Lensbury and some law discussion
Scrum change in the offing
In the first week of November 2006 the IRB’s elite referees and their referee managers met at the Lensbury Club in South London to discuss the Laws of the Game.
Obviously it is a serious discussion about the application of the laws – game mangement if you like. Here are some points arising from the meeting.
1. Scrum engagement
From 1 January 2007 the referees will manage the scrum slightly differently. This will be regarded as an Experimental Law Variation.
The sequence of commands will be: Crouch Touch Pause Engage.
This will be a slight change to the procedure in Law 20.1 (h). The front-rows crouch and pause, and then come together only when the referee calls ‘engage’. This call is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready.
On Crouch the referee will want the front rows with legs bent and leaning forward at the same height.
When they are at the same height, the referee will give the command Touch.
Each prop will reach out with his free arm and place on his immediate opponent’s shoulder.
This done the referee will give the command Pause.
On this command, the props will remove the hand from the opponent’s shoulder.
The referee will then give the command Engage.
The purpose of this is to get the arm’s length apart of the front rows more precise and also to ensure that one side does not get undue advantage by coming down from a height and rushing straight into the hit.
2. Maul
a. The maul is not over if the defenders’ disengage from the maul.
If the team not in possession of the ball in a maul withdraws all its players from the maul, it remains a maul, even if the ball is at the back of the ball-carrying group. Even if their opponents have ceased to be engaged in the maul, the ball carrying team may continue to play as in a maul.
Because it is still a maul their opponents must observe the maul laws. For example they must observe the off-side lines and the manner of entry, and they may not collapse the maul.
If the ball-carrying players detach from the maul with the ball in their possession, then the maul ceases to be a maul. Truck-and-trailer is possible only if the ball-carrying team detaches from the maul and commits obstruction.
b. For play in a maul to continue the ball-carrying team must continue to move forward. Moving sideways or backwards is not forward.
c. In the line-out
If the opponents of the team catching the ball in the line-out do not make contact with the team in possession, no maul can be formed even if the team in possession groups together with the intention of forming a maul. As long as the line-out remains the team not in possession may not retreat from the line-out. If they do they are liable to a penalty.
This will most likely spell the death – at least for the time being for it may rise again – of truck-‘n-trailer, which was such a fun description.
3. Backchat
If ever players are guilty of dissent by word or gesture, the referee is required to deal with their dissent and manage it.
The IRB’s aide memoire on this states the following:
PLAYERS DISPUTING OF REFEREES DECISIONS
Player questioning of refereeing decisions, at times boarding on abuse, will not be tolerated by the IRB. Referees who take action against these players will have the IRB’s support. Referees should remind players of their responsibilities during down time and should not hesitate in advancing the penalty ten metres.
4. Feet on bodies
If feet are placed on bodies at the tackle/ruck in the act of trampling or stamping the referee must deal with the incident.
He is to consider first of all a red card and work down from that. Stamping on head or neck would certainly be material for a red card. If the action is to other parts of the body, a yellow card is to be considered.
If the person stood on was in an illegal position, the referee will, first show a penalty against him and then reverse the penalty for the stamping or trampling.
The aide memoire on this states: Stamping/Trampling
• More severe action needs to be taken re acts of stamping and trampling
• Red card is probably the correct sanction for deliberate stamping / trampling on joints.
Referees need to deal more firmly with retaliators while also dealing with the initial offender.
5. Protective clothing
Some players wear extensive strapping on their arms. This can become hard and there is always the danger that such strapping is reinforced. During the clothing inspection, the referee is to ask the reason for the strapping and then require the player to have the strapping unwound and then restrapped with the referee present.
6. Television match official
In conversation with the TMO, the referee is advised to use one of two questions:
a. Has a try been scored?
b. Is there any reason for me not to award this try?
The first would be used when the referee is completely unsure, the second when he suspects that a try was indeed scored.
There is a proposal that TMO’s area of adjudication be extended to include the whole phase of play that ended with the scoring of points.
This phase would be after the previous stoppage and not include any stoppage (scrum, line-out, free kick or penalty). It could include passes, tackles, rucks, mauls and kicks.
In an extreme case, it could stretch the length of the field. The Pacific Islands are on the Welsh line but Kevin Morgan intercepts and runs. The Islands get back to tackle but after several phases Shane Williams of Wales scores. If the referee may suspect a knock-on in the intercept, he will be allowed to refer the matter to the TMO.
