S14, Wk 8 - Incidents

There are a few interesting incidents to discuss after this weekend’s matches, including two rarities from the Durban match between the Sharks and the Brumbies.

Both of them concern scrums – one the award of a scrum and the other playing from a scrum.

We shall deal with scrums in a bit more detail a bit later in a little report on compliance with recent IRB instructions.

We have already give statistics from the six matches played over the weekend.

1. Off the arm

After the referee had penalised Al Baxter of the Waratahs at a scrum for the second time, he said to the Waratahs’ captain, Adam Freier: “Adam, I want him off the arm.”

The referee was talking about Baxter’s binding in the scrum, which was clearly on the upper arm of Chris Heard of the Blues.

Law 20.3 (d) Binding by tight-head props. Tighthead props must bind on the opposing loosehead prop by placing the right arm outside the left upper arm of the opposing loosehead prop. The tighthead prop must grip the loosehead prop’s jersey with the right hand only on the back or side. The tight-head prop must not grip the chest, arm, sleeve or collar of the opposition loosehead prop. The tight-head prop must not exert any downward pressure.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

There is a clip of this on www.sareferees.co.za.

2. Consistency?

Regularly there is the cry for consistency by referees – consistency from match to match and within a match.

Acknowledging that no two incidents are the same, let’s look at just one or two matters.

The big one is d.

a. (i) David Marty of France runs down the touch-line on his left and kicks ahead towards the Scottish goal. After he has kicked, Rory Lamont of Scotland goes out of his way to bang into Marty and knock him to ground.

(ii) Bryan Habana of the Bulls runs down the touch-line on his left and kicks ahead towards the Highlanders goal-line. After he has kicked, Glen Horton of the Highlanders goes out of his way to bang into Habana and knock him to ground.

(iii) Bryan Habana of the Bulls runs down the touch-line on his left and kicks ahead towards the Highlanders goal-line. After he has kicked, 13 of the Highlanders goes out of his way to bang into Habana and knock him to ground..

Outcomes:

(i) Penalty and yellow card.
(ii) Play goes on
(iii) Play goes on.

Granted that Habana may have fallen over easily, he was still impeded after he had kicked by players on their feet (i.e. they were not committed in a dive) who moved off their line to impede him.

b. (i) Stirling Mortlock of the Brumbies cuts back and Lloyd Johansson of the Reds tackles him high – at the neck in fact. Mortlock crashes to the ground and needs attention.

(ii) Not long on the field Beast Mtawarira of the Sharks tackles David Smith high. Mtawarira’s right arm comes from the back of Smith’s neck and around it.

(iii) Adam Ashley-Cooper of the Brumbies runs strongly and JP Pietersen of the Sharks tackles him high – at the neck in fact. Ashley-Cooper crashes to the ground and needs attention.

Outcomes:

(i) Penalty, yellow card, cited and suspended.
(ii) Penalty, yellow card
(iii) Penalty

Is it to his advantage that Pietersen was playing at home, that Ashley-Cooper was not a high-profile player, that Mortlock went off injured and Ashley-Cooper did not?

c. (i) Schalk Burger of the Stormers tackled Philip Burger of the Cheetahs late in the third minute of the match.

(ii) Butch James of the Sharks tackled George Gregan of the Brumbies late in the ninth minute of the match.

Outcomes:

(i) Penalty and sin bin
(ii) Penalty

Both happened early in the match before the players concerned could gather much “previous” in the match.

What makes the difference? Burger was playing away, James at home. Burger has a mop of fair hair, James does not. Does that make the difference?

d. (i) Rocky Elsom of the Waratahs was being tackled by Fourie du Preez of the Bulls when JP Nel of the Bulls arrived. He swung his right arm and his forearm struck Elsom on the side of the head, making him groggy.

(ii) Anton Leonard of the Bulls was being tackled by Aaron Bancroft of the Highlanders when Ezra Taylor of the Highlanders arrived. He swung his right arm and his forearm struck Leonard on the side of the jaw.

