Q. The offside rule causes some confusion! It used to be fairly straightforward. Basically, if your side were in possession and you were in front of the ball, you were offside. Similarly if the opposition were in possession and say, at a lineout, you were between the winning side and their fly half while the ball was still in the line, you were offside. I sometimes wonder when the opposition are running in the 'defending' three-quarter line and intercept a pass, while being in front of the ball so to speak, should they not be offside?
A. You are almost correct on the offside line. If player A is in front of a team mate who is carrying the ball, then player A is 'off his side' and cannot interfere with play.
However, in open play, if an opponent is carrying the ball, player A can stand where he wants, including among the opponents three-quarter, because as his team is not in possession of the ball, player A cannot be 'off his side'.
Q. Please can you explain the difference between a ruck and the tackle area. There have been penalties awarded for handling in rucks. Can I ask how else the ball is recycled without handling?
A. Most supporters (and players!) get confused over when a tackle becomes a ruck. A tackle situation is where a player carrying the ball is held and brought to ground by an opponent. Any other player on his feet can pick up the ball in that tackle situation.
However, if at a tackle situation players from either team arrive together, make physical contact and stand over the tackled player and the ball, then the situation has moved from one of being a tackle to that of a ruck. No player is allowed to handle the ball in the ruck. Players must use their feet. If support players of the ball carrier see that opponents are standing over the tackle, then they should aim to drive them off the ball in All Black rucking fashion. Hands on the ball prevents quick release and quick ball is exactly what Steve Hansen is trying to get the Welsh players to provide.
Follow up:
Q. Can you tell me why, just after a player catches the ball in a lineout the ref keeps his hand raised for a while?
A. The referee keeps his arm raised, if the ball is caught by a jumper in the lineout, to communicate to everyone that the lineout has not ended and that the three-quarters from both teams must remain 10 metres away from the lineout (the offside lines). Once the lineout has ended, the referee will lower his arm.
Q. Who is allowed inside the playing enclosure, where there is a barrier along two touch lines? Should substitutes be inside that area? Can team managers or club coaches walk up and down the touch line, ranting and raving their abuse at players and refs? If only players, refs/touch judges and first aid are allowed, could you please send a clear directive to all refs and clubs that this is the case?
A. The match protocol for domestic games in Wales only permits doctor, first aid and water carriers inside the barriers. Where a 'technical zone' exists (such as at the Premier Club grounds), the two coaches are allowed to sit in that area. All other personnel should be outside the barriers and outside the technical zone. All replacement players should be outside the barriers, unless warming up in the designated in-goal area. Coaches should not walk up and down the touchline. Clubs and referees have been recently reminded of this requirement.
Q. I'd like to know why referees don't have a meeting at the start of a season and discuss the most common areas that need consistency, that is the tackle and ruck. Decide on a course of action and then be consistent in the following weeks' games. That way the people screaming at refs would have examples week in week out of consistent decisions. Scrum V could start to show examples of ref's decisions that were correct. Unlike now, where refs make it up as they go along (fair enough - it's a tough job) or get no help from gutless linesman who claim they can't see what is five yards in front of their eyes.
I'm not slagging off refs here, but all the decent fans want is consistency and a standard of reffing that allows a free flowing game, similar too but not as open as down south.
I also think refs should be professional, that is paid a lot more but be accountable. They should be marked by both teams after the game and there should be a league table of refs for us all to see who's performed best.
A.The WRU holds a conference for all its listed referees during the summer each year to agree law interpretations. Sadly, it is not the interpretation of the law that is the problem but on occasions the application by individual refs.
Everyone who participates in the game wants to see a free flowing game, but that not only depends on the referee but also the 30 players involved and the game plan of the coaches.
Referees are held accountable on their performances by the clubs and the WRU. The Clubs already mark the referee on his performance and send the marked cards to the WRU. Referees are also regularly assessed by qualified WRU advisors who report back on the referee's performance. The performances of all referees are reviewed mid-season and at the end of the season, and each referee's future grade is based on the feedback received from clubs and advisors.
Q. I understand that any player not involved in a ruck or maul must remain behind the rear foot. However referees consistently allow the team in possession to place fringe players at the side of a ruck prior to passing the ball out, thus impeding any potential defensive tackler from getting at the acting scrum half. Is this legal?
A. No it is not legal. Players cannot just stand in front of the offside line. The offside line for players not joining a ruck/maul is the hindmost foot of the hindmost player of both teams. Law 16. 4. (d) Players not joining ruck and Law 17. 4. (d) Players not joining maul apply.
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