Law amendments for 2017 season
- Player welfare remains key
- Aimed at reducing negative play and increasing ball in play time
Five changes to the Laws of Rugby will come into effect when the season kicks off in South Africa, following approval by the World Rugby Council late last year.
The main aim of these amendments is to increase ball in play time, to discourage negative play and to improve player welfare. Apart from the law trials, a more stringent application of the tackle law (relating to high tackle) will also come into effect in the Southern Hemisphere.
A new law ruling and clarification regarding the rolling ball was introduced to simplify the law and make it easier to understand. In brief, a player standing with his foot in-goal, who gathers a rolling ball which is still in the field of play and then grounds the ball in the in-goal area, is now deemed to have carried the ball over. In the past a 22m drop was awarded, but according to the new law ruling, the referee will now award a scrum to the attacking team.
The experimental laws will affect the following areas of play: uncontested scrums, time, advantage, penalty tries, touch and the lineout. Below is a simplified, brief summary of each of the approved Global Law Trials, with a reasoning after the new trial law for easy interpretation.
Law 3: Number of Players – The Team
Uncontested scrums as a result of a sending off, temporary suspension or injury must be played with eight players per side.
Reasoning: To discourage teams from deliberate infringements and going to uncontested scrums.
Law 5.7 (e): Time (applied in Vodacom Super Rugby in 2016, now on trial globally)
If a penalty is kicked into touch after time has elapsed without touching another player, the referee allows the throw-in to be taken and play continues until the next time the ball becomes dead.
Reasoning: To discourage teams from infringing in the dying moments of the game.
Law 8.1 (a): Advantage
When there are multiple penalty infringements by the same team, the referee may allow the captain of the non-offending team to choose the most advantageous of the penalty marks.
Reasoning: To discourage repeat offending when advantage is already being played and to reward teams against whom repeat offending has taken place.
Law 9 (a.1): Method of Scoring
If a player would probably have scored a try but for foul play by an opponent, a penalty try is awarded. No conversion is attempted and value of the try is seven points.
Reasoning: To discourage teams from illegally preventing a probable try from being scored while also saving time on the clock by negating the need for a conversion.
Law 19: Touch and Lineout
- A player who is attempting to bring the ball under control is deemed to be in possession of the ball.
Reasoning: This brings into law something that is already applied in practice. It means that a player “juggling” the ball does not have to be in contact with it at the exact moment of touching the touchline or the ground beyond it for the ball to be deemed to be in touch. This makes it easier for the match officials to adjudicate. Please see footnote.
- If a player jumps and knocks the ball back into the playing area (or if that player catches the ball and throws it back into the playing area) before landing in touch or touch-in-goal, play continues regardless of whether the ball reaches the plane of touch.
Reasoning: To simplify law and to increase ball-in-play time.
- If the ball-carrier reaches the plane of touch but returns the ball to the playing area without first landing in touch, play continues.
Reasoning: To simplify law and to increase ball-in-play time.
- In this case, if the ball has passed the plane of touch when it is caught, then the catcher is not deemed to have taken the ball into touch. If the ball has not passed the plane of touch when it is caught or picked up, then the catcher is deemed to have taken the ball into touch, regardless of whether the ball was in motion or stationary.
Reasoning: To simplify law and to increase ball-in-play time.
Illegal (high) tackle
World Rugby recently redefined illegal (high) tackle categories and increased sanctions to deter high tackles via a law application guideline, with the new law applying from the beginning of January. As a result, the two new categories of dangerous tackles will carry penalty offences to deter and eradicate high tackles:
Reckless tackle
A player is deemed to have made reckless contact during a tackle or attempted tackle or during other phases of the game if in making contact, the player knew or should have known that there was a risk of making contact with the head of an opponent, but did so anyway.
This sanction applies even if the tackle starts below the line of the shoulders. This type of contact also applies to grabbing and rolling or twisting around the head/neck area even if the contact starts below the line of the shoulders.
The minimum sanction for this offence is a yellow card while a red will be shown for a maximum transgression.