Outcomes:

(i) Nel’s action was not noticed by the referee or the touch judges, but he was cited afterwards, admitted guilt, and was suspended for three weeks. The incident was shown several times on television in Australia.

(ii) Taylor’s action was seen by the referee who said: “I don’t want to see that again. Cut it out. Swinging arm.” No further action was taken against Taylor and the incident was not shown several times on New Zealand television.

The two actions look remarkably similar, the outcomes very different. (Here is a clip of Taylor’s forearm strike on Leonard)

Nel deserved to be cited but then why was Taylor not cited?

Was it because the referee had seen the act and had acted against it?
Lloyd Johansson of the Reds was sent to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle but still cited and suspended.

Was it because Elsom was hurt, Leonard not?

That surely cannot be a criterion. People get hurt even in legal actions. Surely the illegality of the action itself is enough and the impact on Leonard is obvious.

Was it because the Nel incident was shown on television several times, the Taylor incident not?

That is palpably ridiculous.

Was it because one player was a visitor, the other a local?

Heaven forbid that that should be the case.

But what it does say is that – as has been said often – the judicial system in SANZAR needs overhaul. It is clearly too subjective.

Referees have to make decisions in a split second in the heat of battle without slow motion replays. That does not apply to citing commissioners.

3. The flanking scrumhalf

Scrum to the Brumbies. The ball is in the second row when George Smith, the flank on the left had side breaks up, picks up the ball and plays it back to George Gregan.

It’s not OK. The scrum must have eight players bound in the scrum till it ends. The “hindmost player”, that is the player in the scrum nearest his own goal-line, is allowed to break up when the ball is at his feet, thus ending the scrum. The hindmost player in this scrum was Stephen Hoiles, not Smith, for the scrum had not so wheeled that Smith was the hindmost player.

Law 20.1 (f) Number of players: eight. A scrum must have eight players from each team. All eight players must stay bound to the scrum until it ends. Each front row must have three players in it, no more and no less. Two locks must form the second row.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

Law 20.10 (c) Hindmost player unbinds. The hindmost player in a scrum is the player whose feet are nearest the team’s own goal-line. If the hindmost player unbinds from the scrum with the ball at that player’s feet and picks up the ball, the scrum ends

There is a clip of this on www.sareferees.co.za

4. Held up

Stephen Larkham of the Brumbies chips at the Sharks line. The ball bounces high as defenders and attackers make for it desperately or eagerly. Francois Steyn of the Sharks cuts across, grabs the ball, staggers, and gets up again. Stephen Hoiles of the Brumbies grabs Steyn and turns him over so that Steyn is lying with his back on Hoiles. George Gregan darts forward to get the ball from Steyn. Steyn holds on. The referee awards a five-metre scrum.

Should Steyn be penalised for holding on?

No, because in law it is not a tackle as a tackle can take place only in the field of play.

Law 15.1 TACKLE – WHERE

A tackle can only take place in the field-of-play. (Don’t worry that the word only is out of place; the intention is clear.)

Scrum the right thing?

Yes.

But whose ball?

Law 22.10 BALL HELD UP IN-GOAL

When a player carrying the ball is held up in the in-goal so that the player cannot ground the ball, the ball is dead. A 5-metre scrum is formed. This would apply if play similar to a maul takes place in goal. The attacking team throws in the ball.

It should have been the Brumbies’ ball.

5. Ricochet and out

Fourie du Preez of the Bulls kicks a grubber. It strikes the lower leg of Highlander Jimmy Cowan and bounces into touch.

Where is the line-out?

The question becomes: Did Cowan kick the ball?

Definition – Kick – a kick is made by hitting the ball with any part of the leg or foot, except the heel, from the toe to the knee but not including the knee; a kick must move the ball a visible distance out of the hand, or along the ground.

Did Cowan’s leg hit the ball or the ball his Cowan’s leg? Let’s assume the latter.

It is then hardly a kick.

