Starting 2005

Heineken Cup and readers' questions

After three weeks' rest and lots of peace to referees of goodwill, we return again to discussing, briefly, aspects of the Laws of the Game. We are using incidents from four Heineken Cup matches as pegs to hang discussion on - Ulster vs Gloucester, Bath vs Leinster, Scarlets vs Saints and that massive clash at Welford Road, Tigers vs Biarritz.

We shall take only a few incidents. Well, that was what I thought. It's all turned out quite long.

We shall also deal with two readers' questions, one from a Zurich Premiership match involving the Tigers and medics.

There were changes in the Laws of the Game that became effective on 1 January 2005. They are not massive. To read them click here. We tend to get upset when laws change but it is a sign that the game is still evolving, which is good. Imagine if we were the end product of evolution!

1. Charged down drop-out

Paul Grayson of the Saints takes a drop-out. Matthew Rees, the Scarlets' splendid hooker, leans across the 22 and blocks the kick before it has crossed the 22.

If you were the referee what would you do next?

On 31 December 2004 you would have told Grayson to kick off again. On 1 January 2005 you would award a free kick against Rees.

This is one of the law changes that came into force on 1 January 2005. The wording now reads:

Law 13.17 THE OPPOSING TEAM

(a) The opposing team must not charge over the 22-metre line before the
ball is kicked.

Penalty: Free Kick at the place of infringement.

2. Mark of the penalty

Ulster fullback Bryn Cunningham is tackled about two metres inside his half and a ruck/tackle thing evolves. Gloucester are penalised when their hooker James Parkes, comes in the side, about a metre inside the Ulster half. It is the second penalty for coming in at the side in quick succession.

The Ulster captain, Campbell Feather, takes the ball and signals with it to the referee that his man will kick at goal. Feather strides and stretches forward and puts the ball down as the referee goes off to speak to Jake Boer, the Gloucester captain. When the referee returns he finds David Humphreys of Ulster about to kick at goal about five metres inside the Gloucester half. The referee moves him back, saying: "There's your mark. I made the mark."

Humphreys looks surprised and the crowd mutters anger.

Commentator: "Very unlike David Humphreys to try to sneak a wee inch or two there. His nickname is Lord Humphreys. He's well respected throughout Ulster. I'm not quite sure whether that was right or not."

It was not right, for the mark the referee gave was about a metre inside the Gloucester half, which suggests that the men of Ulster had gained about two metres. It could have been six metres had the referee been less vigilant! The referee was certainly right to move the place of the kick back.

The referee managed it well, but would it not be fun to let the kicker kick, get it over and then disallow the kick and award a scrum for kicking from the wrong place?

Imagine the angry mutterings then!

Of course, you would not do anything that theatrical and silly, but would rather manage the situation as the referee did on this occasion.

3. The principle of first infringement?

a. Simon Amor, the Gloucester flyhalf, passes to inside centre Henry Paul. Paul knocks on. He dives onto the ball and holds onto it. Two Ulstermen, Tommy Bowe and Kevin Maggs, stand over him to get the ball. The referee blows his whistle.

b. Bath attack and well in their own 22 Leinster throw in at a line-out. Shane Byrne, whose side lost more line-outs than they won on their own throw, throws in to a short line-out, but Danny Grewcock of Bath gets up and hits the ball back towards Byrne who catches the ball, burrows ahead and is tackled. He holds on in the tackle.

What would you do in each case?

The principle of first infringement applies to infringements by different teams. I knock on and then you knock on. We go back to a scrum for you because of my knock-on.

But I knock on and I go off-side. Then it is a penalty against me.

On that basis, a. above should be a penalty against Paul

In b. above, if Grewcock does not knock on then it is a penalty against Byrne. But if Grewcock knocks the ball forward, then it is a scrum to Leinster on the 15-metre line.

4. TMO drop

From just inside the Gloucester half, Chris Malone of Bath drops for goal. It is high and dropping.

It was not necessary in this case, but if the referee had been uncertain, could he have consulted the television match official?

Yes. The protocol allows for consultation in the matter of a drop at goal.

5. "Let him up"

On the right side of the field Mark Stcherbina of the Saints kicks a long high ball across to his left. Matthew Rees the Scarlets' hooker scurries back for the ball pursued by Wylie Human, the Saints' left-wing.

