OFF SIDE!

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 107, 7 May 1924, Page 11

OFF SIDE!

RULE IN RUGBY

DUTY OF THE REFEREE

POINTS FOR PLAYERS AND

PUBLIC.

One of the most important rules in Rugby football is that relating to offside play, and it was made the subject of an • interesting paper ' by. Mr. T. A. Fletcher, president of tho Wellington Rugby Referees' Association. "There is not the slightest doubt that, the most difficult rule for the young referee to interpret is'the offside rule," said Mr. Fletcher, in reading his paper at this week's meeting, of the local Referees' Association, "and.it is certainly the one of which players and public are most ignorant. The whole rule can be stated in a few ; simple sentences, .but the possibilities are so many and so varied that for a,:. beginner the rule seems 'to be nothing more than a complicated tangle. Yet this very fact makes it the most interesting from a referee's point of' view." '■■; . ' ..■•'-.-■

, Mr. Fletcher pointed out that an offside player was not penalised' for being offside, but, for doing certain things while in such a position. They-were:—----(a) Playing the ball; (b) approaching or remaining within ten yards of an' opponent waiting to receive the ball; (c) actively' or passively obstructing an -opponent; , (d) •■ entering, the- scrum from his opponent's side of , the scrum; and (c) remaining in front of the ball, when it is tin the scrum. Briefly stated the,rule said that a* player was offside when he was in front oj the last playei on his side to play the ball. The first point to remember was that a player was not offside because he was in front of the ball, except when the ball was in the scrum. "When a scrum is'formed and the ballis in,": said 'Mr. Fletcher, "all players not actually packed down must keep behind the.ball until it is out of, the scrum. The forwards who are packed down cannot be • offside," but ii they' become: detached from the scrum they must at once get back behind the ball. ...The ball is always,. no matter■' where it is, the centre of the scrummage, and when a player becomes detached from the scrummage he must not attempt to re-enter in. front of 'the, ball; if he does so he is offside. A player does riot become part of the;. scrummage • merely. by placing his hand on it; he must be properly packed down. We must remember that' it is easy, and a common thing.for/, a player to come out of the scrummage on. the opponent's side. He is' not to be 'penalised ..for that (overrunning the ball). The offence is to re* main in that position. : :The: same a p.; plies '.-...t0 the wing-forward:: He sees /his' -opponents ' hook the ball and ..he' darts . forward—too far. So long as, he -retires at once he is not to be penalised; .but if .he. remains.: there or attempts to obstruct tlie half-back we are instructed to come down on him at .once.-. That. is. where referees, often' fail, and Hence all the outcry' for the' aboli-tion-'.ofi:the wing-forward. '• Yet our■ ex- '■ perience in :New Zealand: suggests that the breakaway forwards of other countries, break this rule, just as .frequently. ' "There• -is -one feature - about "this phase of the rule that leads to entanglement. When once the ball-is out of the scrum, and one side has got possession of it, nobody on the other side'(providing they were behind the ball when it left the scrummage) can be offside unttf one of his own-players -has played it (i.e.,-handled or kicked it). Thus,'the. wing-forward who was on-side when the ball, left the scrum can ignore the halfback and go for ' tho - five-eighths or centre three-quarter. For, if he was oil-side-when the ball;left the scfuny what has happened to put him ■ offside? Rei member that you cannot be put offside >y an opponent. He,can put you onside,!- but not offsido, Bememben the rule: You are offside if you: are in front of the lastman on your side to play the ball. Perhaps even this is riot quite explicit. „ You. may : be in 'front of this ■player and still be on-side; providing that since he played' the ball he has run in front of .you, of you have run behind him. These are the most important points to. remember. When you think a man is offside you have. to askl yourself : (1) Who was the last player on that side.to touch the ball? (2) VVhat has happened since the last player touched the ball ? (a) Has this man been behind the last player on his side to touch the ball? (bj Has the bail since touched an opponent? If the answers to these two questions are .'.Yes," the player.is on-' side. If the answers are in tlie negative, you have then to. ask yourself—(c) Is he waiting, within ten yards of an opponent waiting to receive the baU? if .■the answer is 'Yea.' the'; player is - offside,. If the answer to this is ■ also hi tlie .negative there, is the further • question— (d) Has an opposing player played" the ball (i.c;, kicked or passed it), or I'nm^fivo' yards with it?. If -the answer is. '\es,' the player is on-side, if in the "egative ho is offside. All questions' as to oifside muet. pass the: test of these straightforward queries. , "The whole thing looks simple, but it is not always so in practice, for of ten a player, appears to be offside when he is not, and while the crowd demand a; free kick against him we, must refrain from blowing the whistle. Only: your own players can place you offside. That i> one of the most important things to remember about "the offside..rule. '._ "Now let us discuss these questions in turn:— ■:•■ ... ■-. , -, . ■ •.