Law 19.1 deals with the matter of gaining ground when the ball goes into touch after a kick. It is only the kick which is in question.

If the ball had struck Cowan’s head or indeed been headed out deliberately by Cowan the line-out would have been where the ball went out.

If this is not a kick then the line-out should be where the ball went out.

Or so it could be!

6. Harsh words

The Chiefs are on the attack and about 6 metres from his own line Andrew Walker of the Reds kicks for touch. It is a long kick, going out well inside the Chiefs half, about 35 metres from the Chiefs-goal line. There is a Chief there and he immediately throws in to the his fullback Dwayne Sweeney who throws a pass to his left to Sitiveni Sivivatu. People down that end of the field cry out for a forward pass.

Commentators discuss the matter in indignant tones.

Commentator 1: “What are the touch judges up to?”

Commentator 2: “The touch judges weren’t up with play.”

Commentator 1: “I’ll tell you what – don’t pay them tonight. They’ve been woeful. They’ve given the referee no help all evening.”

Wow!

The ball had travelled about 59 metres through the air. When Walker kicked it the touch judge on the side where the ball went out was inside the Reds’ 22., which was where he should have been. The touch judge on the far side was also near the 22, which was where he should have been.

Neither touch judge had jet propulsion nor wings of any kind. To get down the field at the speed of the ball was simply impossible.

Latin: Nemo tenetur ad impossibile. Nobody has the obligation to do the impossible. That’s legal sense and commonsense and theological sense and so on.

7. Touch again

a. Nick Evans of the Highlanders kicks towards his right. The ball bounces towards touch where Bryan Habana of the Bulls catches the ball and throws it in. The touch judge keeps his flag up and awards the throw-in to the Highlanders.

It is a tight decision but when Habana grabs the ball his right foot is in the air. When it comes to ground it is in touch. That is when the ball was out and Habana took it out.

The touch judge was right.

b. Jaco van der Westhuysen kicks the ball a long way down the field where Chris King – a prop of all people – catches the ball. As he catches it he steps back and his right foot lands on the line. The touch judge keeps his flag up and awards the line-out to the Bulls.

Again it was a tight decision. Again it was a matter of timing. Again the touch judge was right.

8. Foul out of play

The Hurricanes are awarded a free kick at a scrum and Rodney So’oialo runs with the ball towards the touch-line on his right. He passes to Chris Smylie who is tackled about a metre in from touch and hangs on. The ball comes back to the Lions and Jano Vermaak picks up the ball under pressure from Chris Masoe. The referees whistles for a penalty to the Lions and as he does so Masoe grabs Vermaak, who is now in touch, from behind and pulls him over.

The referee speaks to Masoe about a high tackle on Vermaak. He then penalises Masoe.

Where?

The referee gives the penalty 15 metres in from touch.

Law 10.4 (l) Misconduct while the ball is out of play.

The penalty is the same as for sections 10.4 (a)-(k) except that the penalty kick is awarded at the place where play would restart. If that place is on the touch-line or within 15 metres of it, the mark for the penalty kick is on the 15-metre line, in line with that place.

If play would restart at a 5-metre scrum, the mark for the penalty kick is at that place of the scrum.

If play would restart with a drop-out, the non-offending team may choose to take the penalty kick anywhere on the 22-metre line.

If a penalty kick is awarded but the offending team is guilty of further misconduct before the kick is taken, the referee cautions or orders off the guilty player and advances the mark for the penalty kick 10 metres. This covers both the original offence and the misconduct.

If a penalty kick is awarded to a team but a player of that team is guilty of further misconduct before the kick is taken, the referee will caution or send-off the guilty player, declare the kick disallowed, and award a penalty kick to the opposing team.

If an offence is committed outside the playing area while the ball is still in play, and if that offence is not covered by any other part of this Law, the penalty kick is awarded on the 15-metre line, in line with where the offence happened.

For an offence reported by a touch judge a penalty kick may be awarded where the offence happened, or advantage may be played.

The referee was right.