Rees gets first to the ball, picks it up and almost immediately falls to ground. Human stands and bends over him and tries to get the ball. as Garan Evans and Simon Easterby of the Scarlets gather to help Rees, who knocks on.

The commentators express concern about whether Rees had been allowed to get back up.

Human did not fall on Rees. He tried to get the ball. He had thus done nothing wrong. He did not hold Rees down in any way.

What were Human's obligations towards the fallen Rees? What were Rees's obligations?

Human was not allowed to fall on top of Rees, but he was allowed to play the ball.

Law 14.2 (b) Falling over the player on the ground with the ball. A player must not intentionally fall on or over a player with the ball who is lying on the ground.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

(c) Falling over players lying on the ground near the ball. A player must not intentionally fall on or over players lying on the ground with the ball between them or near them.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

Rees had to play the ball - stand up with it, pass it or release it and he had to do so immediately. He was not allowed to lie there hanging onto the ball and stopping Human from getting it.

Law 14.2 (a) Lying on or around the ball. A player must not lie on, over, or near the ball to prevent opponents getting possession of it.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

6. Goode's stretch to the padding

The Tigers attack. Andy Goode, their flyhalf, goes on a diagonal run from some seven metres out. He cuts past Damien Traille of Biarritz and is heading for the posts when Philippe Bidabe of Biarritz comes across in cover and tackles him holding onto this left leg. Goode dives/stretches for the goal, reaching out for the padding. As he does so Federico Aramburu of Biarritz comes sliding in from Goode's right and Dimitri Yachvili with outstretched left leg and outstretched left arm slides in from his left.

Wisely the referee consults the television match official who looks at it over and over. Goode does not get the ball onto the goal-line and he does not get the ball to the padding at the base of the posts. Either of those actions would have produced a try.

Instead the TMO said he was short and the referee awarded a scrum.

Why a scrum?

Because the Tigers were going forward in the tackle .

7. Ellis's stretch to the line

From yet another scrum five metres from the Biarritz line Harry Ellis breaks past the excellent Serge Betsen and beyond the covering Imanol Harinordoquy who knocks him over as Damien Traille comes in to help. Ellis raises his body and propels himself as he stretches and gets the ball down for the try, confirmed by the TMO.

OK?

Yes. Neither Harinordoquy nor Traille held Ellis till he was surging for the line. That he propelled his raised body forward did not constitute an infringement.

8. Time and the TMO

The two incidents above gave Bertie Smith of Ireland a lot of careful watching and thought and so took considerable time. They also added greatly to the drama of the situation.

But what about the time?

At the outset, the referee calls Time out when he seeks the TMO's advice. It is not a part of playing time. Nobody is deprived of game time.

9. Killing the penalty

Just before half-time the Tigers are awarded a penalty kick in front of the posts inside the Biarritz 22. They decide on the line-out, and so Andy Goode kicks for the corner, but his aim errs and he kicks the ball into touch-in-goal.

Your decision?

You give Biarritz the option of a scrum where Goode kicked and a drop-out. They chose the latter.

Law 22.8 BALL KICKED DEAD IN IN-GOAL

If a team kicks the ball through their opponents in-goal, into touch-in-goal or on or over the dead ball line, except by an unsuccessful kick at goal or attempted dropped goal, the defending team has two choices:

To have a drop-out, or
To have a scrum at the place where the ball was kicked and they throw in.

10. And they booed

There are many beautiful sounds in sport - the bat striking the leather ball in a perfect cover drive, the swish of skis down a Swiss slope, the singing of Flower of Scotland, the snap of racket on tennis ball, the neat splash of the champion diver entering the water, the slap of boot on ball sweetly struck. There are many, many wonderful sounds. Booing is not one of them. In fact it is one of sport's ugliest sounds. In fact it is hard to think of one uglier.

The booing started early at Welford Rod. When Jimmy Marlu scored a splendid try for Biarritz there was booing. At the final whistle of a great, intense rugby match, there was booing.

