RWC Law Chat - Days 9/10

On Day 9 Scotland beat Romania 42-0 at Murrayfield and then on Day 10 Italy beat Portugal at Parc des Princes in Paris. We look at some law things to talk about – just to keep our minds refreshed.

1. Tough touch

If anybody thinks touch-judging is easy, he should look at this one, about 26 minutes into the match between Scotland and Romania.

Ionut Dimofte, the Romanian flyhalf, kicks downfield. The ball drops short of the touch line and bounces, awkwardly, towards Sean Lamont who is standing at the touch-line, his right foot in touch, his left foot in the field of play.

The ball bounces up into his midriff where his hands manage to grab hold of the ball. As he grabs it he drags his right foot in from touch. He then charges ahead and kicks down onto the Romanians.

Play it as slowly as you like and it’s not an easy decision.

If Lamont’s right foot is in touch when he grabs the ball, the ball is out and Scotland have the throw-in.

If his right foot is in the field of play when he grabs that bouncing ball, play goes on, as it did here.

Law 19 DEFINTIONS

The ball is in touch if a player catches the ball and that player has a foot on the touchline or the ground beyond the touchline.
If a player has one foot in the field of play and one foot in touch and holds the ball, the ball is in touch.

2. Penalty on the half-way line

There were two incidents which have the same answer.

a. Scotland attack going left. Flyhalf Dan Parks of Scotland darts ahead. Romanian lock Cristian Petre wraps an arm around his neck and the referee flicks out an arm to indicate advantage. Scotland grab the advantage and Allister Hogg scores a try.

Commentator: “Will they start with a penalty on the half-way line? Will it be a yellow card?”

b. Portugal are on the attack and big David Penalva is about to score. He surges for the line and David Bortolussi, the Italian fullback, puts a shoulder into Penalva who goes on to score.

Commentator: “They could have given a penalty to restart with for the shoulder charge by Bortolussi.”

In both cases the referee acted correctly. The penalty to restart would have been given only if the foul play had occurred AFTER the try had been scored.

Petre or Bortolussi could still, if it had warranted it, been sent to the sin bin, but there would have been no penalty kick on the half-way line as the commentators suggested there should be.

3. Blair Pykes?

Romania win a loose ball and pass a long way back to Ionut Dimofte who knocks on. Jason White is there to pick up the ball and pass to Mike Blair. The scrum-half heads for the line. Wing Catalan Fercu mows Blair down short of the line. Fercu holds onto Blair and both go to ground. Blair rises up on his knees and places the ball on the goal-line. The referee penalises Blair who looks unhappy about it.

Commentator: “That was held in the tackle, unlike the one the other night which we saw. That was definitely a penalty.”

Being held and brought to ground constitutes a tackle. Being brought to ground without being held, does not constitute a tackle. Being brought to ground and held and then released constitutes a tackle.

The player on the ground is allowed to react differently. The difference is that if he was brought to ground and not held he is allowed to stand up with the ball. Getting up onto knees is not standing up.

The problem for Blair was the matter of placing the ball. Placing the ball requires movement of arm/hand. It does not include the movement of the body.

Law 15 deals with the tackle.

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.
Penalty: 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.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

(c) A tackled player may release the ball by putting it on the ground in any direction, provided this is done immediately.
Penalty: 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.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

(e) If opposition players who are on their feet attempt to play the ball, the tackled player must release the ball.
Penalty: 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 players are tackled near the goal line, these players may immediately reach out and ground the ball on or over the goal line to score a try or make a touch down.

Law 14 deals with the case where a player is on the ground with the ball but not tackled as when a ball-carrier is knocked to the ground without being held.

Law 14 DEFINITION

A player who is not tackled, but who goes to ground while holding the ball, or a player who goes to ground and gathers the ball, must act immediately.

14.1 PLAYER ON THE GROUND

The player must immediately do one of three things:

Get up with the ball, or
Pass the ball, or
Release the ball.

A player who passes or releases the ball must also get up or move away from it at once. Advantage is played only if it happens immediately.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

The second part does not apply to Blair but one should note that the difference between being held and not being held is that one may stand up with the ball.

4. On the line is out

Romania attack near the touch-line on their right. Veteran Romeo Gontineac grubbers ahead. The ball bounces twice on the line – not over the line, just neatly on the line and then bounces infield again where a spectator handles the ball and taps it to a Scottish defender who dots down.

The referee orders a drop out.

But the line is in touch.

Law 19 DEFINITIONS

The ball is in touch when it is not being carried by a player and it touches the touch-line or anything or anyone on or beyond the touch-line.

5. Sacking

Italy win a line-out and form a maul. The ball is worked back to Mauro Bergamasco at the back of the maul. The maul splinters and the front three, with Bergamasco in the tail, charge ahead with Marco Bortolami in the van. There is no Portuguese player attached to this formation, as the Portuguese peel off to the right while the Italians forge straight ahead.

David Penalva of Portugal charges in, grabs Bortolami and hauls him to ground. The referee penalises Penalva for collapsing the maul.

OK?

It’s a hard one – harder than the commentator thought who was vocal in condemning the decision.

Originally there was a maul.

When does a maul end?

17.5 SUCCESSFUL END TO A MAUL
A maul ends successfully when the ball or a player with the ball leaves the maul. A maul ends successfully when the ball is on the ground, or is on or over the goal line.

17.6 UNSUCCESSFUL END TO A MAUL

(a) A maul ends unsuccessfully if it remains stationary or has stopped moving forward for longer than 5 seconds and a scrum is ordered.

(b) A maul ends unsuccessfully if the ball becomes unplayable or collapses (not as a result of foul play) and a scrum is ordered.

That says that the maul ends when the player with the ball leaves it. In this case Bergamasco stayed in the original formation. Does that mean that it is still a maul and that the referee was right to penalise Penalva?

Rulings are not a great idea but here is the ruling given by the Designated Member of the International Rugby Board in response to questions from France.

The French questions:

1. During a maul the ball-carrier and one of his team-mates leave the maul.

a. Can an opponent tackle the ball carrier?
b. Does the ball carrier have to be the lead player?

2. During a maul. The defending team’s players leave the maul, with the exception of only one player who remains bound.

a. Can this player tackle the ball carrier?

3. During a line-out, the players who won the ball from a maul but no opponent goes to join this group of players.

a. Does this group of players constitute a maul?
b. Can an opponent tackle the ball carrier?
c. Does the ball carrier have to be the lead player?

The Designated Members have ruled the following in answer to the
question raised:

1. a. Yes as it is no longer a maul.
b. Yes otherwise it is obstruction.

2. a. It is still a maul, and the maul cannot be collapsed.

3. a. It is not a maul by definition.
b. Yes
c. Yes otherwise it is obstruction.

In the Italy-Portugal match the case seems to be covered by 2. If that is the case, then the referee was right.

Life could be made easier!