A bit of a funny one

[Guyseep]

This happened just yesterday at highschool 7s tournament here in Canada.

I was reffing a game between red and green. Red kicks off from a restart and sends it into the green in goal area. Green player picks it up and for a moment looks like he is going to run it out, but as red chasers arrive the green coach and teammates scream " touch it down!!!"

This is where it gets comical. Green ball carrier goes on one knee, much like a touchback in American football. Green lowers his guard and a red player grabs the ball out of green's hand and touches it down for a try. A could only shrug my shoulders as the green player protested. At half time when the green player cooled down a bit I pulled him aside and explained what he did wrong.

I imagine he won't make that mistake again.

 

[Dixie]

Ah well - the perils of crossing codes. As you say - lesson learned.

 

[Phil E]

And well done you for coming to the correct decision.

 

[winchesterref]

Can anyone else see Browner awarding a drop out for understanding what they were trying to do? :biggrin:

 

[Phil E]

:biggrin:

 

[Stuartg]

I also had a strange one this last week. U16 school game. Blue hook the ball against the head but the SH - second game at that position - just doesn't see the ball in the scrum. The ball arrives at his No.8's feet but 9 still not aware as he's looking for the ball in the opposition's side of the scrum. His 10 sees it, rushes up and extracts the ball! Ping! 10 offside - but I did sympathise!

 

[pwhaling]

I had a good one:
Red kick off, doesn't go 10. Blue takes scrum at half.
Blue wins the scrum, blue halfback picks up the ball. Red halfback takes the ball out of blues hands and we tearing down the field right under the sticks. I'm pretty sure there were only 3 of us on the field that even knew what happened

 

[Rushforth]

Speaking of funny ones, I was reffing a game between green and orange today, when an orange player kicked the ball lying on the floor only a metre out from the goal line over it, upon which the green player sensibly and quickly touched it down.

I was under the impression that the way in which I indicated with both arms pointing to the flags on the 22, and the words "twenty" and "two" having their natural effect of making orange retreat to beyond that line in much way as some Frenchman stayed on their Maginot. To everybody's surprise, the entire green team stayed around their 5m line and then suddenly took a tap kick, a full 17 metres short of their opponents.

I was so flabbergasted that I simply awarded orange a scrum on the 22 rather than offering the alternative option under 13.12, so perhaps I should have been more sympathetic, but I've never seen players - even U15 - take a penalty kick (if that is what they thought they had) a full 15 metres behind where I am standing!

 

[Account Deleted]

First time it happened? Manage it possibly.

 

[chbg]

Defenders tackled within a metre of GL; good deep protective ruck forms with tackled player placing the ball back towards the GL, under control as they do. Inches short of GL, scrum-half clear to pick up but delays a short while to coordinate with kicker. Tackled player rolls ball another 6" back with his hand on top, until the ball is lying on the GL. Not seen an unintentional touch-down before! Although TBH it did feel a little like 'Got you'.

 

[Browner]

Can anyone else see Browner awarding a drop out for understanding what they were trying to do? :biggrin:

Oh dear dear Jonesy me ol fruit ........... IF he did make such a consideration, he'd probably give a FK to Green on the halfway line in accordance with 7's variation 13.9.b ..... rather than make the Law error you suggested - :booty: :buttkick: epper:

 

[winchesterref]

Ah you got me! Bloody variations!

 

[pwhaling]

I had two entertaining ones today. (These both happened during the 'b' match)

1) 22 drop out awarded to red. The red 9 sees a big hole in the middle of the field so he passes the ball to the 10, who proceeds to take off running.

2) I blow the whistle and award a scrum to blue. A blue player thinks I'm holding my hand out for a high 5 so he gives me one.

 

[Waspsfan]

Oh dear dear Jonesy me ol fruit ........... IF he did make such a consideration, he'd probably give a FK to Green on the halfway line in accordance with 7's variation 13.9.b ..... rather than make the Law error you suggested - :booty: :buttkick: epper:

Oh Browner, that is nearly clever, but sadly not!

The OP clearly describes that the player doesn't ground the ball immediately. Therefore sevens or fifteens 13.9c says 22 drop out! Jonesy - don't be so quick to back down!

 

[winchesterref]

Unliked Browner's post - sorry!

Liked the one above! It was late, I was tired and couldn't be bothered to go back and read the scenario properly

 

[Phil E]

It was late, I was tired and couldn't be bothered to go back and read the scenario properly

...........and I know why LOL :biggrin:

 

[Browner]

Oh Browner, that is nearly clever, but sadly not!

The OP clearly describes that the player doesn't ground the ball immediately. Therefore sevens or fifteens 13.9c says 22 drop out! Jonesy - don't be so quick to back down!

ha ha , nice one waspy , however "Immediately" isn't mentioned in 13.9[c] ..... & OP said it "looked like he was going to run it" , not.... "he started running it, and then stopped " so this could be a marginal interpretation either way [re-add your 'like' Jonesy !! LOL ] But to be clear ..are you saying that you wouldn't allow a player to look up - survey the arriving players & their positioning's before dabbing the ball down....... if so, then I think a few decent 7's coaches would be less than amused by such a pedantic interpretation ........ my watching of the majority of 7's sees it happen all the time

 

[Phil E]

ha ha , nice one waspy , however "Immediately" isn't mentioned in 13.9[c] ..... & OP said it "looked like he was going to run it" , not.... "he started running it, and then stopped " so this could be a marginal interpretation either way [re-add your 'like' Jonesy !! LOL ] But to be clear ..are you saying that you wouldn't allow a player to look up - survey the arriving players & their positioning's before dabbing the ball down.......

No it doesn't say immediately, but it does say "any other action", I would consider looking like you are going to run, start running, stop, go down on one knee, as an "any other action".

[LAWS]13.9(c)
If they opt to ground the ball or make it dead, they must do so without delay. Any other action with the ball by a defending player means the player has elected to play on.[/LAWS]

 

[Browner]

No it doesn't say immediately, but it does say "any other action", I would consider looking like you are going to run, start running, stop, go down on one knee, as an "any other action".

QUOTE]

but IF he doesn't 'start running & then stop' then i'd allow picking up the ball , quick scan/surveying prior to ball dotting down as long as it doesn't take too long.

 

[OB..]

i'd allow picking up the ball , quick scan/surveying prior to ball dotting down

For me, that is not "without delay".

We have had discussions before about having a look around before picking up the ball, and some have suggested that even picking up the ball is in fact a delay in grounding it.

The main aim of the law was to prevent a team deliberately kicking the ball dead and expecting to get it back from a drop out. As a sort of counter, the defenders tried to make the kickers waste energy chasing. That also chews up playing time.

Only rarely is it going to be worth trying to run the ball back, since you would expect to get it at halfway from a scrum. Sometimes a long kick to touch might be thought an advantage. On balance I prefer to see this law enforced fairly strictly.