Six Nations, Week 2, Part 2

Of obstruction and other things

We shall take some incidents from Six Nations matches over the weekend to discuss bits of law, including the matter of obstruction of the unintentional variety.

The matches we are dealing with are Italy vs Wales, Scotland vs Ireland and England vs France.

There is also the matter of time and a little point to be made.

We speak from time to time about commentators. Jonathan Davies shows a fine disregard to the proper pronunciation of names, unlike Huw Llewellyn Davies who gets even subtle differences right. When Joel Dumé was a referee, Davies regularly reduced him to 'Mr Doom' - a long ooh, making him sound like a lugubrious character from John Bunyan.

This weekend he made trisyllabic Parisse into monosyllabic Preeze to rhyme with Breeze. And when Kaine Robertson dropped the ball for a third time after coming on as a late substitute, Davies said he had "hands like a digital watch"!

But to law, and we shall start - rather aptly - with time.

1. Time, ladies, please

There were two reports on the vital Women's Six Nations match between England and France at blustery Imber Court. The outcome of the match was likely to determine the outcome of the competition, and England led 13-8 into injury time. France scored and won 13-10, their first-ever victory over England in England.

The English reports said the try was scored in the 13th minute of injury time, the French report in the 7th minute.

That's a big difference.

The little point to be made is that these terms like injury time, extra time, time added on and  referee's optional time are all inaccurate.

If a match is set for 40 minutes each way, that means 40 minutes of playing time. Time is not then tagged on for injury. It is not extra time, which is something different and really should be used for that time played in knock-out matches when scores are level at the end of the normally allotted time. It is not time added on and it is certainly not time at the discretion/whim of the referee. The referee is obliged to have 40 minutes of play in a half. That's all.

The business of stoppages has become harder to gauge now that there are substitutions and time out for admonishments as well as injury. The referee needs a sophisticated timepiece to get it all right. That is why in some places they give the timekeeping to one individual who makes it his sole chore.

That the match at Imber Park ended more than 40 minutes after it started was not surprising as there were several stoppages. But it did not run beyond 40 minutes of playing time.

Just a little point.

2. Obstruction?

Let's look at two incidents from the match between England and France.

a. A line-out in the England 22 becomes a driven maul. The ball goes back to Charlie Hodgson who kicks a long way downfield. Jimmy Marlu of France catches the ball just inside his half and decides to run. At about the England 10-metre line there is Jérôme Thion standing. Next to him is Joe Worsley. Marlu takes evasive action and runs behind Thion. Worsley bumps into Thion in a vain attempt to get to Marlu.

b. England are under pressure at a scrum, but they drive the ball up. Graham Rowntree picks and drives further. When he is tackled Phil Vickery and Steve Thompson are in a position to ruck. The ball comes back behind them. Danny Grewcock picks up and drives forward low. Sébastien Bruno of France dives forward to tackle Grewcock and tackles Thompson instead.

Both instances were penalised.

Let's look to the law:

10.1 OBSTRUCTION

(c) Blocking the tackler. A player must not intentionally move or stand in a position that prevents an opponent from tackling a ball-carrier.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

There used to be a cause in Law 10.1 which said: (g) A player carrying the ball cannot be penalised for obstruction under any circumstances.

That clause has been dumped.

The players penalised in these incidents were Thion and Thompson.

It is harsh law indeed. By no stretch of the imagination did either of those players obstruct - Worsley or Bruno - intentionally. They were quite entitled to stand where they were standing - till the ball-carrier arrived. Neither player had anything to do with the ball-carrier's movements or intentions. Neither player could evaporate. Neither of them went to stand where they did in order to prevent Worsley or Bruno from getting to Marlu or Grewcock.

If Marlu or Grewcock had bumped into Thion or Thompson, the decision would have been a scrum for accidental off-side, but that law requires contact:

Law 11.6 ACCIDENTAL OFF-SIDE

(a) When an off-side player cannot avoid being touched by the ball or by a team-mate carrying it, the player is accidentally off-side. If the players team gains no advantage from this, play continues. If the players team gains an advantage, a scrum is formed with the opposing team throwing in the ball.

