Law Discussion - Six Nations, Wk 1

Three interesting matches started the 2008 Six Nations. They were interesting in themselves and for referees there were matters interesting enough to be discussed.

We have already given some statistics from the matches which are really about getting and using possession. Here we shall talk more about the laws and their application.

It was interesting that the teams which disappointed were the teams who still have their World Cup coaches! Perhaps change helps.

There are some clips on www.sareferees.co.za which may well be of interest.

It’s nothing to do with the laws of the game but how about the long pre-match ceremonies with the players standing in an obedient line in freezing cold weather? It was long at Murrayfield when the Princess Royal was introduced to the players but even longer at Croke Park. The players were introduced to the president of Ireland. There was a wait while she went back to her seat. Then there was a “minute’s silence” out of respect for Carlos Nieto’s father who had died. Then they sang the Italian anthem. Then they sand the Irish anthem. Then they sang the Irish song, Ireland’s Call. Only then were the players allowed to break ranks to divest and start playing.

1. The forced march

Referees are going to know their measurements when the Experimental Law Variations kick in and five metres becomes critical. But then, even now, they have to know 10 metres – back from line-out, within range of a dropping kick, and back from penalties and free kicks, which could become more relevant with greater use in the ELVs.

Twice the referee marched Scotland on for not being 10 metres back, first from a penalty and second from a free kick.

The first one was easy because the referee had lines to help him. Near the French 10-metre line, the referee penalised John Barclay for a deliberate knock on as the ball was emerging from a maul. Jean-Baptiste Elissalde tapped and ran but almost immediately Euan Murray tackled him. The referee marched the kick on to near the half-way line, from where Damien Traille goaled the penalty. That was a well-measured 10 metres.

That happened around 17 minutes.

Just before half-time, Mike Blair of Scotland chips down to the cornerpost on France’s left. Running back, tall Julien Malzieu catches the ball and claims the mark, about a metre infield from his goal-line. The referee allows the mark. Malzieu taps the ball and runs. He has gone barely a metre when Andrew Henderson tugs his jersey. Strong Malzieu gets away and runs in mazy fashion to about a metre short of his 22 where he is tackled.

The referee then awards a free kick to the French because Henderson was not 10 metres back. He awards it in line with where Malzieu was tackled, i.e. about 21 metres from the French goal-line.

That is wrong. It should have been about 11 metres from the goal-line, i.e. 10 metres ahead of the original mark.

Law 21.8 (d) Interference. The opposing team must not do anything to delay the free kick or obstruct the kicker. They must not voluntarily take, throw or kick the ball out of reach of the kicker or the kicker’s team-mates.
Penalty: Any infringement by the opposing team results in a second free kick, awarded 10 metres in front of the mark for the first kick. This mark must not be within 5 metres of the goal-line. Any player may take the kick. If the referee awards a second free kick, the second free kick is not taken before the referee has made the mark indicating the place of the free kick.

As it happened it did not matter, as France kicked the ball out for half-time. But it could have mattered.

2. Not five metres

Now this time there were lines to help with measurements.

James Hook of Wales kicks out on the full. Iain Balshaw of England gets the ball in touch and throws in to Paul Sackey of England. Play goes on.

Should play have gone on?

There was nothing wrong with Balshaw’s throw. What about the catch?

Law 19.2 (e) At a quick throw-in, if the player does not throw the ball in straight so that it travels at least 5 metres along the line-of-touch before it touches the ground or another player, or if the player steps into the field-of-play when the ball is thrown, then the quick throw-in is disallowed. The opposing team chooses to throw in at either a line-out where the quick throw-in was attempted, or a scrum on the 15-metre line at that place. If they too throw in the ball incorrectly at the line-out, a scrum is formed on the 15-metre line. The team that first threw in the ball throws in the ball at the scrum.

The evidence of the eyes was that the ball had not gone five metres but pretty close to it. It’s not all that easy a one in the heat of battle with the line on the ground and the ball a metre or more about it and the player close to the line. Much easier in slow motion.

England went on to score a try in this movement.

It happened around 21 minutes.

3. Interfering flank

Italy put the ball into a scrum. The scrums shove and the ball stays stationary in the tunnel. Simon Easterby, the Irish flank, swings a right leg round to try to heel the ball. The referee penalises him.

We have dealt with this one a few times in law discussion, mostly because it is overlooked. Here it is not overlooked, but is it really a penalty?

Law 19.9 (f) Locks and flankers: Staying out of the tunnel. A player who is not a front-row player must not play the ball in the tunnel.
Penalty: Free Kick

It should be a free kick.

This happened in the second half, about 43 minutes.

4. Binding is binding

The scrums in the Ireland-Italy match were generally orderly. In fact only two collapsed. This was one.

Ireland are to put the ball into a scrum but the referee stands on the “other” side. The scrum goes down, one of only three collapses in the match, and he resets it. Again it goes down and the referee penalises John Hayes, Ireland’s tighthead prop, for incorrect binding.

Hayes was bound onto the short sleeve of Andrea Lo Cicero’s upper arm and he pulls on that sleeve.

Law 20.3 (d) Binding by tight-head props. Tight-head props must bind on the opposing loose-head props’ by placing their right arm outside the left upper arm of the opposing loose-head prop. The tight-head prop must grip the loose-head prop’s jersey with the right hand only on the back or side. The tight-head prop must not grip the chest, arm, sleeve or collar of the opposition loose-head prop. The tight-head prop must not exert any downward pressure.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

This happened at about 51 minutes.

