June Tests - Week 1 - Part 2
Incidents
We discuss here a few incidents taken from four tests in early June - New Zealand vs Ireland, South Africa vs Scotland, Australia vs England and Argentina vs Wales.
We have so far given some stats of the matches (Click here) and had a discussion of Schalk Burger's try in Durban (Click here).
1. The uncontested line-out maul
Italy and others have done it and now Wales were brave enough to do it.
The Pumas threw into a line-out and formed what they hoped would be a maul. They all gathered round the jumper with the ball in their midst and worked backwards,.
Not a single Welshman made contact with the Puma formation which was not a maul.
It was not a maul because one ingredient was missing - at least one opponent.
What now?
Firstly,. the Welsh had to be careful in not making contact.
If they left the line-out they were in the wrong.
If they shuffled in such a way as to stay in the line-out and avoid contact, they were not in the wrong.
But what about the Pumas. Were they not in the wrong?
If may be possible to rule accidental off-side on the grounds that the formation prevented the opponents from getting to the ball and so constituted an advantage.
If the formation was driven into the opponents you would have a case of "truck-'n-trailer", which is probably the outcome the Welsh desired though thus contriving a penalty where no offence was intended does not seem a good idea.
It was clearly a ploy to discourage the Pumas from using their major weapon - the power of their beefy forwards.
2. Two cases of off-side/on-side
a. Ireland foot through but Doug Howlett of New Zealand saves the day, His team-mates gather around and get the ball pout to Aaron Mauger in his 22. He kicks with his left foot towards the touch-line on his left. The ball is not going to go out.
Rodney So'oialo, the New Zealand No.8, is about five metres in his side of the half-way line. He sees that the ball is not going out and runs back with determination towards his side. The ball drops and Geordan Murphy of Ireland comes forward to play the ball about three metres on the New Zealand side of the half-way line. He does not catch the ball but knocks it to ground. As he does so, So'oialo who is about two metres over the ten-metre line, that is about two metres on his side of the ten-metre line, closer to his goal-line. Seeing the ball spilled he runs to play the ball.
b. Hugo Southwell of Scotland kicks the ball downfield from near the touch-line on his right. Percy Montgomery of South Africa goes back to get the ball not far from his goal-line. He kicks for the touch-line on his left. The ball does not go out but comes down about a metre beyond the 10-metre line away from Montgomery's goal-line.
Standing there is big Scott Murray. He does not try to catch the ball but instead tries to trap it soccer style. It is an oval ball and bounces forward off his boot.
Victor Matfield of South Africa had been drifting back when Montgomery kicked the ball. He is about ten metres beyond his 22, that is about 32 metres from his goal-line. When the ball comes forward off Murray's boot, Matfield runs forward and picks up the ball.
What now?
Both men were penalised for being within ten metres of a player waiting to play the ball.
Let's look at the Law - the whole of the relevant law, and while we do so let's accept that neither player gets to 10 metres away from Murphy or Scott. Let's not split hairs about the distances because it is the off-side principle which is really interesting.
Law 11.4 OFF-SIDE UNDER THE 10-METRE LAW
(a) New When a team-mate of an off-side player has kicked ahead, the off-side player is considered to be taking part in the game if the player is in front of an imaginary line across the field which is 10 metres from the opponent waiting to play the ball, or from where the ball lands or may land. The off-side player must immediately move behind the imaginary 10 metre line. While moving away, the player must not obstruct an opponent.
(b) While moving away, the off-side player cannot be put on-side by any action of the opposing team. However, before the player has moved the full 10 metres, the player can be put on-side by any on-side team-mate who runs in front of the player.
(c) When a player who is off-side under the 10-metre law charges an opponent waiting to catch the ball, the referee blows the whistle at once and the off-side player is penalised. Delay may prove dangerous to the opponent.
(d) When a player who is off-side under the 10-metre law plays the ball which has been mis-fielded by an opponent, the off-side player is penalised.
(e) New The 10-metre law is not altered by the fact that the ball has hit a goal post or a cross bar. What matters is where the ball lands. An off-side player must not be in front of the imaginary 10 metre line across the field.
(f) The 10-metre law does not apply when a player kicks the ball, and an opponent charges down the kick, and a team-mate of the kicker who was in front of the imaginary 10 metre line across the field then plays the ball. The opponent was not ‘waiting to play the ball’ and the team-mate is on-side.
Penalty: When a player is penalised for being off-side in general play, the opposing team chooses either a penalty kick at the place of infringement or a scrum at the place where the offending team last played the ball. If it was last played in that team’s in-goal, the scrum is formed 5 metres from the goal-line in line with where it was played.
(g) If more than one player is off-side and moving forward after a team-mate has kicked ahead, the place of infringement is the position of the off-side player closest to an opponent waiting for the ball, or closest to where the ball lands.
5 BEING PUT ON-SIDE UNDER THE 10-METRE LAW
(a) The off-side player must retire behind the imaginary 10 metre line across the field, otherwise the player is liable to be penalised.
(b) While retiring, the player can be put on-side before moving behind the imaginary 10-metre line by any of the three actions of the player's team listed above in Section 2. However, the player cannot be put on-side by any action of the opposing team.
The 10-metre line is no longer the circle it used to be. It now stretches right across the field.
Secondly nothing that Murphy or Murray does puts So'oialo or Matfield on-side even if they are retreating. They have got to get to 10 metres from either Murphy or Murray before they are allowed to play.
The player cannot be put on-side by any action of the opposing team.
3. To play or not to play.
Here we have two incidents involving Tom Voyce of England.
a. Australia win a turn-over off Lewis Moody and spin the ball to the right. Sturdy Clyde Rathbone gets the ball and charges ahead to where Voyce is. Voyce tackles Rathbone, holding a leg and going to ground. It is a tackle and Voyce made it but Rathbone's impetus takes him beyond Voce who is now behind Rathbone. Rathbone places the ball back and Voyce gets to his feet and plays the ball.
b. The Australians play the ball wide to the right where Mark Gerrard charges at Voyce. Voyce falls on his back as Gerrard goes over and beyond him where Mike Catt of England immediately jumps on Gerrard and brings him to ground in a tackle. Voyce is now behind Gerrard who places the ball back. Voyce gets to his feet and plays the ball.
In slow motion like that it is easier than in the heat of the match.
a. It would seem that Voyce is allowed to play the ball as he did. He is the tackler and there is no onus on him to go back and come through the gate.
b. It would seem that Voyce is not allowed to play the ball as he did. In this case he is not the tackler. He belongs in the group defined as "other players". He is required to go back and approach the ball through the gate.