Cannot the accidental off-side law not be extended to the Thion/Thompson case? It hardly seems right that what Thompson did should be worth three points!

3. Up early at a scrum

France have a scrum in England territory on their right. They heel the ball and have a move organised. For the move it requires No.8 Julien Bonnaire to pick and give flank Sébastien Chabal who is on the right and will come from the right to take the short pass.

Now it is a matter of timing.

Chabal must stay bound till the scrum is over, that means attached from shoulder to hand to lock Jérôme Thion. The ball comes to Bonnaire and he releases his binding, that is neither shoulder-arm is attached to Fabien Pelous or Jérôme Thion in front of him. Then the scrum is over. Then Chabal is entitled to release his binding and sweep round to take Bonnaire's pass.

Bonnaire certainly pulled his head out when the ball was at his feet and certainly had only the palms of his hands on the locks in front of him, thus ending the scrum,

If Chabal was no longer bound before Bonnaire came unbound, Chabal was subject to penalty.
If Chabal became unbound after Bonnaire came unbound, Chabal could play on.

Tough.

4. Off the forehead

Lewis Moody bashes bravely. The ball comes back to Harry Ellis who passes to his right, to Charlie Hodgson. Hands ready Olly Barkley moves towards Hodgson who fires a sharp ball at Barkley which strikes him on the forehead and bounces a long way forward. Play goes on.

OK?

Oh yes.

A knock-on happens when the player knocks the ball forward with his hands or arms or when the player loses possession of the ball and it goes forward. Neither case applies to Barkley and his forehead.

Then what about the IRB ruling about bouncing the ball off the knee? But we shall discuss that another day.

5. Whose ball, sir?

Jason Robinson kicks high and scurries after the ball. Yann Delaigue catches the ball and Robinson catches Delaigue. They stay on their feet and Julien Bonnaire attaches himself to Delaigue.

England's Danny Grewcock, Steve Thompson and Phil Vickery attach themselves to the group. The group falls to ground and the ball is unplayable.

Whose ball?

When Bonnaire attached himself to Delaigue, a maul was formed.

Law 17. DEFINITION
A maul occurs when a player carrying the ball is held by one or more opponents, and one or more of the ball-carriers team-mates bind on the ballcarrier. A maul therefore consists of at least three players, all on their feet the ball-carrier and one player from each team. All the players involved are on their feet and moving towards a goal-line. Open play has ended.

Delaigue is ball-carrier. Robinson is opponent. Bonnaire is team-mate.

The ball did not come out. In other words it was unplayable. Law 17.6 deals with this. It says, amongst other things, the following:

Law 17.6 (h) Scrum after a maul when catcher is held. If a player catches the ball direct from an opponents kick, except from a kick-off or a drop-out, and the player is immediately held by an opponent, a maul may form. Then if the maul remains stationary, stops moving forward for longer than 5 seconds, or if the ball becomes unplayable, and a scrum is ordered, the team of the ball catcher throws in the ball.

Delaigue caught. Robinson was the opponent who held. The maul formed. The ball became unplayable.

Now it all depends on the meaning of immediately. In this case it was pretty swift, too swift perhaps for Delaigue to do anything else but get caught. He had no time to evade or pass or kick.

It looks a case for a French ball.

6. Throwing into touch

Poor Pépito Elhorga. He was stranded. Mark Cueto had kicked the ball down into the French 22 on their right. The ball bounced awkwardly but Elhorga got it. Josh Lewsey got Elhorga and so did Cueto with Graham Rowntree approaching menacingly. Elhorga, about four metres in from touch, threw the ball out over the touch-line.

The referee penalised Elhorga.

Right?

Yes.

The place of the penalty?

The referee moved in to 15 metres from touch and gave the penalty, and then took time out to discuss the matter with Elhorga,

Right place?

Yes.

