Picking Up The Ball At A Ruck.

[Taff]

This has been bugging me for a while. Imagine a ruck with the ball at the back, and players from the team not in possession spread out across the field instead of concentrating on the ruck.

If a player from the team in possession wanted to pick up the ball and run upfield with it, what does that player need to do to stay legal? I assume that he has to unbind and move back to either be alongside or behind the hindmost foot - otherwise he would be playing the ball from an offside position. Correct?

 

[beckett50]

As long as the player who picks up the ball is behind the ball then no problem. Otherwise he needs to unbind and then retreat to behind the hindmost foot then pick up the ball and go.

I know at the heady levels we often see players reach back and pick up the ball and make the break, but IMO this is contrary to the LotG.

 

[Taff]

... I know at the heady levels we often see players reach back and pick up the ball and make the break, but IMO this is contrary to the LotG.

This is what's been bugging me. There was one on the TV last week; the defending team just stood there with a WTF look on their faces but I think the try was allowed. Admittedly it happened very fast.

 

[ChrisR]

A bit of film would help us see what the issue is but here are some some scenarios:

Player in ruck with ball at his feet unbinds. Has the ruck ended? I'd say yes and he can play the ball.

Player in ruck plays the ball back with his foot so that the ball is now clear of the ruck. Has the ruck ended and if he now unbinds is he in an onsides position? I'd say yes and yes as he is not infront of a teammate playing the ball.

Taff, do either of these match what you saw?

 

[Christy]

Its similar to a nr 8 in a scrum .
He is bound ball at his feet .
He unbinds with ball at his feet , pick up ball and usually goes blind side with it .

The ruck situation you describe , is very similar ( except different off side lines etc )
Last person in ruck has ball at his feet ,,if he totally unbinds ( ruck is over ) , for me he can pick & go .
He can now also be tackled

I see lads some times still bound 1 arm , pick ball other hand & then release bind ,
For me this is hands in ruck .

 

[didds]

This is what's been bugging me. There was one on the TV last week; the defending team just stood there with a WTF look on their faces but I think the try was allowed. Admittedly it happened very fast.

maybe it would have helped if they'd defended the space behind the ruck better?

didds

 

[didds]

I see lads some times still bound 1 arm , pick ball other hand & then release bind ,
For me this is hands in ruck .

Me too.

Better tell your elite colleagues this cos it takes people like me to then stop our players do it cos "that's what they do on the television".

You can then bet your bottom dollar two weeks later an opponent will do exactly that, not get pinged, and if questioned, the ref for that match will say... well, you know what they say.

and then our players say "but you said we can't do it but he said we can". And off we go again.

drives me up the bloody wall.

didds

 

[ChrisR]

Didds, we don't have that problem in the US coz there ain't no rugby on TV. Well, there is a little, but not much and not watched by many kids.

 

[Taff]

A bit of film would help us see what the issue is but here are some some scenarios:
Player in ruck with ball at his feet unbinds. Has the ruck ended? I'd say yes and he can play the ball.
Player in ruck plays the ball back with his foot so that the ball is now clear of the ruck. Has the ruck ended and if he now unbinds is he in an onsides position? I'd say yes and yes as he is not infront of a teammate playing the ball.
Taff, do either of these match what you saw?

No film available I'm afraid. I just happened to catch it while watching some highlites. I don't even remember which game it was.

Neither of those scenarios fit with what I remember seeing. In the one I saw, I think the ball was still deep in the ruck when a player in the ruck bent down, picked it up and ran upfield. My thinking is:

• By unbinding, he is now no longer part of the ruck and is therefore offside as he is in front of the hindmost foot. PK.
• If he stays bound with one arm and picks up the ball with the other, then that is handling in the ruck. PK
• If he was the hindmost foot and unbinds then crack on. Play On.

 

[Decorily]

I see lads some times still bound 1 arm , pick ball other hand & then release bind ,
For me this is hands in ruck .

If the ball is already clearly won then surely not 'hands in the ruck'.

Let them play rugby! !

 

[didds]

Didds, we don't have that problem in the US coz there ain't no rugby on TV. Well, there is a little, but not much and not watched by many kids.

fair comment there!

didds

 

[damo]

There was a try disallowed in Super Rugby a few years ago because a player in the middle of a ruck disengaged from the ruck, picked the ball up and dived over the tryline. The official reason given for disallowing the try was "offside" because he was in front of the hindmost foot at the ruck.

At the time I thought it was an excellent decision and I hoped it would spread to apply to players in rucks in all parts of the field. Alas, it seems to be something that is routinely ignored. I would love there to be a crackdown on players in front of the hindmost feet playing the ball at the ruck. I could live with the player (normally the halfback) allowed to have one foot in front so he can pass the ball like at a scrum)