Accidental tackle
When making contact with another player during a tackle or attempted tackle or during other phases of the game, if a player makes accidental contact with an opponent’s head, either directly or where the contact starts below the line of the shoulders, the player may still be sanctioned.
This includes situations where the ball-carrier slips into the tackle. In this instance, the minimum sanction is a penalty.
Issued by SA Rugby Communications
@Speartackle:
Ja – it was great. Anyone think the Ireland 2nd half try was a double movement? First law meeting of the season tonight – gonna ask the law professors what they think……….
@Speartackle: Also enjoyed it. Agreed.
What a weekend of 6 Nations……..clinical old school rugby….the way it should be played
@BoishaaiPa: Can’t agree with you more on this issue. I also think a direct spinoff would be that ‘shorter’ players will be able to play in the back three positions again.
@beet: But think about it…you will think twice before jumping into the air to catch a ball knowing there is no protection…our actions need to decide our fate…not some nanny laws.
@BoishaaiPa: Half the people at World Rugby would be without jobs if we just stuck with the good ol’ laws. They need to change things every year to justify their employment.
It’s actually simple…Bring back the old rules where the defender going for the ball is fair game…Back in the days you did not see a oke jumping into the air to catch a ball..he knew he would be smashed…so he stood his ground and waited for the ball…go and have a look at the old games and see how many times a fullback or wing jumps into the air to catch a ball..about never!..and you did not have these huge clashes we see nowadays even if there is a rule against tackling a player in the air. Todays’ players jump high into the air because he knows he is protected and lots of times the tackler gets his timing wrong and actually with no ill intent a stupid penalty is given away…When you know you are not protected by a law you aint gonna jump!
@robbie:
It does negate the penalty – you cannot give the penalty after the try is scored. The YC sanction should still apply though.
@robbie: What about the 6N game where Nathan Hughes who was expected to continue his Wasps form as the big ball carrier in Billy Vunipola’s absence, went very quiet of taking an elbow to the face from the charging massive French tighthead Uini Atonio. It was like a Bismarck du Plessis elbow fend off.
Players need protection against dangerous and reckless tackles, but if the latest 7s is anything to go by we are in for a number of problems. Numerous players were penalised for this offence, but what about the tackled players reaction ? I saw quite a number of “hard hand” rebuffs to the face of the tackler. Should this not be equally punished.
In the final an England player deliberately knocked down an SA pass in midfield. The ref showed advantage and the Bokke scored. Does the fact that the team scored negate the penalty and the subsequent sending off ?
@beet: I am just as surprised that law has not been amended. I have scratched around for a solution to that situation, and I think you’ve got it spot on. Have you seen how players have landed on their neck/heads from those airborne contests? And those mistimed tackles make one squirm. Arguably the most dangerous facet of rugby.
@Valkie: I actually wondered if it isn’t time to rule out players jumping for high balls altogether. It just seems like airborne players are very vulnerable and the consequences of a mis-timed tackle or taking a player out in the air in what’s deemed an irresponsible way usually results in a yellow or red. Often the situations where refs decide on no sanction because fair aerial contests took place, look the most dangerous of all.
Perhaps WR should attempt to introduce laws that prevents the defending player from leaping into the air and prohibits the chasing players from tackling the catcher to the ground in the conventional manner. An arriving chaser would therefore either have to attempt to catch the ball himself without leaving the ground or he could upperbody wrap up a ball catcher and wrestle him to the ground before the catcher has taken a step in any direction but this contact may not be made by leading with the shoulder or chest after gaining running momentum. It would essentially be the price a kicking team would have to pay for their decision. It seems like a plausible trade off to me because the reason a defender leaps for the ball is to avoid being tackled but this in turn exposes him to a far greater injury risk than a normal ground bound collision might have caused. At the same time the kick chaser would be far less susceptible to the sanction of a card.
I would love to have seen some attention be given to high kicks for territory and allowing a player to catch a ‘mark’ anywhere on the field.
Overall the new rules are fair and not to far away from the previous rules.
I wonder what is going to happen with regards to breakdown tackles where players can be ‘removed’ that are hanging over the ball for protection. I think the refs are going to have their hands full on policing the tackle situation.