Hi Guys,
I had a very lopsided game today, 111-10, legs are shattered.
One question - when a player misses a penalty kick at goal and the defender catches the ball, how long to they have to ground it to get the dropout option. I've always thought it was pretty much immediately but now I'm not so sure.
You are getting your Laws mixed up there I think Jarrod. There isn't any time limit as such after a missed PK, a player is allowed to look around and weigh up what they want to do, and if they touch the ball down, the 22DO is the only option.
What you are thinking of when the ball goes into in-goal from a kick off or a restart kick, or a drop-out
[LAWS]LAW 13 - KICK OFF AND RESTART KICKS[/LAWS]
[LAWS]13.9 BALL GOES INTO THE IN-GOAL
(b) If the opposing team grounds the ball, or if they make it dead, or if the ball becomes dead
by going into touch-in-goal, or on or over the dead ball line, they have two choices:
• To have a scrum formed at the centre, and they throw in the ball, or
• To have the other team kick off again.
(c)
If they opt to ground the ball or make it dead, they must do so without delay. Any other
action with the ball by a defending player means the player has elected to play on.
(d) If the ball does not travel ten metres and ends up in the kicking team’s in-goal and:
• it is made dead by a defending player, or
• the ball goes into touch in goal, or
• lands on or over the dead ball line;
a 5-metre scrum is awarded and the attacking team throw in. [/LAWS]
[LAWS]13.15 DROP-OUT GOES INTO THE OPPONENTS’ IN-GOAL
(a) If the ball is kicked into the opponents’ in-goal without having touched or been touched by a
player, the opposing team has three choices:
• To ground the ball, or
• To make it dead, or
• To play on.
(b) If the opposing team grounds the ball, or makes it dead, or if the ball becomes dead by
going into touch-in-goal or on or over the dead ball line, they have two choices:
• To have a scrum formed at the centre of the 22-metre line from where the kick was taken
and they throw in the ball, or
• To have the other team drop-out again.
(c) If they opt to ground the ball or make it dead, they must do so without delay. Any other
action with the ball by a defending player means the player has elected to play on.[/LAWS]