[Law] touch after pk

[Lee Lifeson-Peart]

It does seem counterintuitive but no more so than a game in which senior coaches think their best chance of winning is by having less possession. I suspect the change was brought about because having legalised lifting in the line out towards the end of the 80's, winning your own throw became much more likely. Awarding a penalty which was then kicked for ground almost always resulted in the loss of possesion to the offending side and so deliberate infringing, particularly if reasonably distant from your own goal-line, became more desirable.

Lifting Legalised = End of 90s - 1996?

PK to touch and throw in changed in 1992 I think along with maul/ruck law changes (turnover)

Back to lifting - "Supporting" was allowed and of course the South Africans had, in a Darwinian sort of way evolved lifting in the their domestic competition in the isolation between Cavaliers Tour and Mandela's release/change of Government.

Here's New Zealand v Lions in 1993 - no lifting. Lineout at 6:12 etc etc

 

[Jz558]

Crikey, my memory is even worse than I thought. I do remember playing during the period where they "legalised supporting" but soon after changed to allow full lifting on the grounds that no one could tell the difference and teams were doing it anyway. By the time lifting was allowed I had very sensibly decided to only appear when the post-match social was more enjoyable than the game.