Law 10.2 Throwing into touch. A player must not intentionally knock, place, push or throw the ball with his arm or hand into touch, touch-in-goal, or over the dead ball line.
Penalty: Penalty Kick on the 15-metre line if the offence is between the 15-metre line and the touch-line, or, at the place of infringement if the offence occurred elsewhere in the field of play, or, 5 metres from the goal-line and at least 15 metres from the touch-line if the infringement occurred in in-goal.
A penalty try must be awarded if the offence prevents a try that would probably otherwise have been scored.

7. Pillars!

a. Michael Owen of Wales runs with the ball. He ends on the ground with other players around about. It is doubtful if there ever was a tackle or a ruck but there certainly is a heap of Welsh jerseys. Marco Bortolami of Italy is on the right side (as he looks at it) of the heap in front of the last feet.

Mefin Davies of Wales arrives and goes to the left side (as he looks at it) of the heap without binding and well ahead of the last feet.

Davies pushes Bortolami.
Bortolami pushes Davies over.
Davies gets up and pushes Bortolami.
Bortolami pushes Davies.
Davies pushes Bortolami.

b. Roland de Marigny of Italy is tackled and a heap of players fall around. It was a tackle and may even have been a ruck.

Martin Castrogiovanni arrives on the right of the heap, as he looks at it. He is beyond the last feet and manoeuvres himself towards the left-hand side, well on the Welsh side. He in fact stands between the Welsh scrumhalf, Dwayne Peel, and the forwards. Castrogiovanni has his broad back to Peel.

Castrogiovanni pushes Owen.
Owen pushes Castrogiovanni.
Peel pushes Castrogiovanni.
Castrogiovanni pushes Peel.
Peel charges into Castrogiovanni.
Castrogiovanni gives Peel a petulant push.

These are adult rugby players, professionals at the top of the professional ladder.

We had been assured that pillars/sentinels would not be allowed.

If the situation was a tackle, players had to enter from behind. If it was a ruck there was a no-man's land from back foot to back foot.

8. Post and ground

From a shabby line-out Wales tidied up, Haldane Luscombe broke strongly through Andrea Masi and gave to Martyn Williams who drove at the goal-posts as Roland de Marigny grabbed him. Falling and turning Williams managed to press the ball against the base of the posts. The ball did not reach the goal-line but it made a dent in the padding at the base while it was in contact with the ground.

The TMO advised that it was a try. The referee awarded the try. The crowd growled loudly in Italian.

But the TMO and the referee were right. The ball did not have to reach the line. Simultaneous contact with ground and padding, however thick the padding, was enough for a try.

Law 22.5 (c) Grounded against the goal post. The goal posts and the padding surrounding them are part of the goal-line. If an attacking player is first to ground the ball against a goal post or padding, a try is scored.

9. Truck-'n-trailer

Ireland win the ball in a line-out and form a maul which plods ahead. The maul fragments going right. There are three Irish players in the van - Shane Byrne, John Hayes and Malcolm O' Kelly. Behind them is Paul O'Connell who has the ball. The vanguard advances into the three Scots - Gordon Bulloch, Allister Hogg and Scott Murray.

The referee penalises the Irish.

Right?

Yes.

The trio in the van are running obstruction.

10 Kicked or not

Reader: Can you comment on a incident in the match just before the half-time whistle?

This was a penalty kick taken by Charlie Hodgson just before half-time. What happens is that he drops the ball onto his boot, onto the ground. The referee then indicates he Charlie is going for the posts.

In my opinion he took the tap kick and everybody should have played on. Is that correct? Should the ref not have noticed that?

Answer: Watch the incident. Hodgson had no intention of taking a tap kick. As he dropped the ball he told the referee  he was going to kick at goal. His action with the foot was merely a matter of guiding the ball to the ground.

I don't think it mattered whether the referee noticed his action or not.

11. 22 OK?

Reader: At the very end of the Wales v England game,  Stephen Jones (I think) attempted a drop goal, it missed but touched an England hand in flight. Jason Robinson fielded the ball behind the posts and touched down. The ref awarded a 5 metre scrum - is this right?

Answer: Yes. An England player had played the ball before it went into in-goal.