Volun-selected
Referees in America
- Joined
- Jun 11, 2018
- Messages
- 554
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- Location
- United States
- Current Referee grade:
- Level 8
Last game I reffed, U18 boys, White were trailing by a couple of points in the last minute when they won a scrum about 15m out from Red goal line. All players know this is the last play and White keep possession and peel off and attack. Red in desperation to win the ball managed to win a turnover but spill it forward where it was scooped up by White. I called ‘advantage, just scrum’. White BC then runs straight into Red trying to burst through but is brought down.
Desperate to maintain possession, one of the White pack piles in to clear out and dives in with no binding. Not sure he made head contact, but it was enough for me to consider it both off feet in the ruck and foul play for charging into the ruck. I blow up for penalty to Red. The teams know we are past time so Red tap back and then hoof the ball into touch. A disappointing end to the game, but it is what it is. Or so I thought...
… until White’s coach runs on asking what happened. I explain, to which he, genuinely baffled, calls out that the advantage ended with the second offense and so I should have reset back for the scrum based on 7.2.c
The non-offending team commits an infringement before they have gained an advantage. The referee stops the game and applies the sanction for the first infringement. If either or both infringements are for foul play, the referee applies the appropriate sanction(s) for the offence(s);
Desperate to maintain possession, one of the White pack piles in to clear out and dives in with no binding. Not sure he made head contact, but it was enough for me to consider it both off feet in the ruck and foul play for charging into the ruck. I blow up for penalty to Red. The teams know we are past time so Red tap back and then hoof the ball into touch. A disappointing end to the game, but it is what it is. Or so I thought...
… until White’s coach runs on asking what happened. I explain, to which he, genuinely baffled, calls out that the advantage ended with the second offense and so I should have reset back for the scrum based on 7.2.c
The non-offending team commits an infringement before they have gained an advantage. The referee stops the game and applies the sanction for the first infringement. If either or both infringements are for foul play, the referee applies the appropriate sanction(s) for the offence(s);
His belief is that the offense ended the advantage and I should have come back for the scrum. My take is that the foul play is the greater offense so when I stop the game I have to apply the penalty, and that takes priority away from white and so Red won possession.
His response was that “but it wouldn’t have happened except for advantage so you should have come back…” I said I believe otherwise and we parted with him walking away, shaking his head, and genuinely confused.
If it hadn’t been a penalty offense by White I would have ended advantage and returned for the scrum but to me by committing a penalty offense they lost their advantage. Conversely, if it had been a penalty advantage I would have pulled them back for the first offense and they would kept possession - but for scrum advantage when I end the advantage to apply the subsequent sanctions, the penalty essentially overrides the scrum so Red got the possession back.
Was that the right call?