Options following a failed penalty kick

[Deeps]

Need help in resolving a question posed by a club referee following last week's game. Despite trawling through law, directives, amendments and rulings, I have drawn a blank so far in looking for the definitive word.

Clearly a failed penalty kick that had been declared at goal results in a drop out restart, no problem here.

Scenario is a failed penalty kick for touch that has gone dead touch-in goal without being touched by another player. I believe the correct restart is either of the defence's options of a dropout or a scrum from the original place of the penalty kick. Can anyone enlighten me as to chapter and verse?

 

[Simon Thomas]

Deeps
I actually had this with your 2nd XV on Saturday.
Penalty to touch, went inside corner flag and touch in-goal.
Option is 22m or scrum back at place of penalty - I have no doubts about that.

 

[SimonSmith]

I agree with ST Deeps.

The fact that it is a failed kick to touch has no relevance to your decision making. The only specified kcik that can be taken at a penalty is the kcik at goal.
That choice then mandates what can and cannot happen.

Any other choice - be it a kick to touch, a tap and run or a tap and pass - all enjoy the same status in law. That is, they bring the ball back into play. What happens after the ball has been played is treated as open play. The ONLY exception to that is if the ballis kicked directly to touch AND makes it.

Kick to touch and miss? Open play.
Kick to touch and touch in goal? Treat it as touch in goal.

I think we can overcomplicated these things sometimes....

 

[Deeps]

I actually had this with your 2nd XV on Saturday.
Penalty to touch, went inside corner flag and touch in-goal.
Option is 22m or scrum back at place of penalty - I have no doubts about that.

Well, now we are naming names, it happened too in our Colts game that you refereed on Sunday.

I think the change arose out of clarification of the resultant scrum back restart from a ball going dead from a drop out in line with the same from a kick off. The corollary being that any attacking kick that went dead without touching a defender would be treated similarly. The purpose clearly to prevent a cheap repossession of the ball at the 22 from the defenders' previous automatic dropout.

Being forced to remain on the touchline at present through injury. one is available to the pundits and constantly queried as to points of law as I am sure you are familiar. I vehemently supported your action to a Doubting Thomas but was hoping to find chapter and verse in order to follow up. He is a qualified yet infrequent referee and needs to be encouraged to update himself and rejoin the fold.

 

[Deeps]

I think we can overcomplicated these things sometimes....

Quite right SS and thanks. On reflection I think 22.8 covers it adequately.