Player off their feet

[harlequins1970]

Can someone explain the following scenario which I saw over the weekend in the Premiership and see on various occassions. A tackle takes place and before the tackler has a chance to role away or in the process of getting up, the team mate of the tackled player comes rushing in and almost horizontally clears out the tackler with no intention of staying on his feet but simply falling on top of his own player. Why doesn't the ref blow up for this as you can clearly see that the player is off his feet.

any takers

Martin

 

[Guyseep]

This happens very frequently and by strict interpretation of the law it should be penalized. But it isn't.

There are a few factors I consider when managing the ruck. If the arriving players go immediately to ground to seal off or distrupt the ruck, then its a clear and obvious penalty.

I will give a bit more leeway if the arriving player drives an opponent off the ball and in the process goes off his feet. That is not to say that they can't be penalized, but if they are making an effort to ruck then it's a judgement call.

It gets tricky in the situation you mentioned when the opposing player is basically on the ground, and the arriving rucking player has to come in real low to push someone off the ball. Again its a judgement call

 

[Dixie]

A few years ago, the iRB and RFU used the analogy of planes landing and planes taking off. The former would be penalised, the latter would not. It seems the clubs managed to get that useful analogy overturned - flying, landing or (very occasionally) taking off are now all seen with equal impunity.

 

[Dickie E]

I will give a bit more leeway if the arriving player drives an opponent off the ball and in the process goes off his feet. That is not to say that they can't be penalized, but if they are making an effort to ruck then it's a judgement call.

It gets tricky in the situation you mentioned when the opposing player is basically on the ground, and the arriving rucking player has to come in real low to push someone off the ball. Again its a judgement call

Hence the "reload" call

 

[Browner]

Can someone explain the following scenario which I saw over the weekend in the Premiership and see on various occassions. A tackle takes place and before the tackler has a chance to role away or in the process of getting up, the team mate of the tackled player comes rushing in and almost horizontally clears out the tackler with no intention of staying on his feet but simply falling on top of his own player. Why doesn't the ref blow up for this as you can clearly see that the player is off his feet.

any takers

Martin

Hi Martin,
I believe what you are seeing is a 'shift away' from law book refereeing towards 'positive play and game flow refereeing' at the top level [sometimes refereed to as materiality] .

My mind goes back to my ERLA Stage 3 assessment, which reminded me that the game that i referee is different to the one seen on TV !

Certainly when I listened to Ed Morrison the other week, it was clear that many many technical offences are ignored nowadays.

In your OP the ability to be in control of staying on your feet given the speed angles 7 & impact of all players is virtually impossible - hense the blind eye refereeing styles.

or least, that's my understanding .....
hope this helps?

 

[Cave Dweller]

Maybe because that tackler takes ages to get out of the way?

 

[Phil E]

Maybe because that tackler takes ages to get out of the way?

If the tackler has got back to his feet, he doesn't need to get out of the way, he is allowed to be there.

 

[Taff]

If the tackler has got back to his feet, he doesn't need to get out of the way, he is allowed to be there.

But it's only OK for him to stay on the "wrong" side as long as he's going for the ball - isn't it?

Ie he can get to his feet in the opponents gate and go for the ball, but as I understood it, he can't just get to his feet and block the opponents gate. I think I've got that right, but I'm now starting to doubt myself. :redface:

 

[Phil E]

But it's only OK for him to stay on the "wrong" side as long as he's going for the ball - isn't it?

Ie he can get to his feet in the opponents gate and go for the ball, but as I understood it, he can't just get to his feet and block the opponents gate. I think I've got that right, but I'm now starting to doubt myself. :redface:

Find yourself a law reference, then you will feel better...........assuming you can find one?

 

[Dixie]

But it's only OK for him to stay on the "wrong" side as long as he's going for the ball - isn't it?

Ie he can get to his feet in the opponents gate and go for the ball, but as I understood it, he can't just get to his feet and block the opponents gate. I think I've got that right, but I'm now starting to doubt myself. :redface:

Find yourself a law reference, then you will feel better...........assuming you can find one?

[LAWS]10.1(d) Blocking the ball. A player must not intentionally move or stand in a position that prevents an opponent from playing the ball.
Sanction: Penalty kick[/LAWS]

 

[Taff]

That's the main one I would have picked on Dixie; my logic being that a tackler who gets back on his feet can in effect block the opponents gate provided he's doing something constructive like trying to play the ball.

Conversely, if he's blocking the gate just to be an aukward sod and making no attempt to play the ball, then why should he get away with blatant obstruction?

That's the way I understood 15.4 to mean anyway, but I'm bracing myself for grief. :biggrin:

15.4(c) The tackler must get up before playing the ball and then may play the ball from any direction.
Sanction: Penalty kick

I'm just wondering whether this is what they call "Reversing into the opposition" a phrase I've heard TV refs use quite a few times in the last few weeks.