[In-goal] Penalty kick to touch hits corner flag and goes into touch. What the --- ?

[CrouchTPEngage]

Another one of those (hopefully rare) occasions when you hesitate and think before making a decision.

Blue get penalty in middle of pitch but are losing by 4 points and time is running out. They go for a kick to touch but the blue 10 over cooks it a little and it hits the corner flag ( clearly !) and then bounces in touch.

Now, the in-goal law mentions:

If the ball or ball-carrier touches a corner flag or corner flag post without otherwise being in touch or touch-in-goal, play continues unless the ball is grounded against the post.

But a ball that lands on the try-line is considered in-goal so has the ball been kicked touch-in-goal

So would you restart with
(a) 5-metre lineout to blue
(b) Option of 22 DO to Red or SCRUM where penalty was kicked

BTW- If its the scrum, is it where it was kicked or where the mark for the original penalty was made ?

 

[crossref]

If it went into touch , lineout
If it went into touch in goal , options

If you can't really tell, then because it hit the flag post I think options

 

[Rich_NL]

Where kicked, according to law 21.

Did the ball land on the tryline, or bounce off the post into regular touch? If it touches the flag, play continues, so I'd go by where it crosses the line. In the latter case, 5m lineout.

 

[CrouchTPEngage]

Where kicked, according to law 21.

Did the ball land on the tryline, or bounce off the post into regular touch? If it touches the flag, play continues, so I'd go by where it crosses the line. In the latter case, 5m lineout.

Good question. It just sailed directly to touch and kind of brushed aside the corner -flag post on its way in the air.
But now you got me thinking, if it bounced on the try-line first, does it make any difference. I would think not.

 

[Pinky]

For me it depends which side of the post it passed. If it hit the post and went int touch, ie passed the side of the post nearest the touchline, then I would give 5m lineout. If it passed the other (infield) of the post, then tig, it is options.

 

[Ciaran Trainor]

Of course the top of the post could be anywhere depending on the wind i.e.it could hit the top of the post without ever crossing any line!

 

[Taff]

For me it depends which side of the post it passed. If it hit the post and went int touch, ie passed the side of the post nearest the touchline, then I would give 5m lineout. If it passed the other (infield) of the post, then tig, it is options.

Exactly. It's like a light switch - it's either on or it's off.

Somebody will have to make a decision which way of the flag post the ball went. That "somebody" is likely to be you, unless you're lucky enough to have a good AR who is in the perfect position. :biggrin: