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Law discussion: Kicking out

It would be good, if you can work out the description of the incident, to see what decision you would come to. The incident happened after 75 minutes of play with Exeter Chiefs leading 16-6.

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Exeter had just goaled a penalty and came back onto the attack from the kick-off.

This is the sequence of events.

Jock Nowell kicked down in to the Leicester 22.

Mathew Tait fields the ball, runs out of his 22 and chips ahead. He chases his kick.

Will Chudley of Exeter grabs the bouncing ball, eludes Tait and as he is tackled, Chudley passes the ball to lock Damian Welch.

Tiziano Pasquali tackles Welch and a ruck forms between the Leicester 22 and their 10-metre line.

During the ruck, Chudley draws the referee's attention to something and the referee alerts the TMO.

The ball comes back to Chudley who goes left.

Chudley passes a short – possibly forward – pass to Alec Hepburn, the loosehead prop.

Hepburn runs at speed deep into Leicester territory.

Exeter get closer and closer in a series of charges and rucks – five such phases.

The ball comes to Exeter's Gareth Steenson who passes to Nowell who is unmarked and strolls over the line with Matt Jess unmarked on his right.

The referee does not award the try but consults the TMO.

The TMO produces a view of the ruck which formed when Welch was tackled.

The first view shows Riccardo Brugnara of Leicester kicking an Exeter player.

The referee suggests a red card for Brugnara.

The TMO recommends closer inspection.

On closer inspection Brugnara is seen standing clear of the ruck.

Jack Yeandle of Exeter, who has just come onto the field as a substitute, is seen lying on the ruck thing.

With is left hand Yeandle grasps Brugnara's left leg and lifts it.

Brugnara gets loose and then with his right foot kicks out at Yeandle.

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What would you do?

Would the try stand?

What action would you take against Brugnara?

Would you take any action against Yeandle?

The referee and the TMO are quick in their consultation and clear in the action they take.

First there is a penalty against Yeandle for playing a man without the ball.

That means that the try would not stand.

Then there is the penalty against Brugnara for kicking Yeandle – even though it was not a forceful kick.

That meant that the penalty against Yeandle would be reversed. But it did not remove the penalty against Yeandle which had led to the cancellation of the try.

The referee showed Brugnara a yellow card.

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It was good to see Brugnara offer and shake hands with Yeandle. Then a gesture from Brugnara showed that he agreed with what the referee had done.

Now what about the phases?

If there had been no foul play the referee and the TMO could not have gone back to Chudley's pass to Hepburn because that was beyond two phases.

Protocol

Global Trial Law 6.A.6 Referee Consulting With Others

(b) A match organiser may appoint an official known as a Television Match (TMO) Official who uses technological devices to clarify situations relating to;

iv. Where match officials believe an infringement may have occurred leading to a try or in preventing a try providing that the potential infringement has occurred no more than two phases (ruck or mauls) after the potential infringement and before the ball has been grounded in in-goal.

There were five phases after the pass and so it was out of range.

But they did go back for the foul play beyond the five phases.

There is no two-phase restriction in the case of foul play.

Protocol

Global Trial Law 6.A.6 Referee Consulting With Others

(a) The referee may consult with assistant referees about matters relating to their duties, the Law relating to foul play or timekeeping and may request assistance related to other aspects of the referees duties including the adjudication of offside.

(b) A match organiser may appoint an official known as a Television Match (TMO) Official who uses technological devices to clarify situations relating to;

v. Reviewing situations where match officials believe foul play may have occurred.

vi. Clarifying sanctions required for acts of foul play.

Would it have been possible to give Yeandle a yellow card for an intentional infringement?

Yes. After all he provoked the retaliation.

There could have been two sanctionary cards but the decision of penalty, no try and reversed penalty would still apply.

It was a good bit of officiating.

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