Law Discussion: Richie McCaw's try
Richie McCaw's try with 14 minutes to play was a vital component in New Zealand's comeback to beating Australia 23-22 in Tri-Nations action in Sydney on Saturday. In terms of the Laws of the Game it is also interesting.
A penalty from a scrum gives the New Zealand a lineout near the Australian line. They maul and drive the maul towards the line. As they get closer Dean Mumm of Australia comes in the side. The referee sees this and puts an arm out, saying: "Advantage."
New Zealand come close to scoring but Australia hold them out. New Zealand go left in vain and then right, and then Piri Weepu feeds the backs but as Ma'a Nonu gets the ball, he gets Lachie Turner, and the ball flies backwards.
The referee then goes to the penalty five metres from the Australian line, 15 metres in from touch. New Zealand opt for a scrum.
Weepu, of New Zealand, feeds the scrum. The referee, as is so common now, stands on the opposite side of the scrum from Weepu.
New Zealand heel and the scrum collapses. (It is worth noting that before the ball is out Richie McCaw, packing on the left flank, breaks away.)
The referee orders a rescrum - same procedure as before.
New Zealand win the scrum and the ball comes to Kieran Read at the back. He holds the ball, and then unbinds, picks up the ball and passes it to McCaw on his left who is two metres or so from the scrum.
McCaw runs round to score and move the score from 22-9 to 22-16 with Weepu's conversion.
All OK?
Not really.
(Watch the video and see our discussion below!)
Watch McCaw on the left flank, the side where both scrumhalves are, where the referee is not.
Law 20.1 (e) Number of players: eight. A scrum must have eight players from each team. All eight players must stay bound to the scrum until it ends. Each front row must have three players in it, no more and no less. Two locks must form the second row.
Sanction: Penalty kick
All eight players must stay bound to the scrum until it ends. The ball is certainly in the scrum when McCaw releases his binding, unbinds.
Law 20.3 BINDING IN THE SCRUM
DEFINITION
When a player binds on a team-mate that player must use the whole arm from hand to shoulder to grasp the team-mate’s body at or below the level of the armpit. Placing only a hand on another player is not satisfactory binding.
While the ball is still in the scrum, McCaw becomes unbound. He is liable to a penalty. That is the sanction for not being bound before the scrum is over.
When is the scrum over? It is over when ball comes out in the scrum or the ball in the scrum goes into in-goal and then the third way:
Law 20.10 (c) Hindmost player unbinds. The hindmost player in a scrum is the player whose feet are nearest the team’s own goal-line. If the hindmost player unbinds from the scrum with the ball at that player’s feet and picks up the ball, the scrum ends.
McCaw could legally unbind only when Read had unbound and picked up the ball.
There is no argument that McCaw's unbinding has no effect on play. It enables him to get out wide for a try. It has a seven-point effect.
It must surely be physically impossible for a flank to get outside of the No.8 legally, unless the No.8 runs with the ball. Read does not tun with the ball and McCaw is off the scrum and away from it by the time Read picks up.
He should have been penalised.
Could the assistant referee have pointed this out to the referee?
Yes.
Should the assistant referee have pointed this out to the referee?
Yes.
Mind you the referee was in a reasonable position to make his own decision.
It is advisable that the assistant referee advise the referee in such a case, as the assistant referee could have advised the referee in the lead-up to Drew Mitchell's match-changing try in Bloemfontein.
Of course an error/oversight by the match officials was not the only error in the making of the try. James Slipper was penalised at the scrum, Dean Mumm was penalised at the maul, and James O'Connor left McCaw unmarked to deal with Read who was being well and truly dealt with.