Laws: Dealing with wheeling

Esoteric Law Variation

Planet Rugby received a query all the way from Mexico, which set off a series of questions around the world and an interesting situation.

It's not only about law but in fact more about communication, which is odd in this age of e-mails, telephone conferences, faxes and whatnot.

Not long ago there was a clarification of the line-out law and the actions of the scrumhalf/receiver when he enters a gap in the line-out. The clarification insisted that he contest the ball as his only activity.

Sometime after that, an ancient and top Welsh club arrived in Ireland and did not know of the change. Even after that an Australian referee, about to referee a Test, did not know of the change.

It makes one wonder whether such clarifications are necessary or whether they should not be left to fester like putting the ball in straight into scrums, foot-up and awarding a scrum for a tap kick taken wrongly!  Then after the 2003 Rugby World Cup changes could be trumpeted forth.

The question from Mexico went as follows:

"Planet Rugby, Law 20.11 states that when the scrum is wheeled the team NOT in possession gets the put in on the rescrum.

"IRB regulation and USA Rugby law book gives the put-in to the team in possession.

"A major contradiction. Urgently advise which is correct - presumably the IRB."

What the enthusiastic referee from down Mexico way was talking about is the following. The contentious sentence is bolded:

IRB version:

SCRUM WHEELED

(a) If a scrum is wheeled through more than 90 degrees, so that the middle line has passed beyond a position parallel to the touch-line, the referee must stop play and order another scrum.

(b) This new scrum is formed at the place where the previous scrum ended. The ball is thrown in by the team that had won possession. If neither team won possession, it is thrown in by the team that previously threw it in.

Planet Rugby version:

11 SCRUM WHEELED

(a) If a scrum is wheeled through more than 90 degrees, so that the middle line has passed beyond a position parallel to the touch-line, the referee must stop play and order another scrum.

(b) This new scrum is formed at the place where the previous scrum ended.The ball is thrown in by the team not in possession at the time of the stoppage. If neither team won possession, it is thrown in by the team that previously threw it in.

The difference is important. It affects the way people scrum. If what happens is contrary to what they are used to, it will create anger and mistrust.

Astonished, we looked to see what was written in other places and found that generally Planet Rugby's version agreed with that of local referees' societies.

This set off two sets of inquiry - one to top referees around the world to see what they do and one to the IRB, who were kind and prompt though perhaps less direct in their answers than they could have been, as a Yes or No would have been.

Let's deal with the questions to referees about what they do.

The question was:

Red play Blue:

Red heel the ball in the scrum.
The scrum wheels beyond 90 degrees.
You blow the whistle to stop the scrum because it has wheeled beyond 90 degrees.

Who gets the next put-in?

The answers which we got suggested were as follows, by nationality though the respondents were all top referees - top IRB panel referees:

Argentina: Blue
Australia: Blue
England: Blue
France: Blue
New Zealand: Blue
South Africa: Blue

The correspondence with the IRB went as follows:

Planet Rugby to IRB:

This is Law 20.11 on your site. (Planet Rugby quoted the Law as above.)

Is it right?

IRB to Planet Rugby:

The ELV still applies and is not included - and should be at the end of the Laws. We have a new site in the next couple of weeks and the ELV will definitely be included at the back.

Planet Rugby to IRB:
 
I'm a dumbcluck. What is the ELV?

IRB to Planet Rugby:

Experimental Law Variation. The ELV will be a part of the scrum Law, p123, and noted as an ELV.

Planet Rugby to IRB:

Thank you, but I am still confused. I understand now that it is an ELV. May I ask when it was promulgated; how it was promulgated; if all countries are applying it; if it will be used in the November Tests?

Will it apply to Argentina v Australia, England v New Zealand, France v South Africa, etc?

IRB to Planet Rugby:

This ELV has been effective since January 2000 when a draft of ELV's were introduced. By 2001, all the ELV's had become Law except for the one on the wheeling scrum.

This has remained an ELV. It had its own section in the back of the Law book. This year we decided to but the ELV into the specific part of the Law that it related to and put a notation beside it noting it was an ELV.

Unfortunately, it escaped my proof reading and the original 10.11.b was inserted by mistake BUT with the ELV notation beside it. When this was detected we sent a memo to all Unions telling them that this was the case.

It has been however 'fixed' in the 2002 Law Book IRB website version. This new website should be launched within a few weeks.

Planet Rugby to IRB:
 
Just to clarify things: will this ELV be applied to teams playing this November?

IRB to Planet Rugby:

It has been in the Law book as an ELV, and being used since 2000. As an ELV it overrides in the interim period the Law which it replaces/changes (until it is either taken into Law or thrown out). It has therefore been used internationally, nationally, domestically since Jan 2000.

Conclusion: There has been an error. Give Blue the ball!