The first booing came in the first half. There were two incidents worth noting.

a. Geordan Murphy of the Tigers collects a kick inside his 22 and launches a long punt to his left. Dimitri Yachvili of Biarritz runs back and just infield of the touch-line with his left hand, knocks the ball back infield and keeps on running. Philippe Bidabe picks up the ball and kicks it out.

b. Thibault Lacroix kicks from inside his 22 a long left-footed kick downfield . Running back Geordan Murphy plays the ball back infield. His impetus takes him into touch but he has plenty of time and runs back infield, picks up the ball and passes it to Ollie Smith who kicks a long kick down towards the touch-line on his right.

Damien Traille of Biarritz comes across and just maintaining his balance catches and knocks the ball back infield to Dimitri Yachvili, who kicks the ball out.

In a. there is booing and in b. there is booing - for what Traille did, not for what Murphy did.

In a. the ball was clearly not out when Yachvili played it and nor was Yachvili who in any case did not catch the ball.

Maybe the booing was because the referee did not blow for a knock-on.

When Murphy kicked the ball, the referee was on the Tigers' ten-metre line. Yachvili played the ball some five metres inside the Biarritz 22. There was thus some 53 metres downfield from where the referee was. Not even the fleetest footed player could have got to the ball when Yachvili played it.

The replay suggests that Yachvili had not slapped the ball forward. If after it hit the ground it had bounced forward, that would have been irrelevant.

All the referee could have done was guess, and bless the referee at Welford Road he was not one of the guessing kind.

Maybe the booing was from disappointment.

In b. there seemed no case for booing at all. Traille was not out when he caught and knocked the ball back. Even if the ball had crossed the plane of the touch-line it was not out, because Traille was not out and the ball had not struck ground or an object beyond touch. Traille clearly did not knock the ball forward.

Maybe the booing was from disappointment.

11. No time for the line-out

At the thrilling end to the thrilling match Biarritz are to throw in at a line-out. The referee announces to the teams: "Last play."

Brilliantly Martin Johnson beats Imanol Harinordoquy to the ball and wins it for the Tigers who attack. In the midst of the attack the referee penalises Biarritz for coming in at the side of a tackle. It is nearly 50 metres out. Asked, the referee says: "There is no time for the line-out."

The Tigers tap and run.

No time for the line-out? What about a scrum?

Time is up that means that only the penalty may be taken. It may be taken by a kick or a scrum. In other words there was time for the kick but not the line-out and time for the scrum, because a scrum is a way of taking a penalty - as the Tigers did for Harry Ellis's try.

Law 21. PENALTY AND FREE KICK OPTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

(a) Scrum alternative. A team awarded a penalty or free kick may choose a scrum instead. They throw-in the ball.

12. Taken back?

Kieran Campbell, the Ulster scrumhalf grubbers the ball down the touch-line on his right. He grubbers it past the Gloucester fullback Jon Goodridge who runs back to get the ball. The ball stops just inside the Gloucester 22.

Falling back Goodridge picks up the ball with one foot over the 22. His impetus takes him further back into the 22. He turns and kicks the ball out on the full.

Where will the line-out be?

Where the ball went out.

Goodridge did not take the ball back into the 22. The ball was in the 22. He was therefore entitled to kick the ball out on the full from within the 22.

Guessing is not good!

13. Caught up in it

Gloucester throw the ball into a line-out, catch the ball and form a maul. Gary Longwell of Ulster contests the ball. He is caught in the maul but is surrounded by Gloucester men, standing up above the heaving mass of bodies and with both arms free he tries to grab the ball.

Commentator: "Gary Longwell was very lucky not to give away a penalty there from reaching across. The referee was rather lenient telling him to get out of there?

Did Longwell have to "get out of there"? Was he allowed to reach across?

It is a common occurrence. What is also a common occurrence is opposition treatment of an interfering Longwell. Peter Buxton of Gloucester grabbed him around the neck and tried to yank him backwards.

The change in law which became effective on 1 January 2005 makes this even clearer than it was before.

DEFINITION

A maul occurs when a player carrying the ball is held by one or more opponents, and one or more of the ball-carrier's team-mates bind on the ball-carrier. All the players involved must be caught in or bound to the maul and must be on their feet and moving towards a goal-line. Open play has ended.

Once Longwell joined the maul legally and stayed caught up in it, as he was, he was not required to bind, nor was he required to get out of Gloucester's way. He was free to stretch and play.

