Weekend 2 advantage

There was much talk about advantage this weekend, especially after the Ireland-France match.

There were two incidents in that match which were interesting and then one in a Super 14 match which is also relevant.

The advantage law, which used to be the shortest law in the book, is also the most difficult. It still is a short law with only the law on the ball shorter and it still stays difficult. It is probably the law which separates the referee as an artist from the referee as an artisan.

It is difficult because the decision to play or not to play advantage and when to stop when once played is solely at the discretion of the referee, which in one sense means that the referee is always right.

Cut advantage too short and you rob the game of potential continuity. Play it too long and you waste time and energy.

A famous player once said of a referee who allowed long advantage at every infringement: “They should give the people back a third of their gate money because he cuts out a third of the match.”

The best judge of advantage is, of course, hindsight, which no referee has.

Let’s lay down the law first. Advantage got its own spot in the Law Book only in 1969. It was tucked into other laws from 1909 onwards when the law dealing with the referee’s duties first stated: “He should not whistle when the non-offending side gains an advantage.” There is a note to that 1909 law which says: “This is a most important Law and at present is not so generally observed by referees as it should be.” It has been in existence for nearly a century and been troublesome for nearly a century!

The essence of the 1969 is still in force now, though now it is clearer in expressing its intentions.

Law 8. DEFINITION The law of advantage takes precedence over most other laws and its purpose is to make play more continuous with fewer stoppages for infringements. Players are encouraged to play to the whistle despite infringements by their opponents. When the result of an infringement by one team is that their opposing team may gain an advantage, the referee does not whistle immediately for the infringement.

1 ADVANTAGE IN PRACTICE

(a) The referee is sole judge of whether or not a team has gained an advantage. The referee has wide discretion when making decisions.

(b) Advantage can be either territorial or tactical.

(c) Territorial advantage means a gain in ground.

(d) Tactical advantage means freedom for the non-offending team to play the ball as they wish.

2 WHEN ADVANTAGE DOES NOT ARISE

The advantage must be clear and real. A mere opportunity to gain advantage is not enough. If the non-offending team does not gain an advantage, the referee blows the whistle and brings play back to the place of infringement.

Tactical advantage? The freedom to play as the non-offender chooses – if you like in the way he could have played had the infringement not taken place.

The examples from the matches:

1. Advantage over

This happened twice in the match. Let’s take the late one as there was loud booing at the time, perhaps because of the way advantage was played.

Andrew Trimble of Ireland easily beat Imanol Harinordoquy of France and ran infield where he slipped some 38 metres from the French line.

A ruck formed where he slipped, on Ireland’s right. Ireland got the ball back from the ruck and went left. The referee saw the French off-side and signalled that he was playing advantage. Ireland went left, came back right. Paul O’Connell was tackled and then suddenly Denis Hickie darted ahead. He gave to Marcus Horan and the prop burst onto the French 22. He grubbered towards the French line and dived on the ball about six metres from France’s line but he knocked it forward. France picked up the ball and ran out of trouble.

Where the penalty would have been was certainly kickable for Ronan O’Gara. Should the referee take that into account?

The score was 14-13 to Ireland. Should the referee take that into account?

Or should he apply the law and decide that Ireland had had both tactical and territorial advantage enough and so advantage was over, which is what the referee decided?

There were times when it was the style to allow long advantage and then when it did not accrue the referee would run many, many metres to award the penalty. “You can always bring play back,” was the cry.

Now it is the fashion to decide more quickly when advantage is over – not to cut out bits of play and declare the effort null and void.

In this example it seemed that the only thing better than having the penalty would have been a score..

2. What, no advantage!

France are on the attack near the Irish 22. Ireland are battling to defend.

France go left but tall Pascal Pape knocks on. The referee shows advantage. Pieter de Villiers, not off-side, picks up the ball. The referee decides that there will no advantage and blows his whistle.

He has done so when De Villiers passes the ball to his left and Geordan Murphy intercepts, after the whistle has gone, and darts ahead with nobody in front of him but the French posts about 80 metres away.

This is the one where hindsight would have helped. There was a report that the referee acknowledged that he had blown too quickly.

He could have waited longer but at that stage it must have seemed that the scrum would have been huge relief for the beleaguered Irish.

Law 8.44 IMMEDIATE WHISTLE WHEN NO ADVANTAGE

The referee blows the whistle immediately once the referee decides an advantage cannot be gained by the non-offending team.

Just as a matter of interest, these are advantage totals from the first two weeks of Six Nations and Super 14:

In 20 matches in only three did advantage accrue more than half the times the referee allowed for it – Chiefs vs Brumbies, Italy vs France and, best of the three, Lions vs Waratahs.

In those 20 matches the referee gave the players the option of playing on 335 times. It accrued on 115 occasions – 34% of the time.

3. With a little help

The Crusaders play the Reds at Jade Stadium. The referee, who communicates particularly well, proclaims Advantage – a penalty advantage. It is a maul and the scrumhalf is eagerly twitching his fingers to get the ball.

Referee: “Do you want the advantage?”

Scrumhalf: “Give us a go, ref.”

Referee: “Play it then.”

Old referees have often given advice to young referees, some of it wise. One said: “When you play advantage put your self in the place of the non-offending captain. If you would like to play on, allow scope for advantage. If you would rather have the penalty, blow your whistle.”

There are obviously times when advantage can be cut short – for example, at a penalty in favour of a team under great pressure and on desperate defence.

But even that may change if the defending team is behind and the final siren has sounded. There is no point in waiting. Advantage, the law says, must be real. Hoping for advantage is not enough.

What about asking the players if they want advantage?

It may just be better than leaving it to the players to deliberately make a hash – knocking on, for example – to force the advantage. Mind you it is not necessary to infringe to get advantage. Just standing still may do it.

Advantage is not easy but the most exciting happening for a referee is a try scored on advantage. It is the creative side of refereeing