Can we maybe discuss the matter regarding the competition for the ball in the air.
And I'm not referring to line-outs. I'm referring to when a team kicks the ball, and the chasers try to win it in the air against the defending team's player.
It seems to me that the attacking team (the team who kicks the ball) always gets the penalty against them. Last week for instance in the Bulls vs. Cheetahs game, the Bulls kicked from the ruck, and Jesse Kriel chased the ball, Willie le Roux cam forward to compete for the ball. Both Kriel and Le Roux jumped for the ball, but neither of them caught the ball. Jesse Kriel jumped with his back towards Le Roux and was in a better position than Le Roux to get the ball. Le Roux jumped before Kriel and he also jumped higher than Kriel. But Le Roux was too far away from the ball, and only got fingertips to the ball, which led to the ball deviating forwards, and then Kriel couldn't collect the ball.
To me, that should just have been a knock-on call against the Cheetahs. But instead the ref gave a Penalty against Kriel. And after much protest the ref said, "that is the law".
Last year's EOYT saw the Springboks recieving 2 yellow cards for competing in the air.
Are the referee's applying the law correctly? Should teams just stop competing and take the man as soon as he lands? Would this mean that the Up-and-under would become completely redundant in Rugby Union??
I think the Lawmakers have opened up a can of worms with this.
There has been a robust discussion on this on the Rugbyrefs forum (the Finn Russell v Dan Biggar one) here
http://www.rugbyrefs.com/showthread.php?18657-Sco-v-Wal-penalty-count!
and then the one you are talking about here
http://www.rugbyrefs.com/showthread.php?18711-offence-in-the-air-again&p=294716#post294716
Apparently, this is the protocol from World Rugby. Make of it what you will...
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IRB response to tackles in the air The following is an IRB response from Joel Jutge (IRB Elite Referee Manager) to recent controversy relating to dangerous tackles in the air. Players and referees alike should take note of this interpretation of the laws of the game. We have recently seen an increase in the number of collisions in the air.
If we don’t stop this trend we will have serious injuries soon.
The following proposal is to help create consistency amongst match officials and improve the safety of players in the air.
The following is not a magic wand which will resolve all the issues, however they are guidelines which it is hoped will allow match officials to make decisions based on a common set of references.
Steps for consistency in making a decision:
Principles:
· Safety requirement â€" protect players in the air.
· Unintentional act does not mean no YC/RC (recklessness, dangerous act).
· For chasing players, saying they have their eyes on the ball is not a strong enough argument â€" they have a responsibility for the safety of the receiver.
Legal actions:
· Both players are in the air at the same level/height and contesting the ball at the same time.
· The jumping player jumps into a stationary player (or not) and falls to floor: play on.
Illegal actions:
· A player jumps without really contesting for the ball. For instance, he is jumping into the player who is trying to catch the ball mainly to disrupt the reception of the ball.
· A player is not really contesting for the ball. For instance, he is running into the player who is trying to catch the ball mainly to disrupt the reception of the ball.
· A player not jumping to contest the ball must not take out a jumping receiver. Looking at the ball does not make this action legal.
Decision:
· Like the tackler, who is responsible for the safety of the tackled player, the chasing player is responsible for the safety of the player in the air.
· For any illegal action, like for a tip tackle, it is the way in which the player falls and the part of the body that the player falls on which is relevant.
If a player lands on his head/neck, it should be a red card.
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