The Rules of Rugby

NZ Truth, Issue 1030, 22 August 1925, Page 13

The Rules of Rugby

"Referee" Untangles Posers Referee" this week replies to a number of correspondents who desire information on different, rules. The replies are of such interest that player, referee and spectator should read them and benefit accordingly.

PLAYING THE MAN. "Touchline 1 ' (Otago) writes as follows: ''Your interpretations of the rules are much appreciated m this quarter, and I should like your interpretation, of this question, which has caused quite a lot of discussion: ; "Question: A player, A, has stopped a rush by going down on the ball, but parts with it immediately. The opposing forwards form a ruck round him, together with his own players. He is still lying on the ground, but is not m possession of the ball, but is unable to get up. An opponent, B, comes up and drags him out of the ruck and the referee awarded a penalty against B for playing the man. Was the referee right or wrong?" Answer: The referee was quite right. The opponent had no right to touch A when he did not have the; ball. RETURNING BALL TO SCRUM: "Langra" sends the following questions: (1) A scrum is formed close to the goal-line and the defending forwards hook the ball to the half. The forwards are still packed down m the scrum, and the half-back kicks the ball back into the scrum. Has he put his forwards off-side? Answer: The half-back is penalised by a free kick against him for "returning the ball to the scrummage with the foot." The question as to whether he puts his forwards off-side or not does not enter into the question, for, even if they were off-side, it would be an accidental off-side on their part. > Law 11 (h) states.it is an offence to return the ball to the scrummage by either hand or foot when it has come out of the scrummage. ON HOOKING.' (2) A hooker does not attempt to hook the ball- back, but gives it a good kick. Sometimes he sends the ball ■out, but very often he nearly gets his opponent. What power has a referee to deal with a player like this? Answer:. There is nothing to say how the ball is to be played with the foot m the scrum. It may be heeled, tapped back or -kicked through. The only thing is that it must ; not be lifted. A player may kick the ball through' to his opponents if he likes, but from the above it looks as if this player is guilty of rough play. He should therefore be dealt with ujider this heading. He may be penalised by a free kick, warned, or ordered off the field,, . , : ■ , ;: •■■. . A WRONG DECISION. "A; V. lCeighiey : (Waihi) writes, for. a ruling on the following: Question: Let us call the two teams playing' A and B. respectively. For a minor breach of. the rules a scrummage is ordered approximately one yard from A's goal-line. The front rank men are. m the field of play, but the back rankers are over, the goalline. The A captain, who is also the rover, distinctly., tells his- men to hook the ball and they do so. . The halfback forces the ball as it comes out of the scrum. The referee therefore orders a free kick against A because, he said, the captain deliberately told them to hook the ball. Was the referee right m doing so? If not, what was the proper decision? Answer: It seems almost incredible that any referee would penalise a captain just because he told his men to hook the ball! But, if this incident is true, it was a very wrong decision. Surely the man who should direct the tactics for his team is the captain! The next thing the referee would do, perhaps, would be to penalise the centre three-quarter because he told the second five-eighths to pass the ball to him! No, the referee cannot interfere m this way. The only penalty is to order another scrum at the same spot, for the ball was heeled back over the goal-line and made dead by the defending side. This is done under rule 17. FORCE DOWN. John Jackson (Greymouth) asks the following: Question: An attacking player kicks the ball over the line and m a race Cor it a defending player, as he goes by, places his hand on the ball, which has ceased rolling, The attacking player, coming close up behind, falls on the ball after- it has been touched down by the defending player. Is this a force down or a try? Answer: A force down. So long as the defending player established contact of hand, ball and ground at the same time and pressed the ball down, he touches down, whether the ball has ceased rolling or not. NOT A GOAL. "Half-back" (Oamaru) writes, as follows: Question: A and B are two football teams playing against each other. One of the A men drop-kicks at goal from the field, but the ball, m its transit, touches one of the B men's hands. Is it a goal? .» . v Answer: No. The ball is still m play, unless it has been forced or it has gone .into toucn'-in-goal or over the dead ball line. ON OR OFF-SIDE? "W.W.C." asks this question: Question: Two teams, A and B, are playing against each other. The B i'ull-back punts to the A centre threequarter and so puts all his men offside. In following- up to put them onside the B full-back does not follow the flight of the ball, but runs straight through^ When he passes his men does he put them on-side, or must they give the A centre three-quarter ten yards? Answer: Providing they are more than ten yards from the centre threequarter of the A team, they are put on-side when the full-back passes them. But if they are within the ten yards they cannot be put on-side. NO SIDE. "Balbus" (Hamilton), m returning thanks Cor answers supplied a few weeks ago, sends along a few more: Question: Page 23, rule 3, para/graph (f), last two lines, reads, "but he shall not whistle for half-time or noside until the ball be held or out of play." Does this mean that when a player is tackled the referee should blow ufl 'and call half -time or no-side as the case may be? Under "Notes and: Rulings" on the same page we read: "Referees are recommezided only to call time Svhen the ball is out of play." This, to my. mind, is rather confusing, m face- of the reading of paragraph, (f).

