Law Discussion - Six Nations, Round 5

It came with a bang, rushed along and ended with a joyous outburst in Cardiff - for Wales at least. We still have some mundane law topics to talk about.

There are clips on www.sareferees.co.za, which may be of interest.

Let's start in the Eternal City and a day when the Italians blubbed for joy.

1. Penalty try.

We have discussed penalty tries before and there will be another one to discuss when we do the Super 14 discussion.

Just to refresh - a penalty try may be awarded if foul play prevents the scoring of a probable try.

From a line-out Dan Parks of Scotland throws a long, misdirected pass to his right. The ball bounces along the ground and Kane Robertson of Italy grabs the ball, runs, kicks ahead and chases. Chris Paterson of Scotland races back to the bouncing ball and gets it just short of his goal-line. Robertson, Mirco Bergamasco and Gonzalo Canale of Italy force Paterson into his goal area where he grounds the ball. The referee orders a five-metre scrum.

The scrum collapses on that spot. The referee penalises Scotland for collapsing the scrum.

Italy opt for another scrum and this time they get a shove on. The Scottish prop goes down momentarily as the scrum goes forward but gets up again and the scrum is rushing to the Scottish goal-line when again it disintegrates.

The referee awards a penalty try.

That seems an eminently sane decision. Italy was, barring an unnatural catastrophe, going to score a try.

Just one question: what if Sergio Parisse, Italy's great No.8, had actually scored in the midst of all the fallen bodies?

Law 22.4 (h) Penalty try. A penalty try is awarded if a try would probably have been scored but for foul play by the defending team. A penalty try is awarded if a try would probably have been scored in a better position but for foul play by the defending team.

Italy would not have scored a try in a better position than the one where Parisse claimed he had scored.

This happened after 12 minutes.

2. Straight talking

a. From time to time we have quoted what referees have said on the field and wondered if euphemism is the bast route to follow. Does anybody believe that euphemism works on props?

When the referee set the first five-metre scrum near the Scottish line, the front rows shifted a bit, the referee then said to them:

"I will put the new mark, If any of you move off that mark again, you'll be free-kicked."

The n he said to each front row in turn: "Stay where you are."

It worked.

Perhaps it helps to be direct and concise.

This happened after 12 minutes.

b. There wasa  brawl when London Irish played London Wasps at Sunbury. It involved many players. It was in a narrow area between the referee and the touch judge. When it had simmered down, the referee spoke to the captains and three other players. He told the captains that he was going to penalise the London Irish hooker, Dave Plaice, for throwing a "clear punch". The London Irish captain made a suggestion to which the referee sauid: "The rest were throwing handbags; he was throwing a punch."

That is not straight talk. What on earth are handbags? Why not say it in ordinary terms, preferably in terms of the law, something like: "I saw him punching, not any otehrs."?

There is apparently no yellow card for punching.

The citing commissioner saw more and two players were cited.

The French use the television match official in the case of foul play wherever it occurs on the field. It was used when Albi played Biarritz. It produced a long break in play, no foul play was detected and play restarted with a line-out. That may have been annoying but justice was seen to be done. The TMO would have been able to report that there had been serious fighting at Sunbury and who was guilty.

3. Brought on-side

Under pressure down near the cornerpost on his left Simon Taylor kicks to clear. It is a poor kick that goes several metres infield. Well in front of him is the Scottish flank Alasdair Strokosch.

Strokosch moves forward. The referee calls to him: "No.6, stay back."

Strokosch makes a defeatist gesture with his hands and moves forward. The ball lands just over the Scottish 10-metre line and is grabbed by the Italian scrumhalf Pietro Travagli. when Strokosch is about two metres from his 10-metre line and so five or six metres from Travagli, Taylor passes him.

The referee penalises Strokosch and Andrea Marcato goals to make the score 20-17 with ten minutes to play.

Commentator with a recognisably Scottish accent, believes that Strokosch is all right "as long as he doesn't go within 10 yards".  In the replay he says: "Simon Taylor has now brought him on-side" and reinforces this by saying Strokosch was "brought on-side by Simon Taylor the kicker".

(For 10 yards read 10 metres as rugby's measurements went metric some time ago.)

When did Strokosch go off-side?

One should note that he was not initially within 10-metres of where the ball would land. The 10-metre rule did not initially apply.

So how was he off-side?

Law 11.1 OFF-SIDE IN GENERAL PLAY

(a) A player who is in an off-side position is liable to penalty only if the player does one of three things:

• Interferes with play or,
• Moves forward, towards the ball or
Fails to comply with the 10-metre law (law 11.4).
• A player who is in an off-side position is not automatically penalised.
• A player who receives an unintentional throw forward is not off-side.
• A player can be off-side in the in-goal.

