[Assistant Referees] Spitting on ball.

[Decorily]

Was TJing today.

Ball kicked to touch by Black. Time off for Ref to check on an injury in middle of field.
Ball is on touchline and as I'm hovering around the line of touch I thought I noticed Black hooker spitting on the ball. Just saw it with corner of my eye and wasn't sure exactly what had happened. I decided to keep an eye on the ball as the stoppage continued and a few seconds later the Black hooker is back over the ball spitting down on it again. (Nasty type spitting )

When the Referee returns to the line of touch to restart the game I call him and describe what I have seen. Having seen nothing of what happened he asked me for my recommendation.

Before I say what I recommended.... what do others think?

 

[Flish]

Penalty restart against black on the 15, allow a new ball to come on, strong lecture involving the words ‘rugby values’ and highly consider a yellow card depending on how the game had felt up to that point and the marker you want to set. Disgusting behaviour.

 

[crossref]

I actually think it deserves a YC

 

[Rich_NL]

I'd agree.

 

[Decorily]

Was TJing today.

Ball kicked to touch by Black. Time off for Ref to check on an injury in middle of field.
Ball is on touchline and as I'm hovering around the line of touch I thought I noticed Black hooker spitting on the ball. Just saw it with corner of my eye and wasn't sure exactly what had happened. I decided to keep an eye on the ball as the stoppage continued and a few seconds later the Black hooker is back over the ball spitting down on it again. (Nasty type spitting )

When the Referee returns to the line of touch to restart the game I call him and describe what I have seen. Having seen nothing of what happened he asked me for my recommendation.

Before I say what I recommended.... what do others think?

Well my recommendation to the Ref was yellow. He did consider Red.....his logic was if the player had spit directly at another player it would be red and in this case the 'spitters ' intention was to contaminate the ball which was going to be immediately handled by an opposition player.

He went with yellow.

 

[Thunderhorse1986]

Interesting the ref listened to your recommendation as a TJ (assuming you weren't an independent AR?)
I think if you were "only" I would have had stern words with #2 and captain, but not sure you could issue a card based on that report from a TJ....

(see other thread for similar disucssion re abuse)

 

[Decorily]

Interesting the ref listened to your recommendation as a TJ (assuming you weren't an independent AR?)
I think if you were "only" I would have had stern words with #2 and captain, but not sure you could issue a card based on that report from a TJ....

(see other thread for similar disucssion re abuse)

I was an officially appointed TJ.
In IRFUland referees are appointed to domestic games as TJs. We have full rights to flag foul play.

 

[DocY]

I was an officially appointed TJ.
In IRFUland referees are appointed to domestic games as TJs. We have full rights to flag foul play.

Damn you must be good at recruiting referees!

 

[Decorily]

Damn you must be good at recruiting referees!

Nope.... struggling to get referees to cover games.

Some high level games have teams of 3 appointed.

 

[Thunderhorse1986]

I was an officially appointed TJ.
In IRFUland referees are appointed to domestic games as TJs. We have full rights to flag foul play.

In what way are you not an AR then? Interested why you say TJ rather than AR.

 

[Decorily]

In what way are you not an AR then? Interested why you say TJ rather than AR.

It's a thin line to be honest.
We do not input info to the Ref in relation to offsides, forward passes etc.
Unofficially the Ref might ask for / accept feedback on 'trends' etc but our primary functions are Touch, kicks at goal and foul play. We do give a mark for and manage the OS line at scrums and lineouts.
Referee might look for help with grounding...
A discreet thumb signal is accepted if looked for!

 

[Colin McLaughlin]

Is the player's intention to contaminate the ball, or to lubricate the ball?


1) I marvelled recently to myself at a particular scrum half's ability to consistently and instantly be taking the ball away from opposing players.

2) I then read this thread a couple of weeks ago. Didn't think anything more of it.

3) Then I happened to look again at a bit of my video of that particular player, last Sunday. I noticed that he habitually lubricated the palms of his hands with spit (saliva) before putting the ball in at each lineout and scrum. And then of course handling the ball while he was waiting to put it in. This gets spit (saliva) both onto the ball surface and on his hands.

I wasn't aware before of players doing this.

I'm not quite sure of the purpose. It would seem to me that a sticky ball is as much a detriment to your own side as to the opposing side. But maybe it was for his personal convenience?

Since this seems to be dishonest cheating - trying to contaminate the ball for your own purposes - it ought to be expressly outlawed if it isn't already. What law covers it?

Speaking as a non-referee, I think a red card would be in order, and should be the sanction, if there's a rule that allows a red card. Not only is it interference with the ball, making it sticky; it's highly unhygienic to put your own spit on something other players will be forced to handle for the rest of the game, and shouldn't be tolerated or treated lightly. It's being done deliberately, is unnecessary, is undesirable, and is unacceptable. Red please.

--

 

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

Is the player's intention to contaminate the ball, or to lubricate the ball?


1) I marvelled recently to myself at a particular scrum half's ability to consistently and instantly be taking the ball away from opposing players.

2) I then read this thread a couple of weeks ago. Didn't think anything more of it.

3) Then I happened to look again at a bit of my video of that particular player, last Sunday. I noticed that he habitually lubricated the palms of his hands with spit (saliva) before putting the ball in at each lineout and scrum. And then of course handling the ball while he was waiting to put it in. This gets spit (saliva) both onto the ball surface and on his hands.

I wasn't aware before of players doing this.

I'm not quite sure of the purpose. It would seem to me that a sticky ball is as much a detriment to your own side as to the opposing side. But maybe it was for his personal convenience?

Since this seems to be dishonest cheating - trying to contaminate the ball for your own purposes - it ought to be expressly outlawed if it isn't already. What law covers it?

Speaking as a non-referee, I think a red card would be in order, and should be the sanction, if there's a rule that allows a red card. Not only is it interference with the ball, making it sticky; it's highly unhygienic to put your own spit on something other players will be forced to handle for the rest of the game, and shouldn't be tolerated or treated lightly. It's being done deliberately, is unnecessary, is undesirable, and is unacceptable. Red please.

--

Really????

I used to spit on my hands to make them sticky. It makes your hands sticky so the ball sticks better to your sticky hands.

Of course I had to do this in the days before some lacky sprayed my hands with aerosol Acme Sticky Palm Spray as I went on to the pitch.

Whilst I don't condone exchange of bodily fluids I did play in an era when pushing too hard in the scrum on tour after a mega-session the previous night/morning could result in the potential for such. :wow:

 

[Decorily]

Really????

I used to spit on my hands to make them sticky. It makes your hands sticky so the ball sticks better to your sticky .

There is a certain Ireland hooker who is in the habit of actually licking his own hands as he approaches a lineout. He must have built up some immune system by now!!!