Answer: Your contention is quite correct. The referee is empowered by the rule to blow when the player m possession of the ball is truly tackled, and call time. But the rule would not allow a referee to call time after a collar. Often the distinction between the two is rather fine, and it might easily be a knotty point of dispute if a referee called time after a tackle when the losing side was of the opinion it was a collar. Of course, the referee's word on the matter is final. But I believe the custom m this country of waiting till the ball goes out is easily the safest, for on that point there can be no dispute. I think, therefore, that the recommendation of the New Zealand Rugby Referees' Association is a good one, and I would advise "Balbus" to act upon it. BALL IS DEAD. Question: When is the ball dead? Is it dead when the referee blows the whistle to stop the game? Answer: The ball is dead when the referee blows the whistle to stop the game. A QUEER ONE. Queston: A breaks away with the ball m his possession, and reaches the B full-back, who attempts to collar A. A bounces the ball on Bs head, recovers it again, and scores. What is the decision? Answer: It would be a throw forward, and a scrummage should be ordered. RIGHT SPOT FOR SCRUM. Question: Wl kicks the ball from within five yards of the touch-line, near half-way, to the B full-back. W2 is an off-side player within ten yards of B, who charges m. The referee at once penalises him, and the W side elect to take a scrum back. Where should the scrum be formed? Page 29 (paragraph f) reads, "a scrummage at the spot where the ball was last played, etc."

Answer: The scrummage is at S, ten yards out from the touch-line. This is governed by rule 19, which reads. "In all cases when a scrummage is ordered between the twentyfive lines for a breach occurring with-, m ten yards of the touch-line, such scrummage shall be taken at a spot opposite to the place where the breach occurred and 10 yards from the touchline parellel with the goal-line." ON THE TOUCHtLINE. Question: Should the referee blow his whistle if he notices a player deliberately standing on his opponents' side of t.he line-out, although the ball has not yet been thrown m, but is m possession of the man about to throw it m? Or must the referee wait until the ball has been thrown m? Answer: If the ball is just about to be thrown m the referee is justified m blowing his whistle and awarding the free kick straight away. OFF-SIDE RULE AGAIN. "Spectator" (Stirling) asks a question on the off-side rule: Question: Wl has kicked the ball up the field. Bl takes, it on the full, but is compelled to kick immediately through danger of being tackled by Wl, who has followed up his kick. The ball goes m the dh'ection of W2. who is waiting to take it. Can B 2 and 83, who are off-side, run up to within ten yards of W2 without incurring a penalty?

i i Answer: They can run up to the ten -yards mark, denoted by the dotted line m the diagram, but if they go inside it they should be at once penalised. There is an old story about a youth who washed his face and hands before going to school and none of his boy friends recognised him. There is another about — but as this one comes m the form of a letter we are going- to give it to you that way: Timaru, August 22nd, 1925. Messrs. Barlow Bros., Christchurch. Dear Sirs, — A short while ago I smoked for the first time Edgeworth Tobacco and I enjoyed every grain of it. When I lit the old pipe several remarked on the fragrance of the tobacco and actually accused m.c of giving- my pine a scouring but I had to disillusion them and tell, them it was the tobacco not the pipe. So if I continue to woo Lady Nicotine, my best bet (and her best) will be EdgeAvbrth. Thanking you, I remain, very gratefully yours, Thomas A. Brown.*

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