Law Discussion: 'Dangerous play'

Just when you think you have seen it all, you are reminded that you have not.

A couple of years ago a referee awarded a scrum for a knock-on when a player, well in touch, dropped a ball kicked in his direction. This time there was a penalty for dangerous play when there was no play. Things like this happen in a game as dynamic and complex as rugby football with so much pressure on No.31.

The Sharks play the Crusaders and prepare to put the ball into a scrum. It is the Sharks's scrum and Charl McLeod, the scrumhalf is to put the ball in.

The referee tells the players to crouch. They crouch.
The referee tells the players to touch. They touch and withdraw their hands.

Then the referee blows his whistle, steps into the front row and says: "Penalty. You've moved. Dangerous play. There's the mark. You're on that side."

It must be a rare form of dangerous play. There is no play. The ball is in the scrumhalf's hands. Play will not start till he puts it into the scrum. There is also no contact between the two teams - none. It makes dangerous play a strange reason for a penalty.

It's hard to see who moved. The Sharks' loosehead, Tendai Mtawarira, shuffled his left (outside) foot but that does not look dangerous. It may well not have been Mtawarira at all, as the 'You' in 'You've moved' is unclear and may not have been Mtawarita at all.

The referee may be dealing with play that could have been dangerous if the scrum, had taken place. A shift in position could produce a head-on-head situation instead of a gap or an angled engagement. But it had not yet happened.

The referee had time to manage the situation, i.e. tell the players what he wants and get their compliance.

If compliance was not forthcoming it would seem to be a technical offence by front-row player(s) prior to engagement, and the sanction for such infringements, which include foot positions, is a free kick.

Law 20.2 FRONT-ROW PLAYERS’ POSITIONS
(a) All players in a position to shove. When a scrum has formed, the body and feet of each front row player must be in a normal position to make a forward shove.
Sanction: Free Kick
(b) This means that the front row players must have both feet on the ground, with their weight firmly on at least one foot. Players must not cross their feet, although the foot of one player may cross a team-mate’s foot. Each player’s shoulders must be no lower than the hips.
Sanction: Free Kick

It seems a penalty which was completely avoidable. The problem with this sort of action by a referee is that it gives the impression that it was made in a fit of pique - and that is not a good frame of mind for refereeing.

It was not a decision that had an immediate effect on the game but it was disconcerting and adds fuel to the commonly held belief that referees know nothing about scrums - a belief usually derisively expressed.