Tweet
Some Important rugby info
New Zealand teams face a far bigger threat than the absence of the All Blacks and a new scrum law in this year’s Super 14 tournament – the end of the ruck.
Rucking, or the coarse art of dealing to an opponent lying in the way of the ball on the ground, has long been almost definitive of New Zealand rugby but a new directive to referees has outlawed the practice of stud-raking.
Andre Watson, SA Rugby’s head of referees, has revealed that apart from a new way of setting the scrummage a number of “zero tolerance†injunctions have been imposed on referees for the new season – the southern hemisphere version of which gets under way with the Vodacom Super 14 kick-off on Friday.
Explaining the changes Watson said: “Stamping, trampling and rucking is outlawed. Feet on a player will simply not be tolerated and referees have been instructed to take strong action to eradicate any form of making contact with the boot.â€
“Boots on a man and you’re gone,†said the straight-talking official; coining a phrase that will probably enter the lexicon of rugby along with his two other famous terms “lazy runner†and “truck-and-trailer.â€
The New Zealanders have been in a defensive froth about Graham Henry’s decision to take 22 All Blacks out of the first half of the Super 14 and have also not taken too kindly to a new scrum law that seems to favour South Africa, but the banning of their beloved ruck could prove to be far more damaging to their aspirations.
According to Watson “the scrum engagement is the only actual law change.â€
The law governing the scrum at all levels of the game has changed. Specifically, we will now see the implementation of a four stage "crouch, touch, pause, engage" sequence as opposed to the old “crouch and pause, engage!â€
This follows a review of the scrum by the IRB Rugby Committee and its Law Project Group following recommendations made by the IRB’s Medical Committee in regard to neck injuries.
The new sequence is a change to Law 20.1(h), as follows:
1. The referee will call "crouch" and the front rows will crouch.
2. The referee will call "touch". Using their outside arm, each prop will touch the point of the opposing prop’s outside shoulder. The props then withdraw their arms.
3. The referee will then call "pause".
4. Following a pause, the referee will then call "engage". The front rows may then engage. The "engage" call is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready.
Watson says feedback has been very positive from the Premiership (in the UK) and local teams who have put it to test in their warm-up matches.
“Referees will be able to call it (the scrum) far more accurately,†said Watson. “I have no doubt it will be better for players, referees, the media and the fans because penalties will be pretty obvious while exposing teams who have no intention to be legal at scrum time.â€
John Mitchell, the former All Black coach who is now in charge of the Western Force, has commented that the law change will favour South African sides because it will favour true scrummagers; the scrum being as intrinsic to the Springbok game as the ruck is to New Zealand.
CLAMP DOWN ON 'CHIRPING'
Apart from the scrum and keeping a lookout for sharp boot practice Watson added that referees had been directed to take strong action, show zero tolerance, when it came to repeated infringements and unfair play.
One such area is to clamp down on “chirping.†Referees will come down hard on players disputing or reacting demonstratively to their decisions. It was universally agreed that rugby does not want to go the way of soccer with match officials being abused or harassed and back-chat will be a thing of the past. The captain will be the only one allowed to speak to the referee – but only at the next injury stoppage.
“Dissent is a no-no,†said Watson. Any player - including the captain - who questions the referee will be immediately penalised. If the penalised team do not immediately retreat the ten metres they will be marched back another ten metres by the referee. The captain may clarify the decision when the game next breaks for injury.
“Referees are not saying we’re always correct, but we have a duty to see to it that the game is not degraded,†explained Watson.
Other areas which will be strongly policed, to the delight of those who have watched the “poachers†take control, will focus on the tackler who does not roll away, zero tolerance to charging in without binding (“players need to use their arms, just as in the tackleâ€) and zero tolerance to clearing out players not involved in the ruck or maul.
Another area which could cause some comment, especially early on in the competition, is rulings on what constitutes a dangerous tackle. “Referees have been instructed to deal with fact – was the tackle above the shoulder, was it with the shoulder, was it early, was it late; ‘subjectivity’ or ‘leniency’ does not enter into it,†explained Watson.
“The referee should not rule on intent, but on the outcome. A dangerous tackle is a dangerous tackle with the referee not required to interpret intent. The scale of punishment starts with red card and penalty and works down from there.â€
Watson added the instructions to referees were not a deliberate effort to “get tough.â€
“I think what we (referees) are doing is re-emphasising certain laws. It’s all about preserving the integrity of a game we all love and players who play within the spirit of the law will have no problems.â€
Rucking, or the coarse art of dealing to an opponent lying in the way of the ball on the ground, has long been almost definitive of New Zealand rugby but a new directive to referees has outlawed the practice of stud-raking.