You will often see the ball winner act similarly. Martin Johnson catches the ball in the line-out and turns. His men form a maul and smuggle the ball back from him. He stays there, towering above the rest and using his free arms to pull his men on in the drive.

What is not allowed is for a player to grab a Longwell around the neck and start pulling it back. That is dangerous play.

14. Reward for virtue

Is virtue its own reward? Often in rugby it seems so, but here are some little bits if statistics from the matches.

When Leinster were in the ascendant, the penalty count was 7-1 in their favour and they led 13-3. Then Shane Byrne was penalised, they came under pressure and conceded four penalties in quick succession. At half-time the score was 13-13.

But it turned out to be its own reward. In the second half Bath conceded two penalties, Leinster six, but two massive minutes, with nothing to do with penalties, produced two tries, 14 points, for Leinster who won 27-23.

In the first half Ulster were penalised more often than Gloucester and Gloucester led 9-0. In the second half the penalty count was 5-3 to Ulster, who won the match.

Biarritz had the better of the first half and the penalties were 6-2 in their favour. The Tigers had the better of the second half and the penalties were 5-3 in their favour.

Pressure, it seems, gets teams to concede penalties.

15. Tigers' medical staff in play

Reader: Gloucester played Tigers in a Zurich Premiership match. There was a bizarre episode when a member of the Leicester medical staff ran across Henry Paul's path as he was about to pass the ball, thus ruining a promising Gloucester movement.

Question: Are medics allowed onto the field during play? Is the referee allowed to stop play even if there was no infringement?

Geraint, England

Answer: Medical staff are allowed to come onto the field while play is in progress.

Law 6.A.5 The referee gives permission to the team doctors or medically trained persons or their assistants to enter the playing area, as and when permitted by the Law.

6.C.2 THOSE WHO MAY ENTER THE PLAYING AREA
The match doctor and the non-playing members of the team may enter the playing area as authorised by the referee.

6.C.3 LIMITS TO ENTERING THE PLAYING AREA
In the case of injury, these persons may enter the playing area while play continues, provided they have permission from the referee. Otherwise, they enter only when the ball is dead.

In practice the referee does not do this on the hoof. He and the medical staff discuss it before the match, and there is an understanding of how medics go onto the field during play and how they keep out of the way. All the referee requires is some commonsense - that the medics come on only away from play. This has now become the norm in rugby, and it has been good.

A player bleeding 30 metres behind play can be treated while play goes on and by the time the stoppage occurs a lot of time can be saved.

The problem then is what to do when play comes back to where the medics are attending the wounded player.

Then the referee has the right and duty to stop play immediately.

6.A.9 THE REFEREE AND INJURY
(a) If a player is injured and continuation of play would be dangerous, the referee must blow the whistle immediately.
(b) If the referee stops play because a player has been injured, and there has been no infringement and the ball has not been made dead, play restarts with a scrum. The team last in possession throws in the ball. If neither team was in possession, the attacking team throws in the ball.
(c) The referee must blow the whistle if continuation of play would be dangerous for any reason.

16. Maul again

Reader: Under the law as written, a maul occurs when a player carrying the ball is held by one or more opponents, the majority of mauls are therefore in contravention. For example when you have a player bound at the back of a maul (commonly someone such as Neil Back), he (the ball carrier) is not being held by any opponent and as such is just benefiting from the players creating an obstruction to the defence.

Anthony

Answer: The maul starts with a player from each side holding a ball-carrier. But not all players in a maul bind or are required to bind on a ball-carrier. It would clearly be impossible.

I fear your 'therefore' is a non sequitur. You have transferred the way a maul starts to how it develops. You have the definition of how it starts but you have not gone to 2. 'Joining the maul'.

The scrum makes it even clearer. When the front row heel the ball and it is at the locks, the front row players are in front of the ball but they are allowed to be there because that is the nature of a scrum. When it is at the No.8's feet seven players are in front of the ball and playing. They are allowed to do so because that is the nature of a scrum.

This is true of the maul. It may start in the neat way you describe but the players are allowed to work the ball back. In fact by "use it or lose it", they are required to do so. It does not mean that the players in front of the eventual ball-carrier are somehow obstructing and off-side. They are allowed to play because that is the nature of a maul.