Recent content by NikneRef

I had a preposterous discussion with a fellow who claimed to be a referee. He suggested to me, that a player who "unintentionally kicks the ball," commits a knock-on. I tried to clarify with him by asking if he meant a player who dropped or hit the ball forward with his hands before the...

Had the pleasure of refereeing a match featuring a fellow referee (awesome!). I awarded a penalty try against his team when a maul, which was moving steadily towards the try line, was collapsed just prior to crossing over. We had a friendly disagreement about whether it fit the criteria of a...

Obvious are for a ball in touch or knock-on/forward. But what about an unplayable ruck unplayable maul? Or a drop 22 directly into touch, or not traveling past the 22m line? Or a turnovered scrum? does anyone have a good rule to use?

I had the opportunity to ref a tournament with a referee several grades above me. I learned a lot, but I found his whistle technique to be the most distinctive aspect. His whistle tone and pitch was so crisp and clear, it was like he was speaking with it. I have a couple of different " blasts" I...

Tackler and ballcarrier bind together both having their hands around the ball. Maul forms with additional players binding on. 1. How much latitude to you give the players to wrestle for exclusive possession in an otherwise acceptable maul? 2. If it comes down naturally with both players...

In a junior match today, I gave a free kick for this offense. I may been a bit overzealous though. The hindmost player picked up the ball legally, but immediately ran straight forward in between two still- bound teammates from the prior ruck, creating an unplayable mess. Any justification for...

Apparently, my home country is unique in allowing the receiver (typically the scrumhalf) to join the lineout before the throw. When I count numbers, do I count the receiver? In a match today, Blue team consistently brought their receiver in. I instructed Gold team to match including the...