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Law discussion: Hands down

In last Saturday's Premiership match between Saracens and Leicester Tigers, there were incidents in which the referee penalised defensive players for having their hands on the ground.

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It happened twice in a short period of time, on both occasions when Saracens were vigorously attacking.

On the first occasion Saracens were bashing at the line, moving across the face of the posts. Jamie George, the Saracens hooker, bashes ahead but Laurence Pearce and Marcos Ayerza of Leicester Tigers tackle him. A tackle/ruck occurs.

The Tigers are expecting another bash. One of them is Mike Fitzgerald. The referee says to him: "Hands off the ground." The referee then says: "That's offside." He plays advantage. When Saracens fail to score a try, the referee goes back to the penalty and calls over the Leicester Tigers captain Ed Slater and explains the problem: "We're [Your team] lining up and then we're putting our hands on the floor beyond the back feet." Saracens choose a scrum, destroy Leicester Tigers and are awarded the second of their three penalty tries in the match.

On the second occasion Billy Vunipola and Marcelo Bosch bash at the Tigers' line. No.8 Laurence Pearce tackles Vunipola and a tackle/ruck occurs. To the side of the tackle/ruck, Mike Fitzgerald (19) his crouching, hand on the ground. The referee says: "No.19 offside. Hands on the floor." Again he plays advantage and again he penalises the Tigers when none occurs, saying to Fitzgerald: "No.19, you had your hands on the ground beyond the last foot."

Again Saracens choose a scrum. again they destroy Leicester Tigers and are awarded a penalty. Again they choose a scrum and again destroy Leicester Tigers who are penalised. This time Dan Cole is sent to the sin bin. Again the Saracens choose a scrum, destroy Leicester Tigers and are awarded a penalty try.

The original penalties in each case were similar and important.

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In each case the Leicester Tiger players were penalised for being offside.

There is no offside line at a tackle.

Therefore we must presume that this was a ruck.

There is an offside line at a ruck.

Law 16.5 OFFSIDE AT THE RUCK

(a) The offside line. There are two offside lines parallel to the goal-lines, one for each team. Each offside line runs through the hindmost foot of the hindmost player in the ruck. If the hindmost foot of the hindmost player is on or behind the goal-line, the offside line for the defending team is the goal-line.

(b) Players must either join a ruck, or retire behind the offside line immediately. If a player loiters at the side of a ruck, the player is offside.

(c) Players joining or rejoining the ruck. A player joining a ruck must do so from behind the foot of the hindmost team-mate in the ruck. A player may join alongside this hindmost player. If a player joins the ruck from the opponents’ side, or in front of the hindmost teammate, the player is offside. A player may bind onto an opposition player providing the player is not otherwise offside.

Sanction: Penalty kick on the offending team’s offside line

(d) Players not joining the ruck. If a player is in front of the offside line and does not join the ruck, the player must retire behind the offside line at once. If a player who is behind the offside line oversteps it and does not join the ruck the player is offside.

behind – that is an important preposition in this context. What does it mean.

The Laws of the Game have defined it:

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Beyond or behind or in front of a position: Means with both feet, except where the context makes that inappropriate.

With both feet.

Not hands – feet.

From that it seems that the baboon position, leaning forward with hands on the ground is not a part of offside. They are not playing the ball and so body weight does not come into the reckoning.

Law 15.6 OTHER PLAYERS

(a) After a tackle, all other players must be on their feet when they play the ball. Players are on their feet if no other part of their body is supported by the ground or players on the ground.

Sanction: Penalty kick

The requirement to being on your feet extends to the tackle (as above) and to joining the ruck and to acting against a player lying on the ground with the ball and behaving in the maul.

It does not relate to players not in a tackle, ruck or maul

Just before the World Cup 2015 a decree went out about being offside by having hands on ground beyond last feet and citing the 'body weight' thing. The decree was not explicit or defined but attached as an instruction to excerpts taken from matches. It would have been hard to extend the body weight requirement to aspects of the game as it remains legal to fall on the ball and legal to dive in tackling or scoring a try.

The instruction against hands on the ground was not contained in law. It was a silly thing to do and probably unique in the history of rugby's law-making.

But now there are experiments that pertain to how rugby is played in England's Premiership. One of those is the introduction of the breakdown – a new idea and defined.

Law 16 – Breakdown

1. A breakdown commences when at least one player from the attacking team is on their feet and over the ball which is on the ground (tackled player, tackler plus one more). At this point the offside line is created (new definition).

2. Only players acting as a half-back can play the ball with their hands (lift the ball out of the breakdown). They must be on their feet and onside. They must subsequently run, pass or kick (new 16.2 – Joining a breakdown). A half-back is any one player who is not part of the breakdown and behind the hindmost foot who is in a position to play the ball emerging from the breakdown. The hindmost foot will be the offside line for half-back players.

3. Offside line at a ruck is the back foot plus one metre. If the back foot of the hindmost player is on or behind the goal line, the offside line for the defending team is the goal line. To be policed by assistant referees (new 16.5 (a) – offside at the breakdown).

4. All arriving players must come from an onside position (see 3 above) and can enter their side of the breakdown mid-point (no gate). Players must remain on their feet (new 16.5 (c)).

5. No players at breakdown can have hands on the ground beyond the ball, hold onto or lean on or have knees on players on the ground. Players off their feet sealing the ball will be penalised. Arriving players encouraged to drive over or past the ball (existing 16.4).

6. Players must not handle the ball in a breakdown once the breakdown is formed. Once the breakdown contest is formed the player must release the ball (new 16.4 – other breakdown offences).

7. The breakdown ends when the ball emerges or the ball is picked up (new 16.6 – successful end to a breakdown).

The one relevant to the hands-down situation is 5.

This is a much neater situation than an instruction attached to clips. And it confirms that what the referee did in the match between Saracens and Leicester Tigers was the right thing to do.

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