unusual line out move

[crossref]

I reffed a game two weeks ago where one team had a curious line out move.

They executed a normal 'dance' with some players switching positions ...

..then the throw came in - underhand and low, about waist height, directly down the centre of the tunnel where it was caught - but not by the front player (who had his back to the thrower throughout, in a position as though he was ready to lift) - but by a player arriving at #2 who stepped into the middle of the tunnel to catch the ball as it arrived.

it was quite effective - the 'dance' had been executed to tempt the defending team back a bit and the #2 position wasn't well defended.

thoughts?

 

[SimonSmith]

Sounds good. Play on.

 

[jdeagro]

thoughts?

Certainly legal, and creative.

 

[didds]

to be honest my only thought is "why would anybody consider that anything wrong" ?

 

[crossref]

Yes I was happy with it
It worked well enough the first time that they did it twice.. and it worked the second time as well !

 

[Volun-selected]

I can see the underarm throw causing some raised eyebrows and muttering from those who’ve not seen it before, but since the ball was straight and went 5 then we’re all good.

@crossref - so it happened again at the next lineout and still worked? Did the defenders just assume it was a one-off?

 

[crossref]

@crossref - so it happened again at the next lineout and still worked? Did the defenders just assume it was a one-off?

it wasn't the very next lineout - to be fair - the second time was about ten minutes later -- they gave the oppo enough time to forget about it first

 

[jdeagro]

I can see the underarm throw causing some raised eyebrows and muttering from those who’ve not seen it before, but since the ball was straight and went 5 then we’re all good.

@crossref - so it happened again at the next lineout and still worked? Did the defenders just assume it was a one-off?

When I played in U19, we had a play where we'd roll the ball on the ground into the lineout (of course it would have to go 5 first before it touched the ground). It was about as chaotic as one could imagine with rolling a rugby ball and youngster ruggers contesting for it.

 

[crossref]

When I played in U19, we had a play where we'd roll the ball on the ground into the lineout (of course it would have to go 5 first before it touched the ground). It was about as chaotic as one could imagine with rolling a rugby ball and youngster ruggers contesting for it.

did it ever produce clean ball ??

 

[jdeagro]

did it ever produce clean ball ??

Negative. But I'll never forget it, 20 years or so ago now. The play was called Nuts and Bolts and would always end in a complete mess lol

 

[smeagol]

I can see the underarm throw causing some raised eyebrows and muttering from those who’ve not seen it before, but since the ball was straight and went 5 then we’re all good.

I've seen such throws in high-level 7s, but never in 15s.

 

[jdeagro]

I've seen such throws in high-level 7s, but never in 15s.

In 7s? That's interesting. Seems more like a gamble in that kind of game to me.

 

[didds]

possession is everything in 7s. If you can all but guarantee a caught ball even with an immediate ruck, that's better than a gamble with a thrower that doesn't normally "throw" ?

Purely conjecture on my part.

 

[jdeagro]

possession is everything in 7s. If you can all but guarantee a caught ball even with an immediate ruck, that's better than a gamble with a thrower that doesn't normally "throw" ?

Purely conjecture on my part.

Ah scratch that. I got confused and thought we were still discussing rolling the ball lol. Yes, in the air throw, but a low underarm throw, that makes sense to me on occasion in 7s.

 

[Not Kurt Weaver]

I've seen such throws in high-level 7s, but never in 15s.

That is one reason to do it in 15s

 

[smeagol]

That is one reason to do it in 15s

The thought often crosses my mind during games when the wind is something fierce and would often suggest this when advising my local club, but I haven't been involved with them since ~2018.

 

[SimonSmith]

Ah, the short memories we all have.

Creative line out moves like this was something that the Japanese national team did all the time before they imported taller forwards,

 

[Not Kurt Weaver]

Ah, the short memories we all have.

Creative line out moves like this was something that the Japanese national team did all the time before they imported taller forwards,

Not only that, I can remember Japanese teams bouncing the ball from the throw into l/o, pre lifting days