[CLUB RUGBY] Definition of ''in touch''

wrighty


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Wasps v Saints , 34th minute and Wasps kick ball into touch , or so I thought ! Saints winger who was standing at least a metre in touch jumps up and whilst in mid air knocks the ball back into play and then lands in touch . Hasn't the ball touched ''anything beyond ( ie a player ) the touchline'' ?
 

smeagol


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Wasps v Saints , 34th minute and Wasps kick ball into touch , or so I thought ! Saints winger who was standing at least a metre in touch jumps up and whilst in mid air knocks the ball back into play and then lands in touch . Hasn't the ball touched ''anything beyond ( ie a player ) the touchline'' ?

If the ball hasn't reached touch, 18.1.d allows this. Is there a clip you can post?
 

wrighty


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No,sorry I haven't got a clip , but the ball clearly crosses the plane of touch .
 

crossref


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Wasps v Saints , 34th minute and Wasps kick ball into touch , or so I thought ! Saints winger who was standing at least a metre in touch jumps up and whilst in mid air knocks the ball back into play and then lands in touch . Hasn't the ball touched ''anything beyond ( ie a player ) the touchline'' ?

it would be OK if the player landed in the FoP (18.2.b)

[LAWS]The ball is not in touch or touch-in-goal if:
The ball reaches the plane of touch but is caught, knocked or kicked by a player who is in the playing area.
A player jumps, from within or outside the playing area, and catches the ball, and then lands in the playing area, regardless of whether the ball reached the plane of touch.
A player jumps from the playing area and knocks (or catches and releases) the ball back into the playing area, before landing in touch or touch-in-goal, regardless of whether the ball reached the plane of touch.
A player, who is in touch, kicks or knocks the ball, but does not hold it, provided it has not reached the plane of touch.[/LAWS]
 

beckett50


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No,sorry I haven't got a clip , but the ball clearly crosses the plane of touch .

I beg to differ. Watching it on BTSport it doesn't appear to cross the plane of touch, which is why the AR didn't raise his flag to signal touch.
 

wrighty


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I understand if a players jumps from in touch to catch a ball that has crossed the plane and then lands in possession on the pitch , but would it still apply if it had been knocked back in even though ball and player contact was outside the plane of touch ?
 

Dickie E


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I understand if a players jumps from in touch to catch a ball that has crossed the plane and then lands in possession on the pitch , but would it still apply if it had been knocked back in even though ball and player contact was outside the plane of touch ?

No. If ball has crossed plane, and player starts & finishes in touch, then ball is in touch. Otherwise a player could stand in row 4 of the grandstand, jump in the air, and punch ball back into FoP.
 

wrighty


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Thanks Dickie , that makes sense . I wish a kept the original clip to check if the ball had crossed the plane as I thought it had done !
 
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