(b) off-side and interfering with play. A player who is off-side must not take part in the game. This means the player must not play the ball or obstruct an opponent.

(c) off-side and moving forward. When a team-mate of an off-side player has kicked ahead, the off-side player must not move towards opponents who are waiting to play the ball, or move towards the place where the ball lands, until the player has been put onside.

Strokosch was in front of Taylor when Taylor kicked.
Strokosch moved towards his opponents and the place where the ball landed before he was put on-side.

He was then in a position to menace Travagli.
He was off-side.
He was correctly penalised.

The place of the penalty?

Where he moved forward.

Which is what the referee did.

This happened after 69 minutes.

4. The falling ball

Matthew Tait scores a try for England. Daniel Cipriani is to kick the conversion.

The ball falls over. Cipriani replaces it.

What regulations govern the taking of a conversion when the ball falls over?

Time?

Law 9.B.1 (e) The kicker must take the kick within one minute from the time the kicker has indicated an intention to kick. The intention to kick is signalled by the arrival of the kicking tee or sand, or the player makes a mark on the ground. The player must complete the kick within the minute even if the ball rolls over and has to be placed again.
Penalty: The kick is disallowed if the kicker does not take the kick within the time allowed.

If the ball falls over?

Law 9.B.2 (c) If the ball falls over before the kicker begins the approach to kick, the referee permits the kicker to replace it without excessive delay. While the ball is replaced, the opponents must stay behind their
goal line.
If the ball falls over after the kicker begins the approach to kick, the kicker may then kick or attempt a dropped goal.
If the ball falls over and rolls away from the line through the place where the try was scored, and the kicker then kicks the ball over the cross bar, a goal is scored.
If the ball falls over and rolls into touch after the kicker begins the approach to kick, the kick is disallowed.
Penalty: (a)-(c) If the kicker’s team infringes, the kick is disallowed.

Cipriani converted.

This happened after 57 minutes.

5. Shanklin is my shepherd

Wales move right. James Hook flicks a clever pass to Tom Shanklin who is slightly outside Julien Bonnaire when he passes to Lee Byrne who darts ahead before giving to Mark Jones.

Bonnaire is angry that Shanklin is in his way and as the movement sweeps downfield he pulls Shanklin to the ground.

Obstruction?

When Shanklin passed to Byrne he was in front of Byrne. That is normal. In no time Byrne was level with him and then ahead of him and then well ahead of him when Bonnaire pulled him to ground.

Is this obstruction of the kind called shepherding in some parts of the world?

Law 10.1 (b) Running in front of a ball carrier. A player must not intentionally move or stand in front of a team mate carrying the ball thereby preventing opponents from tackling the current ball carrier or the opportunity to tackle potential ball carriers when they gain possession.
Penalty: Penalty Kick

What Shanklin did was not obstruction. Just being in Monsieur Bonnaire's way does not constitute obstruction. If he is level with or behind Byrne, he is certainly not obstructing.

This happened after 6 minutes.

6. The skewest kick-off of them all

James Hook gaols a penalty, the opening score of the match.

David Skrela kicks off. You have never seen anything like it at this level. The match is being played in a close Millennium Stadium, which means that the climate was not a factor.

The ball curves off Skrela's boot, lands and rolls into touch about eight metres inside the French half.

What options do the Welsh have? Could they have the line-out where the ball rolled out?

Law 13.7 KICK OFF OF UNDER 10 METRES AND NOT PLAYED BY AN OPPONENT

If the ball does not reach the opponent’s 10-metre line the opposing team has two choices:
To have the ball kicked off again, or
To have a scrum at the centre. They throw in the ball.

So the line-out is not an option, attractive though the thought is. Wales, unsurprisingly, opted for the scrum.

This happened after 7 minutes.

7. Where is the penalty?

France attack with many phases. They go from side to side. From the far right they come back left and the referee sticks his arm out for off-side. He plays advantage.  That is all normal.

About seven metres from touch Gavin Henson of Wales hooks Fulgence Ouedraogo around his neck. bringing the young flank, who was being tackled at the time, crashing to ground.

The referee still waits for advantage but when France drop the ball and Martyn Williams hoofs it downfield, he blows his whistle and calls Henson over.

He minces no words, just a laconic: "Dangerous tackle", a yellow card and a gesture towards the sideline.

But he does not penalise Henson. He goes back to the penalty which was in midfield.

He had been playing advantage for that off-side. The advantage had not accrued to France and so back he went to the original infringement which was in front of the posts, a much more advantageous position than the place where Henson had tackled Ouedraogo dangerously.

It makes sense.

If I kick a man to death on your goal-line, I am entitled to be sent off. The referee is entitled to play advantage. If you then score a try, the referee will consider that advantage and award the try, but he will also send me off.