[Law] Emergency stop in last play

breako


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After 80 mins and it's last play. There's an emergency stop because player gets injured and ball is coming his way. Is it then game over?
 

Taff


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Personally, I reckon it is game over.

My logic is that the restart after a safety stoppage would be a scrum; and as time has already expired, the game comes to an end when there is either

  • a Lineout
  • a Drop Out
  • a Scrum
  • an option
  • a FK or PK.
 
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Dickie E


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Personally, I reckon it is game over.

My logic is that the restart after a safety stoppage would be a scrum; and as time has already expired, the game comes to an end when there is either

  • a Lineout
  • a Drop Out
  • a Scrum
  • an option
  • a FK or PK.

I reckon it is game over too.

But it's not game over if a FK or PK
 

Flish


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It should be, however there’s umpteen scenarios where a team wouldn’t want it to be, which queues up the inevitable discussion of fairness vs black and white lawbook. I’ve not yet had an issue with blowing for time.
 

crossref


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Didn't we have a game not long ago when the ref restarted?

By the Law

A half ends when the ball becomes dead after time has expired

Dead: The ball is dead when the referee blows the whistle to stop play

But restart seems more equitable, otherwise (for instance ) a spectator or coach could end the game by coming on the pitch... And that could not be right
 

Marc Wakeham


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If a game was interfeered with in order to stop it then I would play on and CoC the offending team. That would be cheating pure and simple!
However,



If it was a genuine injury, it is game over.



Them's the breaks.
 

crossref


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If it was a genuine injury, it is game over.



Them's the breaks.

If wasn't genuine ?

Or what if a physio came on, genuinely concerned, not as a ruse, and then realised she had made a mistake and wasn't needed (there was a football game wasn't there with something like that )

I think it's a tough one
 

Christy


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World cup final .
45 points all
England v australia

Australia attacking on england 22 .
England Player down from previous ruck , 1st aider on pitch .
Looks like he in serious pain.

Australia go through hands , see a gap , but it is where england player on floor .
And nigel owens blows whistle to stop game ( last play , 81 mins on clock )
And says , sorry lads have to stop , because it too dangerous to play around player on floor .

Oh & buy the way , GAME IS OVER
Lets all go home .
 

Ciaran Trainor


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That's why when I'm asked "is it last play sir?" My answer is usually "could be, depends on what happens"
 

crossref


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World cup final .
45 points all .

A trickier scenario is blue team winning by 1 point , and when the clock reaches 80:05 blue player goes down injured
 
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damo


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I'm restarting. No way am I ending the game on a stoppage like that.

It happened in a Super Rugby game a few years ago. I think it was Angus Gardiner. He said quite brazenly that he wasn't ending the game like that. I agree with him.
 

Marc Wakeham


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If wasn't genuine ?

Or what if a physio came on, genuinely concerned, not as a ruse, and then realised she had made a mistake and wasn't needed (there was a football game wasn't there with something like that )

I think it's a tough one


If it was genuine then fine. Sorry, I thought that was obvious.

You are there to make the call. It may well be a tough call. But that is why we get paid such big bucks (not).

If it is genuine then there is no offence. you have NO law justification for continuing the game.

If it is NOT genuine (in YOUR opinion) then a player going down feigning injury is a PK offence so the game is not over!

A pitch "invasion" that causes the game to stop is extenuating circumstances and should be treated as such. also, remember, a "medic" coming on to treat a player does not mean the game must stop.
 

crossref


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If it was genuine then fine. Sorry, I thought that was obvious.

You are there to make the call. It may well be a tough call. But that is why we get paid such big bucks (not).

If it is genuine then there is no offence. you have NO law justification for continuing the game.

If it is NOT genuine (in YOUR opinion) then a player going down feigning injury is a PK offence so the game is not over!

A pitch "invasion" that causes the game to stop is extenuating circumstances and should be treated as such. also, remember, a "medic" coming on to treat a player does not mean the game must stop.

It would be a brave ref who gave a PK for faking an injury (are you really sure?).. IMO better to just restart.

A physio on the pitch would cause you to have stop the game if the ball comes close, same as an injury.

If it was a mistake (turns out no injury, physio not required) then it's a type of 'invasion' but in this case an authorised, non-malicious 'invasion' which nevertheless caused the ball to go dead -- again, I'd be tempted to restart, despite what the Law says.

Or perhaps player goes on hands and knees , ball comes close and you stop the game for safety .. turns out he is looking for his contact lens .. restart the game? Does it depend on which team the player is from ?
 
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Dickie E


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I'd be tempted to restart, despite what the Law says.

I wonder what we'd do if one of the teams declined to participate in the restart
 

Marc Wakeham


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You are there to make the call.


I did say "...remember, a "medic" coming on to treat a player does not mean the game must stop." Whether you stop depend on the individual situation. Again I thought that to be clear.


If it was the side that needed to keep the game live, why would thay deliberately cause the game to stop?



Easy solution is to change the law to "if play stops for an injury or due t oany "Off field issue" (that is not replated specifically to play. so Flood light failure / non player entering the FOP etc) game restarts with a scrum "other reasons".

Of course this is only a problem where there are stadium clocks that are "linked" In a game on a park I am the sole judge of time.


If I was happy that a team was cheating then its a PK - play on.

If I had any doubt then It would be a scrum and a word to indicate my "suspicions"

It i was happy that is was "one of those things" then it is game over.
 

Balones

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I would always support the referee’s decision as to what he thought was right in such circumstances.
I am in favour of restarting in general if it is a result of a referee’s belief it is in the interest of a player’s safety.
The same would apply if it was stopped for an injury to a referee. I have seen a game stopped in similar curcumstances when the referee got knocked over (accidentally) and got mud in his contact lenses and couldn’t see. To not restart would have been unfair to all players and both sides. Unless the score was not going to make any difference.
 

Decorily

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I wonder what we'd do if one of the teams declined to participate in the restart
Presumably we would abandon the game and head for a warm shower and let the Competitions Committee sort it out !
 
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