S14, Week 8, Incidents

Including citing

The Super 14 has gone beyond the half-way mark already and it is still running. In this section we are going to use a few incidents to remind ourselves of the Laws of the Game.

Just before we do, let us shout out loud: You are allowed to wheel the scrum. You are allowed to wheel the scrum intentionally, deliberately, with intent, on purpose. You are allowed to wheel the scrum.

Again this week, when the Sharks played the Reds in Durban, we had a commentator up in arms because a scrum was deliberately wheeled.

Wheelibng the scrum and doing it intentionally has been a part of rugby for over 100 years. It was one of the virtues of the old 3-2-3 formation that it made for more effective wheeling. Wheeling is still allowed. It must just be within law. Within law also means that it must be done without the danger that a "whip wheel" potentially causes.

1. Cards and citings

Part of the difficulty a referee has is the speed of action and the possibility of having his view blocked. The citing commissioner and the disciplinary committee have the advantage over the referee in that they have replays which they can do over and over and exceedingly slowly.

That facility should make for consistency. But consistency seems, to ordinary mortals, unattained and so we must presume unattainable.

Noel Oelschig of the Cheetahs was cited for striking Tatafu Polota-Nau of the Waratahs on the back of his neck/head and knocking him to the ground.

He was cited, which seemed right and proper, and suspended for a week, which seemed inordinately lenient.

But the non-citings of the weekend are mysterious and cause heads to be scratched in wonder.

When Victor Matfield of the Bulls drove in at the side of a tackle/ruck, Tony Woodcock of the Blues took umbrage and, lying on top of Matfield punched him in the head several times. He was penalised for this but allowed to stay on the field, causing Matfield to ask the referee: "Do you allow punching?"

Woodcock was not cited. There is no clear reason why he was not cited. A player may be cited even when the referee has taken action, precisely because the citing commissioner and the disciplinary committee can get a clear and leisurely picture of what happened and so make a more considered judgement..

At the end of the match between the Sharks and the Reds in Durban there was an unseemly scuffle and punches were thrown. Again there was no citing. A player later admitted punching and frustration was given as  a reason. That sounds like an ingredient of road rage. I am frustrated and so I hit you.

But the worst incident was surely in the Hurricanes-Crusaders match. Richie McCaw of the Crusaders was penalised for illegal activities on the ground. But before that could be made public and carried out, the Hurricanes' prop Neemia Tialata gave a convincing impression of throttling McCaw. McCaw, not a sissy, was clearly in distress at the end of the throttling which carried on for some time.

There was scuffling, which died down. The referee went over to speak to the touch judge. He did not consult him but rather told him what had happened, which did not seem prudent, as prudence would suggest that listening was more appropriate than talking in this matter. The referee declared that there was "nothing in it".

He then got the players together and seemed amused, suggesting that Tialata had helped McCaw up. McCaw was not amused, and the penalty against him stood.

Tialata was not cited.

2. Dropping out

a. The Crusaders are to drop out. Aaron Mauger has the ball near the 22 as the Crusaders prepare for the kick. He throws the ball to Richie McCaw who puts the ball on the ground, taps it with his left foot and picks it up. Play goes on.

b. Aaron Mauger of the Crusaders drops for goal and misses. The ball goes a long way over the dead-ball line.

Another ball is thrown in from the right and Tane Tu'ipulotu of the Hurricanes takes a quick drop-out. The referee stops him.

OK?

Not altogether.

a. Law 13.10 A drop-out is a drop kick.

Definitions: Drop-kick: The ball is dropped from the hand or hands to the ground and kicked as it rises from its first bounce.

What McCaw did was not a drop-kick.

Law 13.12 DROP-OUT INCORRECTLY TAKEN

If the ball is kicked with the wrong type of kick, or from the wrong place, the opposing team has two choices:

To have another drop-out, or
To have a scrum at the centre of the 22-metre line and they throw in the ball.

b. That was 100% right.

Law 2.6 SPARE BALLS

Spare balls may be available during a match, but a team must not gain or attempt to gain an unfair advantage by using them or changing them.

Because there is no sanction for what Tu'ipulotu tried to do, the Hurricanes were given the chance to drop out more conventionally.

3. No place asking

The Blues drive at the Bulls' line. They attack in waves – Isa Nacewa, Nick Williams, Ali Williams, Troy Flavell, till they are right under the Bulls' posts where Nick Williams picks up the ball and plunges over while Bakkies Botha of the Bulls cries obstruction.

The referee refers to the television match official. Amongst other things he says: "Did a Blue man obstruct a White player?"

The commentator objected to the question, saying: "He's entitled to ask if it takes place in in-goal." And he says that the referee had "no place asking" the question he asked.

The IRB's protocol on the TMO: The TMO must not be requested to provide information on players prior to the ball going into in-goal (except touch in the act of grounding the ball).

One to the commentator!

4. Beyond the 15

Anton Oliver of the Highlanders throws into the line-out. Before he does so there is much shuffling about, presumably choreographed. In that moving about both Highlanders locks, James Ryan and Tom Donnelly, end over the 15-metre line. Oliver then throws in to Hale T-Pole who is second from the front of the line-out, well within the 15-metre line.

The referee awards a free kick to the Chiefs because Ryan and Donnelly are over the 15-metre line.

OK?

Yes.

Law 19.7 (h) Where the line-out players must stand. The front of the line-out is not less than 5 metres from the touch-line. The back of the line-out is not more than 15 metres from the touch-line. All line-out players must stand between these two points.
Penalty: Free Kick on the 15-metre mark.

5. Forward bounce

Seilala Mapusua of the Highlanders kicks a long way downfield to his left. Big Sione Lauaki of the Chiefs is back and goes to catch the ball, facing his own goal-line as the ball flies slightly beyond him. The ball hits his hands and bounces. perverse thing, towards the Highlanders' line and beyond where Lauaki is.

The referee allows play to go on.

OK?

Yes.

A knock-on is about the direction of the ball from hands or arms, not the direction of the ball from the ground.

That was a good non-decision. Non-decisions are sometimes quite brave.

6. On face value

The Chiefs throw in deep at a line-out. Scrumhalf Jamie Nutbrown catches the throw and runs. Josh Blackie of the Highlanders knocks him to ground. Nutbrown pops the ball back to Ben Castle who is charging in support.

This is how things looked. If that is what happened it is worth just a little look.

The ball hits Castle in the face and bounces forward towards where James Ryan of the Highlanders is. The ball may just touch Ryan. Castle catches the ball.

Knock-on?

Not if it happened as is described here, because bouncing forward off the face or the head is not a knock-on. A knock-on is off the hands or the arms.

If it was not knocked on, it is irrelevant whether the ball touched Ryan or not.