Urban Myths

[Jacko]

Heard a couple of belters yesterday.

Before the game after one side had won the toss and asked for a bit of time to decide, they elected to select an end. I went over to the oppo to let them know - "you'll be kicking off away from the scoreboard" says I. Players happy, but one coach less so.

"You mean they chose to receive and which end they're playing?"
"They chose to play towards the scoreboard and so you automatically kick off".

Wanders off grumbling...

And during the game:-

Side concedes a couple of penalties in a row including one very close to their line. Time off - warning issued. Few minutes later, ruck on the 22, very quick ball spread out to the backs where the replacement lock who's been on the field 5 minutes is a couple of yards offside. No advantage, time off, player called over and binned without him breaking stride as he jogged past. No complaints from anyone.

As we walked off the pitch at full time same coach approaches me.
"That must be a record - a yellow card for midfield offside. How could you say he prevented a definite score??"
"Uhhh - I didn't! It would have been a penalty try if he had. It was for an accumulation of negative penalties close to your line."
"No - the yellow card is for when a player prevents a certain score"
"We'll talk in the bar..."

Gotta love it when national league sides have no idea!

 

[Dixie]

:biggrin: And there was me thinking that was an exclusive privilege of reffing in the weeds!

 

[Simon Thomas]

Seems crazy that level 3 coaches do not have to do a sizeable refereeing element as part of their qualification - it could solve a lot of "ignorance" issues that arise.

Can't wait for the Brian Moore Seminar Series for National League Coaches - BCM had some good comments on Saturday and Eddie Butler's responses only showed his lack of some Law knowledge and grudging respect that BCM hads done ELRA & the now famous 2 minutes reffing stint.

 

[Rit Hinners]

Why is it that so many coaches/players of this game never read/study the laws? It's not that thick of a missive.

I had been playing for less than 3 years before I managed to get my hands on a copy and spent hours discussing them with reffs.

If you're going to play a game and desire to be at all effective at it you need to know the rules. Knowing the laws is necessary if you want to use them to your advantage.

 

[OB..]

Rit Hinners - true, but studying the laws in vacuo is not all that helpful. The best way to learn the laws (once you know the basics) is to keep looking up points of law. That way you find how the various laws mesh together (or in some case fail to do so!).

 

[Taff]

.. I had been playing for less than 3 years before I managed to get my hands on a copy and spent hours discussing them with reffs.

I think you would be amazed RH at how few players go through their whole rugby playing days without even seeing a law book, let alone reading and understanding one. I know I never saw the LoTG till I applied to become a ref. :wow:

 

[Rit Hinners]

No I don't think I'd be amazed.

What I don't understand is why.

OB- Yes, so true. That's why I wasn't happy with just reading them and so bought quite a few pints discussing them with refs that I knew for hours at a session.

 

[OB..]

No I don't think I'd be amazed.

What I don't understand is why.

Agreed - but it is quite common.

Some years ago I was watching our 1st XV when a ruck formed. We were driven back, the ball came out to the opposition, was run about 10m and another ruck formed. Just as one of our props was getting up from the first ruck and trying to get back onside, the ball shot out of the side of he second ruck. He picked it up and was promptly penalised.

Our substitute prop went ballistic:"Don't you know the laws ref! It was open play!! You cant be offside in open play!!!" My ear was about 6 inches away, and I told him the referee was quite right. "Rubbish! He doesn't know what he's doing!" I offered to explain. "I don't f*cking well want to know!" and he stormed off.

Sometimes people just do not want to know the laws. They just want to be right(eous).
What a good job no commentators fall into that category.

 

[Davet]

BCM hads done ELRA & the now famous 2 minutes reffing stint.

2.5 minutes according to what he said on Sat...

your robbing him of 20% of his total experience...

But I agree, he is beginning to put it together and I do enjoy it when anybody tells Eddie Butler that he's wrong. Mind you, that should be a common experience.

 

[David J.]

It's not that players and coaches are ignorant, it's that they think they know the answers and get all pissed when reality bumps them in the nose!

 

[stuart3826]

Gotta love it when national league sides have no idea!

I've had a GP coach complain "He's got to let him up!".

I bet him a pint he couldn't find it in the law book & told him mine would be a Guinness.

Never got it tho:wow:

 

[Emmet Murphy]

The laws of rugby union are (in places) incredibly complex and, dare I say it, potentially confusing. We've all got our law books and we've all read them yet quite often we'll interpret the laws differently. Not to the extent that Mr National League coach has (!) but anyone who has been on this forum for more than twelve months is bound to have seen at least one heated / intense discussion (forward pass / momentum for instance!)

 

[OB..]

Today's game had uncontested scrums from the start. At one point the referee gave a FK for the #8 picking up from the back of the scrum.

In the post match discussion I queried this and he assured me an earlier assessor had told him that was correct (but he couldn't remember who!). I have now emailed him the Definition in the law book, and asked him to find the bit that awards the FK.

 

[Dickie E]

I often hear the same thing here

 

[Accylad]

I made a convert today.

Bar post match.

"but ref, he has to let him up".

"Ok so 15 slides to collect a ball kicked behind him. Winger chasing arrives and is on his feet, what do you think he should do?

(confidently) " he has to let him up!"

"So, who has rights to play a ball, the man on the floor, or the man on his feet, who should we reward?"

(dawning realisation) "err, I guess the man on his feet"

epper:

 

[colesy]

Today's game had uncontested scrums from the start. At one point the referee gave a FK for the #8 picking up from the back of the scrum.

In the post match discussion I queried this and he assured me an earlier assessor had told him that was correct (but he couldn't remember who!). I have now emailed him the Definition in the law book, and asked him to find the bit that awards the FK.

I've heard a variation to his one - no number 8 pick up from an uncontested scrum unless the captains agree.

 

[Simon Thomas]

I've heard a variation to his one - no number 8 pick up from an uncontested scrum unless the captains agree.

Total rubbish - #8s can pick up from un-contested scrums. Nothing to do with the skippers.

 

[colesy]

Total rubbish - #8s can pick up from un-contested scrums. Nothing to do with the skippers.

I wasn't suggesting it was correct, just giving an example of a twist to the original myth.

 

[dave_clark]

colesy - we shoot the messengers on here

 

[Simon Thomas]

I wasn't suggesting it was correct, just giving an example of a twist to the original myth.

Fly Fishing by Colesy :biggrin: big bite !