Rules question re: charge down

[Si1965]

First post
According to the rules if the defending side takes the ball into the goal area and the clearing kick is charged down, so that the ball goes dead, the result is a 5m attacking scrum rather than defensive drop-out.
My question is what if the defending kick takes place in the game area and the charge down causes the ball to go into the in-goal area. Can the defending side touch the ball down for a 22m drop-out or does the charge down not count as an attxking touch (as the rule above seems to imply) and it would result in an attacking 5m scrum?

 

[smartcooky]

First post
According to the rules if the defending side takes the ball into the goal area and the clearing kick is charged down, so that the ball goes dead, the result is a 5m attacking scrum rather than defensive drop-out.
My question is what if the defending kick takes place in the game area and the charge down causes the ball to go into the in-goal area. Can the defending side touch the ball down for a 22m drop-out or does the charge down not count as an attxking touch (as the rule above seems to imply) and it would result in an attacking 5m scrum?

The Law in this case is

[TEXTAREA]22.7 RESTARTING AFTER A TOUCH DOWN
(a) When an attacking player sends or carries the ball into the opponents’ in-goal and it
becomes dead there, either because a defender grounded it or because it went into touchin-
goal or on or over the dead ball line, a drop-out is awarded[/TEXTAREA]

So when the attacking player* charges down the kick in the field of play* and the ball goes into in-goal, then it is the attacking player who causes the ball to go into his opponent's in-goal.


* An "Attacking Player" is any member of the "Attacking Team", being the team in their opponent's half of the ground - Law General Definitions, page 4
* The "Field of Play" is the area between the goal lines and the touchlines. These lines are not part of the field of play. - Law 1 Definitions


Just an additional note on charge-downs. I often hear commentators say something like "charge down, everyone is onside". This is not so.

While every team-mate of the player whose kick was charged down are automatically onside no matter where they are one the field, any team-mate of the player who charged down the kick, and who were ahead of him, are still offside.

 

[jonny24]

Great response, I learned something.

- - - Updated - - -

Great response, I learned something.