More Currie Cup controversy

And unfairness

There was a great match between Western Province and the Blue Bulls at Securicor Loftus in Pretoria - one of the most thrilling of matches. You would never have guessed it if you listened to some of the comment. Instead of glorying in the great rugby, the match became yet another vehicle to vilify a referee - and again unfairly.

Our weekly law discussion is not to defend or attack anybody - referees or the comments people. From time to time we have gone into errors in law by referees and errors in law by commentators, just as a little effort to redress the matter.

In that spirit we are going to look at some bits of law with reference to last weekend's rugby.

If anybody is interested in testing himself on the laws, he could click here.

1. Breyton's high tackle

Naas Botha, in a television programme on Monday, was upset about a high tackle by Breyton Paulse on Morné Steyn as Steyn went over to score the try which enabled the Blue Bulls to tie the match. Botha wanted a penalty kick on the half-way line after the conversion, which would have enabled the Blue Bulls to win the match.

Steyn dummied and cut through. He sank down to ground the ball. Paulse was the only player near him and grabbed at his neck and then let go. Then Steyn scored.

The sequence of the last two actions is important. First Paulse grabbed Steyn and then Steyn scored.

The penalty on the half-way line could have been given only if Paulse had fouled Steyn after Steyn had scored. After.

For what happened before Steyn had scored was different. If the referee had have acted on that, his only option was to give a penalty try or a penalty. The latter would have been a farce as Steyn scored a try. The penalty try would have been given only if the referee had judged that Steyn would have scored in a better position but for Paulse's tackle - which was also not the case, as Steyn was already dropping down to score the try where he in fact scored it and where it was awarded.

Criticism of the referee in that matter was unfair and simply wrong.

2. Half-time summary

The first half of that match was a thriller - six tries, a massive forward confrontation, a great fightback by Western Province.

At half-time Botha's comments reflected none of this. He had two clips to justify the Blue Bulls' actions which were, at least, robust. One clip to show a high tackle by Schalk Burger, presumably to show that Western Province were rogues or at least also rogues.

Then came two clops - "two mistakes by Andre Watson", according to Botha. "Two mistakes by Andre Watson - 14 points."

Botha's summary of the half: "The first half has been handled very badly in very different ways. There are too many little decisions that can cost a team, and at the moment it's not looking good."

That was indeed niggardly reward for the wonderful things that had happened on the field.

The first "mistake" that cost the Blue Bulls seven points was, apparently, a knock on.

Marius Joubert was tackled. As he went down he popped the ball back to a group of players, including Werner Greeff. The ball then came back beyond Joubert, which Botha believed was proof that it had been a knock-on. Greeff may have knocked on. The ball may have come off his thigh. The ball may have gone down and bounced forward. And it all happened at close quarters.

That action happened after 24 mins 20 seconds. The try that followed was scored after 28 minutes 33 seconds. That means over four minutes later.

The other "mistake" was to penalise Geo Cronjé. Pedrie Wannenburg had been tackled. Rob Linde was scrambling for the ball, low for such a giraffe of a man. Cronjé drives into him, from the side, shoulder leading.

Wannenburg may well have been holding on. Linde was going for the ball, at least at some stage. Cronjé was certainly wrong.

The action happened well inside the Western Province half.

After that action Western Province won a line-out. The Blue Bulls won a turnover. Western Province won a scrum.

Between the penalty against Cronjé and the try by De Wet Barry just on three minutes elapsed.

The 14 points were not direct results.

3. Looking guilty

a. Western Province win a pressured tackle/ruck thing. Prop Daan Human gets the ball away but it rolls and is not going far. Geo Cronjé is putting pressure on him. Human scrambles back and is grabbed by Ruan Vermeulen and Wessel Roux. Cronjé has overrun the struggling trio. Human gets the ball back some way - to where Cronjé is. Cronjé picks up the ball and looks guilty about it.

There was no need to feel guilty. If there had been no ruck or maul where Human was. There may have been a ruck as Quinton Davids arrived and drove into Vermeulen but the ball immediately came back through Davids's legs, perhaps before he made contact with Vermeulen. If there was no ruck Cronjé was on-side. An opponent had last played the ball.

b. The Blue Bulls win a scrum. Pedrie Wannenburg goes blind where he is tackled by Joe van Niekerk. There is a resultant nothing, just a tackle as the Western Province players fan out behind the area. Hooker Dawid Britz falls back on the far side of the scene. Norman Jordaan, the Blue Bulls scrumhalf picks up the ball and passes it to Britz, who looks guilty but runs round and starts the move that ends in a brilliant try.

First, if there was no ruck, only a tackle, Britz was on-side. Second if there had been a ruck - which looked unlikely - then Britz was on-side when he reached the last feet on his side of the ruck.

4. Bouncing forward

Western Province attack and manage somehow to contrive not to score a try. In the last bit of the action Marius Joubert, being tackled, shovels a pass towards scrumhalf Tertius Carse who is outside him in a left-wing position. The ball is behind Carse who reaches back with his right hand. The ball bounces in front of him. He picks it up and dives over.

Referee and touch judge chat. Touch judge says Knock on. Referee awards scrum.

The only way it could have been a knock-on was if the ball touched Carse's outstretched fingertips.

It could have been a forward pass but the camera angle was not good for judging that. The error of parallax was all too easy.

But it certainly was not a backward pass that had bounced into a forward pass. The forward pass is forward from the hands. It is not a forward catch. If the ball bounced forward it did not turn a legitimate pass into a forward pass.

5. Talking to the TMO

a. In the case in 4. above, could the referee have consulted the television match official?

No. The IRB's protocol does not allow it.

b. In the match in Witbank between the Lions and the Pumas, the score is 15-13 to the Lions who now have the wind. Jacques Schutte of the Pumas kicks downfield. Conrad Jantjes of the Lions gathers the ball on his ten-metre line. He drops at goal.

The ball soars high into the night air and then starts dropping. It approaches the goal line near the join of the crossbar and the far upright. The referee chases and is in a good position but he is unsure.

He calls on the television match official who confirms that it was over.

OK?

Yes. The protocol allows the referee to consult the TMO in the case of a dropped goal.

c. The Lions attack going left Jaque Fourie passes to Nel Fourie who juggles the ball on to Wikus van Heerden, who plunges over the line. The referee rules that the juggle-on was a forward pass.

Van Heerden, with a smile and a T-gesture asks the referee to consult the TMO. The referee says that he is not allowed to by the protocol.

Right?

Yes - as in a. above.