-■."{I) -Who-was the ; last player on that side to touch the ball? One of the vital points that make for success in refereeing. is that we keep.our eyes open and this; is one which we mast- be continually observing and bearing in mind We must .always be prepared (as. far as we can) to say who last played the ball and we must bear this in mind until all the. players on that side are on-side ■If we do this w e shall avoid such mistakes as-penalising: a player who, in a 1 dribbling rush, overruns the ball turns round, and goes on with the ■ rush before on his own side can touch it However much he may appear to be oifside, he is perfectly right in doing so. it-ia. most- important that we bear this .fellow, in mind, for he is the only one on that side who can put his menon-side He must follow up the kick to place those in iront- of him on-side, or the latter must run round behind him. An' on-side player behind him may rush un and play the ball or tackle an opponent, but this man cannot put the offside men on-side. Many,players,are ignorant of this fact, and call out ; 'all on ' bocause an on-side player has run in front of them. They are, therefore; surprised when they are penalised, but only the Kicker can place them on-side. -" ■" "(2) What has happened since th' o last player touched the. ball?" "

Mr . Fletcher dealt with this at some length, pointing out.that there wore four questions arising from it • (a) Has this apparently offside player been behind inwMP*? yer !?","'„ Side l° touch iho ball? (b) Has the ball since touched an opponent? (c) Is the player deliberately waiting within ten yards of an opponent waiting to receive the • ball ? and (d) Has an opposing player played tho ball or run fivo yards with it? "WiUi r<**rd to &• ball touching an

opponent, Mr. Fletcher stated: "And this/is where all the fun begins. Directly .the ball touches an opponent, (except for certain reservations) all the others are placed on-side. This produces some apparently absurd situations, and is really the weakest part of the off-side rule as at present constituted. Thus, the ball in its flight just touches an opponent, and is merely deflected a little (perhaps) from its course. Immediately it becomes playable by all those who were offside. Often it seems most unfair, that we should let them go on, but our duty is to carry out the law as we find it, and we must not penalise these men when they are perfectly entitled to go on.,with the game. Let the spectators and authorities on the bank . yell 'offside.! If we know these players were onside all the 'boohs' and yells in the world should not induce us to penalise them. Quite a number of players: know this part of the rule, but they fail more often than not to take advantage of it. "I-have not yet mentioned the point that an offside player must not actively or passively obstruct any opponent," Mr. Fletcher added, "but this in itself needs little explanation. The main purpose of this paper is to enable you .to tell when a player is offside and when he is not. -I\may, perhaps; take a few examples to illustrate: .:'.•'■

"if a player .throws a forward pass to one of his own side, and the latter, while still in, front, accept it, we rule him offside. 'In England they rule for the forward pass,, and order a scrum. "There is one • fault I have noticed rather common inthe lower grades. ■ A player mulls the ball,: which drops at his feet and in front of him. Another on his side, standing a yard in front of him, picks up the ball and goes on. The latter is offside. •'

"A player standing on his opponent's side of the line-out should be penalised for offside. ' - ' ■ .. . ■

,"A- Player who is in touch cannot claim to be out of the game, and soh& cannot step into touch to avoid a penalty under the ten yards rule. In connection with this rule we must remember that a player cannot be offside in his own in-goal. But he can be offside in his opponent's in-goal, and the penalty is then not a free kick, but a forcedawn to the defending side. ''The usual penalty for a breach of the offside rule is a free kick at tho spot, or a scrum back at the spot where the ball was .last played. This is at the option of the non-offending side. ' The iree kick ,is the usual penalty, but if the referee is of the opinion that the "scrumback might be better, he usually aeks the side which they prefer to> have. -Tlie kick, if itaken, is not chargeable.";