Laws - fair contest response
Liam Byrne wrote to us from Ireland about the fair contest at the tackle. We have had two responses to what he wrote.
To read what Liam Byrne had to say, click here: https://rugby365.com/story/0,18881,3941_2601492,00.html
Richard Potterton, the Bristol Society Training Officer, writes:
I am on Liam Byrne’s side when it comes to this.
The tackle-ruck progression is difficult to referee, particularly at the top level where the game is played at such speed, but I believe that too much time is given to the ball-carrying player, whether it is in a tackle situation or just from a player making contact with the opposition and then going to ground to set up the ruck. The laws clearly state that players in these situations should release the ball (or pass the ball ,etc) immediately.
I know that immediately is open to interpretation but I would have thought that by the time you have counted to 1 the player should have done something and, if not and the opposition are trying to legally play the ball, he should be penalised.
Too many defending players who had hands on the ball prior to a ruck get penalised for hands in the ruck subsequently.
JML, who has no need to hide his name, writes:
Dear Sir,
I totally agree with Liam Byrne and his comments on the “Fair Contest at the tackle”. What a great letter!
Referees at the Top Level, i.e. those who appear on TV doing international games, are doing a great disservice to the game by not allowing a fair contest at the tackle area. By being so prejudiced towards the team in possession as well as allowing so many players to go to ground illegally they are preventing good continuity which is affecting the game as a showpiece.
I accept it is not an easy area of the game to manage because at the tackle/ruck there are a possible 40+ possible infringements. Some say it is impossible to referee, despite the help of two other officials. I include the ruck because within seconds of practically every tackle that’s made referees are calling it a ruck.
But how on earth can there be on numerous occasions 4-8 players off their feet on the ground, over/on/around the ball, without it being illegal?
Surely commonsense, if nothing else, would tell most people that the more players there are on the ground the more difficult it is to manage.
It can only be managed by ignoring most of the Laws and so introducing a game which allows players to remain on the ground.
We have now got a game where there are approximately 150 tackle/ruck situations in each game-150 situations where there is no fair contest for the ball.
Fair competition, running and handling- are being sacrificed. -When the ball is in the middle of the tackle/ruck , who is playing with it? what are the spectators watching?
There is one simple answer to the problem-. If players were kept on their feet, if there were not so many players on the ground, coaches would have to cooperate. They would have to reintroduce continuity skills and we would see a much better game.
No changes in Law are required , no Experimental Law Variations. The Laws are quite adequate, if only they were administered according to the Law Book. It is quite difficult convincing young players and referees that the Laws and Game they are learning are the same as they see on TV.
Yours sincerely Living in Hope
JML
PS All top advisors/assessors – those who advise/assess these referees – are also as guilty since they must condone the practice; otherwise Liam and I would never have written our comments.
