Penalty and place of the penalty
Samoa played Wales in a tight match in RWC Pool D action on Sunday. An incident in that match has provoked many questions.
Samoa bash at the Welsh line, first Ofisa Treviranus, then Maurie Fa’asavalu (7). Mike Phillips tackles Fa’asavalu. Fa’asavalu actually gets over the line but the referee penalises him, much to the player’s visible annoyance.
First the penalty, then the place.
You have to look carefully. (SEE THE VIDEO BELOW.) You will just be able to see that after his is tackled, Fa’asavalu shifts his body forward to get over the line. That is not allowed. The tackled player – and Fa’asavalu is a tackled player – is allowed to stretch out to place the ball, but he is not allowed to propel his body forward, which is what Fa’asavalu does.
Law 15.5 tells you what a tackled player may or may not do. Fa’asavalu was not carried into in-goal by momentum; he propelled himself. Fa’asavalu did not stretch out; he humped his body forward.
He was penalisable. It is to be hoped that his anger was disappointment rather than anger at the referee.
By the way, there is no such thing in law as ‘double or second movement’. It is an unhelpful term as it is confusing. for a start it is unclear what the first movement is. If it is being tackled, then placing the ball is allowed but not propelling the body forward. Fa’asavalu is then [penalised for not releasing the ball.
Law 15.5 – THE TACKLED PLAYER:
(a) A tackled player must not lie on, over, or near the ball to prevent opponents from gaining possession of it, and must try to make the ball available immediately so that play can continue.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(b) A tackled player must immediately pass the ball or release it. That player must also get up or move away from it at once.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(c) A tackled player may release the ball by putting it on the ground in any direction, provided
this is done immediately.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(d) A tackled player may release the ball by pushing it along the ground in any direction except forward, provided this is done immediately.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(e) If opposition players who are on their feet attempt to play the ball, the tackled player must release the ball.
Sanction: Penalty kick
(f) If a tackled player’s momentum carries the player into the in-goal, the player can score a try or make a touch down.
(g) If a player is tackled near the goal line, that player may immediately reach out and ground the ball on or over the goal line to score a try or make a touch down.
Now the place of the penalty – a situation that can be confusing because the law for the place of the penalty was change if the penalty is to be in in-goal, which is not the case here. Fa’asavalu is penalised for an action in the field of play.
Law 21.2 – WHERE PENALTY AND FREE-KICKS ARE TAKEN:
(a) The kicker must take the penalty or free-kick at the mark or anywhere behind it on a line through the mark. If the place for a penalty or free-kick is within five metres of the opponents’ goal line, the mark for the kick is five metres from the goalline, opposite the place of infringement.
The mark for the penalty should have been where Fa’asavalu infringed – a few centimetres from the line.
Not that it’s all that significant.
