Jumping for the ball

BikingBud


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Aus v Eng - Aus full back jumps from afar with high lateral speed, hits the players waiting to catch, knocks on, falls over the players on the ground, lands on wrist and appears to break his arm.

Reckless?

Foul play?

Where is the duty of care for others and himself?

This needs to be ruled out of the game before there is a broken neck.
 

didds

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this goes back at least to the Biggar v Russel (?) episode YEARS ago where Russel ended up carded because he was standing under a long kick by Biggar.... where Biggar chasing his own kick basically hurled himself at the alighting ball and crashed into Russel with no control whatsoever over his trajectory, ;landing area etc.
Its pants. But WR have created a square they cannot circle.



whatever.
 

oldman


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Possible solution. Players must be on the ground when catching the ball (unless a line-out).
Comments welcome.
 

Decorily

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Possible solution. Players must be on the ground when catching the ball (unless a line-out).
Comments welcome.
Another possible solution. ...

Enforce the LOTG as they stand.
If it's dangerous penalise it!
 

Dickie E


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similar incident in 2nd minute of SA v Wales game. No injury but reckless jumper wins a PK.
 

Volun-selected


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similar incident in 2nd minute of SA v Wales game. No injury but reckless jumper wins a PK.
Like everything in life, we get what we reward - regardless of whether that was intended by the original authors of laws. Right now it seems that once jump everyone needs to get out your way.

Going back to the simplest solution as per @Decorily - consider it in the light of dangerous play - when does the onus of safety shift? We have a pretty clear idea of the easy cases either end of the spectrum - two in the air for fair contest vs. late runner taking out the jumper in a clear red - but to me this falls on the side of dangerous. Here Tom Banks paid the price and will be out for a while - but what if he’d pulled his legs up and put a knee into the head of the England player braced for the catch? Are we going to RC them while unconscious? (OK, reductio ad absurdum but you get the point…)

Surely, if a player is already in the right place to receive a catch before the jumper launches then the responsibility needs to shift to the jumper. They can jump, but if they topple then no PK. If they strike the braced player then PK against the jumper for dangerous play.

On an aside, would it be treated differently if the catcher was inside their 22 and called mark?
 

Stu10


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My brother and I discussed this at the time... I felt the Australian player deserved a card for a wreckless and uncontrolled collision, and that his resultant injury should not mitigate him getting carded.
 

didds

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At my level if I see this I will punish the jumper. If a player is on the ground waiting for the ball, and is clattered into by a player jumping for the ball, i see it as dangerous play by the jumper.
this.
As I've opined before this "chaser in the air" scenario as currently generally interpreted actually rewards kicking AT a defender rather than into space... because it in reality forces the defender to run AWAY from the point of landing, as remaining there at best leaves them without the option to get into the air as easily, and at worst potentially liable for a red card just by being there before the chaser who then arrives in the air and "falls" over the waiting defender.

 
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Stu10


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this.
As I've opined before this "chaser in the air" scenario as currently generally interpreted actually rewards kicking AT a defender rather than into space... because it in reality forces the defender to run AWAY from the point of landing, as remaining there at best leaves them without the option to get into the air as easily, and at worst potentially liable for a red card just by being there before the chaser who then arrives in the air and "falls" over the waiting defender.

I agree with this... I don't see why the Welsh player has a greater right to compete for the ball or be in that space compared to the Scottish player.
 
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