Andre Watson, SA Rugby’s head of referees, has revealed that apart from a new way of setting the scrummage a number of “zero tolerance†injunctions have been imposed on referees for the new season – the southern hemisphere version of which gets under way with the Vodacom Super 14 kick-off on Friday.
Explaining the changes Watson said: “Stamping, trampling and rucking is outlawed. Feet on a player will simply not be tolerated and referees have been instructed to take strong action to eradicate any form of making contact with the boot.â€
“Boots on a man and you’re gone,†said the straight-talking official; coining a phrase that will probably enter the lexicon of rugby along with his two other famous terms “lazy runner†and “truck-and-trailer.â€
The New Zealanders have been in a defensive froth about Graham Henry’s decision to take 22 All Blacks out of the first half of the Super 14 and have also not taken too kindly to a new scrum law that seems to favour South Africa, but the banning of their beloved ruck could prove to be far more damaging to their aspirations.
According to Watson “the scrum engagement is the only actual law change.â€
The law governing the scrum at all levels of the game has changed. Specifically, we will now see the implementation of a four stage "crouch, touch, pause, engage" sequence as opposed to the old “crouch and pause, engage!â€
This follows a review of the scrum by the IRB Rugby Committee and its Law Project Group following recommendations made by the IRB’s Medical Committee in regard to neck injuries.
The new sequence is a change to Law 20.1(h), as follows:
1. The referee will call "crouch" and the front rows will crouch.
2. The referee will call "touch". Using their outside arm, each prop will touch the point of the opposing prop’s outside shoulder. The props then withdraw their arms.
3. The referee will then call "pause".
4. Following a pause, the referee will then call "engage". The front rows may then engage. The "engage" call is not a command but an indication that the front rows may come together when ready.
Watson says feedback has been very positive from the Premiership (in the UK) and local teams who have put it to test in their warm-up matches.
“Referees will be able to call it (the scrum) far more accurately,†said Watson. “I have no doubt it will be better for players, referees, the media and the fans because penalties will be pretty obvious while exposing teams who have no intention to be legal at scrum time.â€
John Mitchell, the former All Black coach who is now in charge of the Western Force, has commented that the law change will favour South African sides because it will favour true scrummagers; the scrum being as intrinsic to the Springbok game as the ruck is to New Zealand.
CLAMP DOWN ON 'CHIRPING'
Apart from the scrum and keeping a lookout for sharp boot practice Watson added that referees had been directed to take strong action, show zero tolerance, when it came to repeated infringements and unfair play.
One such area is to clamp down on “chirping.†Referees will come down hard on players disputing or reacting demonstratively to their decisions. It was universally agreed that rugby does not want to go the way of soccer with match officials being abused or harassed and back-chat will be a thing of the past. The captain will be the only one allowed to speak to the referee – but only at the next injury stoppage.
“Dissent is a no-no,†said Watson. Any player - including the captain - who questions the referee will be immediately penalised. If the penalised team do not immediately retreat the ten metres they will be marched back another ten metres by the referee. The captain may clarify the decision when the game next breaks for injury.
“Referees are not saying we’re always correct, but we have a duty to see to it that the game is not degraded,†explained Watson.
Other areas which will be strongly policed, to the delight of those who have watched the “poachers†take control, will focus on the tackler who does not roll away, zero tolerance to charging in without binding (“players need to use their arms, just as in the tackleâ€) and zero tolerance to clearing out players not involved in the ruck or maul.
Another area which could cause some comment, especially early on in the competition, is rulings on what constitutes a dangerous tackle. “Referees have been instructed to deal with fact – was the tackle above the shoulder, was it with the shoulder, was it early, was it late; ‘subjectivity’ or ‘leniency’ does not enter into it,†explained Watson.
“The referee should not rule on intent, but on the outcome. A dangerous tackle is a dangerous tackle with the referee not required to interpret intent. The scale of punishment starts with red card and penalty and works down from there.â€
Watson added the instructions to referees were not a deliberate effort to “get tough.â€
“I think what we (referees) are doing is re-emphasising certain laws. It’s all about preserving the integrity of a game we all love and players who play within the spirit of the law will have no problems.â€
at the practise??
The blue bits are removable after all.
Comment