Law discussion: Getting it wrong
Super Rugby started this weekend past and – mercifully – the concentration was on the players and the surprising results rather than on anything referees did. The players determined the outcome, not the referees – which is at it should be.
It seems niggardly nitpicking to point out some things that went wrong but it remains better if things do not go wrong. From seven matches, 560 minutes, we have chosen four incidents that took a tiny fraction of those 560 minutes.
It does remind us that referees are human and as such they err and are never perfect. Three of the four examples we have chosen are simple, unpressured errors. One was another case of poor identification, perhaps a lack of concentration, which of course can easily happen in 560 intense minutes. We shall start with the easy ones and keep the difficult, more interesting one till last.
1. Knock-on in in-goal or into in-goal
In Sydney Sias Ebersohn of the Force kicks downfield. Israel Folau of the Waratahs fields the ball and passes it to team-mate Nick Phipps who kicks. Marcel Brache of the Force charges the kick down and the ball bounces towards the Waratahs' goal-line. Brache is well ahead in the race for the ball but dives and seems to try to scoop the ball which goes forward of his hands towards the Waratahs' dead-ball line.
It is a knock-on.
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.
‘Forward’ means towards the opposing team’s dead ball-line.
At first the referee awards a five-metre scrum to the defending Waratahs. What he says after this, when he seems to have listened to his assistant, is unclear. But then he changes his decision to a drop-out. He seems to have said that the knock-on was in in-goal.
OK?
No – and the law is abundantly clear.
Law 12.1 (c) Knock-on or throw forward into the in-goal. If an attacking player knocks-on or throws-forward in the field of play and the ball goes into the opponents’ in-goal and it is made dead there, a scrum is awarded where the knock-on or throw forward happened.
(d) Knock-on or throw forward inside the in-goal. If a player of either team knocks-on or throws-forward inside the in-goal, a 5-metre scrum is awarded in line with the place of infringement not closer than 5 metres from the touchline.
It does not matter if the knock-on was in the field of play or in the in-goal. It remains a scrum for the knock-on and the scrum will be five metres from the line with the Waratahs to put the ball in.
There may have been confusion in that the ball from the charge-down may have gone into the in-goal but it was not made dead there by a defending player but knocked on by an attacking player.
The referee would have been better to go with his first decision.
2. The Waratahs kick a penalty goal and Sias Ebersohn kicks off. He kicks off deep and the ball bobbles about before going into the Waratahs' in-goal where Kurtley Beale immediately presses down on the ball. He expects a scrum to the Waratahs at the middle of the half-way line but instead the referee orders a drop-out.
OK?
No.
Law 13.9 BALL GOES INTO THE IN-GOAL
(a) If the ball is kicked into the in-goal without having touched or been touched by a player, the opposing team has three choices:
To ground the ball, or
To make it dead, or
To play on.
(b) If the opposing team grounds the ball, or if they make it dead, or if the ball becomes dead by going into touch-in-goal or on or over the dead ball line, they have two choices:
To have a scrum formed at the centre, and they throw in the ball, or
To have the other team kick off again.
(c) If they opt to ground the ball or make it dead, they must do so without delay. Any other action with the ball by a defending player means the player has elected to play on.
Under (a) Beale makes the ball dead, which leads on to (b).
Under (b) the Waratahs have the choice of a scrum at the middle of the half-way line, but only if they have complied with (c).
Under (c) Beale had to make the ball dead without delay. He certainly did that.
The referee should have offered the Waratahs the option of a scrum to themselves or a kick-off by the Force. It is an easy decision for the Waratahs to make.
3. Nick Groom, the Stormers' scrumhalf, kicks ahead and then is knocked to the ground by JJ Engelbrecht of the Bulls. Engelbrecht's tackle is late, high and armless. He deserved to be penalised.
Broom's kick was a grubber and so the ball hit ground a metre or so in front of him. The referee awards the penalty where the ball his ground.
The referee chooses to award the penalty where the ball landed and about 14 metres in from touch.
Law 10.4 (o) Late-charging the kicker. A player must not intentionally charge or obstruct an opponent who has just kicked the ball.
Sanction: The non-offending team-may choose to take the penalty kick either at the place of infringement, where the ball lands, or where it was next played.
Place of infringement. If the infringement takes place in the kicker’s in-goal, the penalty kick is taken 5 metres from the goal-line in line with the place of infringement but at least 15 metres from the touchline.
The non-offending team-may also choose to take the penalty where the ball lands or is next played before landing and at least 15 metres from the touchline.
Where the ball lands. If the ball lands in touch, the mark for the optional penalty kick is on the 15-metre line, in line with where it went into touch. If the ball lands, or is next played before landing, within 15 metres of the touchline, the mark is on the 15-metre line opposite where the ball landed or was played.
It does not make a lot of difference in this case, but it certainly could when the ball lands closer to the touchline. The place for the penalty should have been 15 metres from touch. If the ball lands, or is next played before landing, within 15 metres of the touchline, the mark is on the 15-metre line opposite where the ball landed or was played.
4. Lachie Turner of the Reds fields a kick and runs the ball back till he is tackled and a ruck forms. The Brumbies win a turnover at the ruck and Stephen Moore of the Brumbies charges ahead. Ed O'Donoghue of the Reds tackles Moore. Both O'Donoghue and Moore go to ground. It is a tackle. Jordan Smiler and Christian Leali'ifano of the Brumbies stand over Moore. The Brumbies get the ball back and Ruan Smith of the Brumbies passes towards Nic White, but James Horwill of the Reds, who is falling back, grabs the ball and passes it to Sam Talakai. The referee penalises Horwill for being offside.
OK?
No.
To be offside Horwill would have had to have been ahead of a player of his team who last played the ball and interfering with play or because he had violated an offside line formed by a scrum, line-out, maul or ruck.
The player who last played the ball was Smith, a Brumby.
There had been no scrum, line-out or maul, but was there a ruck?
Law 16 DEFINITIONS
A ruck is a phase of play where one or more players from each team, who are on their feet, in physical contact, close around the ball on the ground. Open play has ended.
Were there players of each team on their feet around the ball on the ground?
The players at the ball were Leali'ifano and Smiler, both Brumbies. There were no Reds' player engaged with them. That means there was no ruck, just a tackle and there is no offside line at a tackle.
It is important for a referee to identify the phase of play as quickly as possible. In a case like this some referees will say 'Tackle only', perhaps for their own sakes, as a way of emphasising what phase of play is taking place.
This, despite the crowd noise, should not have been a penalty, and play should have gone on.
The player most liable to be penalised was Sam Carter of the Brumbies who did not come through the gate as he went past the ball to [play a Reds player who did not have the ball.
