Law Discussion: That catch again

This business of awarding the scrum to the catcher from a kick is a relatively rare occurrence but here week after week we are discussing it. Perhaps it is not so rare. Perhaps it is less rare with all the kicking going on, blamed, it seems, on the ELVs.

We have a slightly different one from the Heineken Cup this week.

The Heineken Cup was played mostly in ugly weather. That said, if we looked at the scrums, there were few problems in four of the matches (Munster vs Sale Sharks, Dragons vs Bath, London Wasps vs Leinster, and Ulster vs Harlequins) but lots when Gloucester played Cardiff. Perhaps bad weather is not the real reason for falling scrums.

1. The immediate catcher

Isa Nacewa of Leinster kicks high. Josh Lewsey of the Wasps comes forward to catch the ball. He catches it, takes two hurried steps and is grabbed by Nacewa and by Shane Horgan. All three are on their feet and while they are on their feet Phil Vickery packs in on Lewsey. This then flops to earth and others flop as well.

The referee decides that the ball is unplayable and awards the scrum to Wasps. The gesture he uses explains that he has awarded them the ball because it was directly from a kick and a maul had been formed.

Both of those components are there – directly from a kick and a maul formed.

All OK?

Not necessarily.

Law 17.6 (h) Scrum after a maul when catcher is held. If a player catches the ball direct from an opponent’s kick, except from a kick off or a drop out, and the player is immediately held by an opponent, a maul may form. Then if the maul remains stationary, stops moving forward for longer than 5 seconds, or if the ball becomes unplayable, and a scrum is ordered, the team of the ball catcher throws in the ball.
‘Direct from an opponent’s kick’ means the ball did not touch another player or the ground before the player caught it.
If a maul moves into the player’s in-goal, where the ball is touched down or becomes unplayable, a 5-metre scrum is formed. The attacking team throws in the ball.

It was direct from an opponent’s kick and a maul formed but what about immediately?

Two steps. Do they negate immediately?

Clearly the referee decides immediately. Probably the criterion is: did the player have a chance to do something different, i.e. play the ball or with the ball.

Did Lewsey’s two hurried steps as his momentum took him forward constitute playing with the ball and an opportunity to pass or kick the ball?

Probably not.

The referee was right.

This happened after 42 minutes.

2. Knock-on

The ball bobbles along the ground to Danny Cipriani who bends to get it. The ball bounces off his hands onto his knee and onto the ground. When it hits the ground the ball bounces back between his legs.

The referee blows for a knock-on.

Right?

The commentator had it right: “If it goes forward it doesn’t matter what the second bounces does.”

The referee was also right.

There was a different case in the Gloucester-Cardiff Blues match when a scurrying pass came to Willie Walker. The ball hits his hand and deviated only slightly from its path as it went on behind him. The referee blew for a knock-on. That was probably wrong. Was wrong.

This happened after 24 minutes.

3. Advantage

Two incidents:

a. Munster are leading 29-14 and there are seven minutes to play. Sale Sharks are desperate and Luke McAlister chips in his own half as they go left. Dougie Howlett of Munster comes weeping round and grabs the bouncing ball. McAlister tackled Howlett high. Howlett goes to ground and a ruck forms.

At the high tackle about 35 metres from the Sale line the referee shoots out a right arm to show that he is playing advantage.

Munster scramble the ball back from the ruck and then they run on the right till Paul Warwick scores in the right corner.

That was brilliant advantage.

This happened after 73 minutes.

b. Bath play the Dragons. Bath knock-on and Dragons get the ball. With plenty of time some 30 metres out and well infield, James Arlidge drops for goal. He misses.

The referee goes back to the scrum for the knock-on.

Because the referee is the sole judge of advantage, the referee was right but it is an incident which bears thinking about.

If the referee had immediately given the Dragons the scrum and they had won the ball, Arlidge may have been lucky enough to get the ball as comfortably as he did in real life while the referee was playing advantage. He could have played the ball in any way he chose. He chose to drop. He executed it badly. It would seem that he had had his advantage.

Especially from a knock-on. It may well be different if the Bath infringement had been a penalty.

This happened after 73 minutes.

4. Offside

a. A long way back Andy Powell of Cardiff Blues catches a kick near touch and runs the ball back. He is tackled and as he goes to ground he passes the ball back but Olivier Azam, the Gloucester hooker, intercepts the pass. He is between Powell and the other Cardiff players.

Offside?

There is no offside line at a tackle.

This happened after 6 minutes.

Play went on, rightly so.

b. Darren Cave of Ulster cuts back. There are two Harlequins players in his path – Will Skinner and Nick Easter.

Skinner and Easter grab Cave. Skinner and Cave go to ground; Easter does not.

On his feet and on the Ulster side of the tackle, Easter plays the ball and is penalised.

He is upset that he has been penalised and claims that he was the tackler.

He may well have grabbed Cave but in terms of the law he was not a tackler because he did not go to ground. In common parlance he tackled Cave but he was not a tackler.

Law 15 DEFINITION
Opposition players who hold the ball carrier and bring that player to ground, and who also go to ground, are known as tacklers.
Opposition players who hold the ball carrier and do not go to ground are not tacklers.

Easter was not a tackler in terms of the law. Because he was not the tackler he had to come from behind and through the gate to play at the tackle, which, by the way, became a ruck.

5. Holywood

The Cardiff Blues coach complained about Olivier Azam.

The Gloucester hooker and the Cardiff Blues wing Tom James were up close and getting closer. James brought his head forward and made contact with Azam’s forehead. The Cardiff coach says he dropped his head. Others thought he headbutted.

Azam dropped to the ground, lying prone, hands to his face.

The referee brandished a red card in front of James who trudged off.

The Cardiff coach thought that Azam was putting on an act.

If he was it was entirely reprehensible. Not even soccer tolerates that.

It is part of a tendency. In amateur times, if an opponent was sent off a captain regularly pleased with the referee to let him stay. It was the sporting thing to do – not just to have a chance to even the scores. Now we have captains telling the referee that a player should be sent off.

It’s not great.

If a referee knows that the player is play-acting, he is entitled to penalise him and even send him off for playing contrary to the spirit of the Laws of the Game.

But he has to know.

This happened after 26 minutes.

6. Ins and outs

If a player in his in-goal reaches out and grabs a ball coming to him, the ball is regarded as being in the in-goal even if it has not reached the in-goal.

But.

Danny Care of Harlequins kicks the ball down towards the Ulster goal-line. Clinton Schifcofske of Ulster runs back to the bouncing ball. He dives at it, grabbing it, and lands with the ball in in-goal.

The referee awards a five-metre scrum to Ulster.

Neither Schifcofske nor the ball was in in-goal. It was carried over.

This happened after 53 minutes.

7. Ball is out

Ulster win a scrum and No.8 Chris Henry holds the ball at the back. It’s hard to control and Henry has to stretch to keep control of it. He has the ball at his feet and his hands are gripping his locks but his arms are fully extended.

Danny Care plays the ball.

The referee lets play go on, saying: “Not bound.”

Which was right.

This happened after 34 minutes.