Rugby referees will take ‘hard stand’ over pile-ups

Press, 9 April 1980, Page 36

Rugby referees will take ‘hard stand’ over pile-ups

PA Wellington Rugby referees will introduce more stringent enforcement of mauling and rucking laws and consequent rules governing playing of the ball from Saturday, April 19. Mr Warwick Bringans, a delegate to the N.Z. Rugby Referees Association’s annual meeting in Auckland at the week-end said yesterday a “hard stand is necessary to enforce the law to its fullest extent.” “It’s not that there are going to be amendments to the laws, but simply a bigger effort to help keep the game flow through the greater availability of ball,” said Mr Bringans. “The law as it has been policed is an insidious thing which has crept up on us. “A hard stand will be necessary and till the players get used to it there will ob-

viously be many more pen 2 alties awarded. , “With the earlier law changes which brought about the introduction of the maul and a later law which eliminated the standing tackle, it led to what we know as the pile-up. “Referees being the eternal optimists, hoped the ball would continue to be available. . ...

. “The ruck , as we know it barely exists, now and when we get the’’nearest thing to it, we also get guys going inand playing the ball with their hands.” The conference reinforced the need for referees to strictly, enforce Law 19, which deals with lying with, on or near the ball. In effect, the ball must be played, the player must roll away from the ball, or he may get up with or without the ball. Other players may not prevent an opposition player

from trying to gain possession of the ball. And any players who wilfully fall on or over a player who is lying on the ground with the ball will also be penalised. “Furthermore, if a ruck or maul forms and collapses, it will be immediately blown up and there will be a penalty awarded against the player or plavers who caused the collapse,” said Mr Bringans. “It’s a simple objective. It is designed to. make the ball available so play will flow. Rucks in particular, will develop again,” he said. The widely detested pileup has emanated from , overseas where rules have suffered frequent changes in recent years, pommon opinion is that the powerful overseas unions have thought up such changes in order to counter the All Blacks, particularly in rucks, which have never been mastered by the four home unions, at least.

The last time the All Blacks were beaten in a test in the United Kingdom Was against Wales, in 1953, and the most recent rare example of the All Blacks being beaten at home by a member, of the Home Unions was by England at Eden Park; in 1973.

The present Wellington and All Black No. 8 forward, Murray Mexted, last evening welcomed the more stringent enforcement.

“The more the'ball is kept away from the pile-up, the ■better it is for everyone,” he said. “It’s pretty chaotic at the moment.” “But I still wonder if in trying to do away with ‘dead’ time, they should cancel the tackled ball rule and allow the ball to be passed to supporting players whether it’s off the ground or not, as long as it’s not forward,” Mexted said.