn throws deep and the back pod of three players in the line-out backs over the 15-metre line. Up goes flank Kieran Read, helped by two chums. He catches the ball.

The line-out is over because the ball has crossed the 15-metre line. The Crusader pod is allowed to go back across the line to receive the ball.

When Read comes to earth a maul forms on him. It is simply subject to all the laws of the maul.

But if, before the maul had been formed, a Highlander had gone round the pod and attacked the ball in Read’s hands that also would have been all right. With the line-out over and no maul formed, there was no off-side line.

6. The Easter egg

The Brumbies have the ball and are charging, one at a time, at the Waratahs who are not budging.

George Gregan passes to prop Nic Henderson who charges ahead at two waiting Waratahs – Tim Davidson and Rocky Elsom. Davidson does most of the tackling and he and Henderson go to earth. Elsom remains over them fishing for the ball. Henderson has the ball under his lower torso, working it back through his legs. Elsom tries to get the ball and the referee penalises Henderson for holding on – for “squeezing an egg”.

This is the so-called squeeze ball where the ball carrier falls headfirst, his body vertical to the goal-lines where usually it is horizontal with them. There is nothing wrong with this but then the ball must be immediately available to any other player who wants to play it.