5. Whose kick?

a. Italy win the ball and scrumhalf Pietro Travagli passes to Mauro Bergamasco who kicks low towards touch. Simon Easterby of Ireland sticks out a left boot which makes contact with the ball about three metres inside the Italian 10-metre line. The ball flies directly into touch about a metre inside the Italian half.

Whose ball and where?

First of all the ball did not touch ground after leaving Bergamasco’s boot but he did not put it directly into touch.

Law 19 DEFINITIONS

‘Kicked directly into touch’ means that the ball was kicked into touch without landing on the playing area, and without touching a player or the referee.

Easterby, whose action of kicking at the ball looked deliberate, kicked it directly into touch. But look where the touch judge gave the line-out. Easterby gained ground! He gained about 10 metres from where he kicked the ball and where it went out.

Law 19.1 NO GAIN IN GROUND
(a) Outside a team’s 22. A team member kicks directly into touch. Except for a penalty kick, when a player anywhere in the playing area who is outside the 22 kicks directly into touch, there is no gain in ground. The throw-in is taken either at the place opposite where the player kicked the ball, or at the place where it went into touch, whichever is nearer that player’s goal-line.

It should have been Italy’s ball, which it was, but where the ball went into touch.

As it was the line-out was fairly fuzzy – not opposite where Bergamasco kicked the ball, not opposite where Easterby kicked the ball and not where the ball went out.

This happened around 14 minutes.

b. David Bortolussi of Italy runs down the right. He has no support but chips ahead. Girvan Dempsey and Rob Kearney run back for the ball. Ronan O’Gara comes across to the ball as it bounces towards touch. O’Gara waits over the ball for it to go into touch. As it bounces up, right at the touch-line, Bortolussi hooks his foot and kicks the ball in. The ball strikes O’Gara’s face and shoots into touch.

The touch judge awards the line-out to Ireland, some six or seven metres from their line.

Bortolussi is angry.

It was not easy as the place was cluttered as the touch judge raced back with Kearney and Dempsey in close attendance.

If the ball nicked the touch line, it was Ireland’s ball.

If the ball did not nick the touch-line but went into touch off Bortolussi’s boot it was Italy’s ball.

That Bortolussi’s boot may have swing over the touch-line or the bouncing ball be above the plane of the touch-line was not relevant as Bortolussi was not in touch and the ball had not struck the touch-line or a person in touch.

This happened after 31 minutes.

6. Could he have played?

Scotland win the ball and flank John Barclay charges. Thierry Dusautoir tackles him. Both go to ground. It is a tackle.

The first player on the scene is Scottish hooker Ross Ford. He leans across Barclay.

Is Dusautoir allowed to play?

He gets to his feet. There is no ruck. That means that all that has happened is a tackle. The tackler is allowed to play from any direction. He does not have to come through the gate.

Dusautoir would have been allowed to play.

Imagine the upset at Murrayfield if he had done so!

Dusautoir played safe.

This happened after two minutes.

7. All laud the commentator

Mike Phillips of Wales charges down Iain Balshaw’s clearing kick. Gethin Jenkins picks up and passes to Martyn Williams on his left . Williams brilliantly sends Phillips bursting for the line. As he is tackle by Balshaw, he slams the ball down.

The referee refers the matter to the television match official.

Commentator: “All he has to do is have the ball in his possession. It doesn’t matter about downward pressure.”

Law 22.1 1 GROUNDING THE BALL

(a) Player touches the ground with the ball. A player grounds the ball by holding the ball and touching the ground with it, in in-goal. ‘Holding’ means holding in the hand or hands, or in the arm or arms. No downward pressure is required.

The player could be holding the ball by the sides and score a try.

The commentator was spot on. Would that others would know as much about scoring a try!

The next step is to ban ‘control’ and ‘double movement’ from commentators’ vocabularies.

This happened after 69 mimutes.

8. Shoulder to shoulder

This is not a part of Ireland’s Call, composed by Phil Coulter, but ancient rugby law, well over a century old.

Ronan O’Gara slips a grubber behind the Italian defence. Mirco Bergamasco and Brian O’Driscoll run for the ball. In the process O’Driscoll is knocked over and appeals to the referee who does not penalise Bergamasco but says: “Shoulder to shoulder.”

Law 10.1 OBSTRUCTION

(a) Charging or pushing. When a player and an opponent are running for the ball, either player must not charge or push the other except shoulder-to-shoulder.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

It is an ancient and logical way of playing. though it was not actually written into the law till 1988: Except in a scrummage it is not lawful to charge against or obstruct any opponent unless such opponent is holding the ball or such player is himself running at the ball.

It was more clearly expressed in 1903: A player running at the ball may charge an opponent also running at the ball, but such a charge may only be shoulder to shoulder.

9. Things they said

a. The score was 19-all and the commentator, a former England international, said: “Do England have the cahounas?”
The other commentator, a former Welsh international, said in mock admiration: “Fluent in Portuguese, too.”

b. The questions asked of the TMO when a try is possible are important:

(i) Ireland-Italy when Italy go over in a bundle:

Referee: “Can you give me a reason why I should not award a try?”
TMO: “I can see no reason why you may not award the try.”

The referee awards the try.

(ii) England vs Wales when Mike Phillips slams the ball over the line:

Referee: “Can you tell me – try or no try?”
TMO: “You may award the try.”

The referee awards the try.

c. Referee: “It’s not the same as four penalties to one.”

Mirco Bergamasco had tackled David Wallace and played the ball in the tackle. The referee had penalised him for this. Earlier the referee had sent Simon Easterby to the sin bin for a similar offence. Brian O’Driscoll suggested, with a coy smile, that the two offences were the same. It had been Easterby’s fourth penalty at the tackle!