Law Discussion: Laying down the Law
Tue, 10 Jan 2012
Scrumhalves can be the bane of referees' lives. Watch them at tackles, hands in the air in indignant appeal when they should be picking up the ball and passing it. They are, it seems, part of a team's machinery to work on the referee, presumably to get favours for their side. Here we have a referee dealing with a talkative scrumhalf.
Law Discussion: Strange but quiet
Tue, 03 Jan 2012
A referee often gets more flak when he is right than when he is wrong. Here are some incidents which passed without comment.
Law Discussion: The receiver lifts
Tue, 27 Dec 2011
London Wasps are to throw into a line-out. They have scrumhalf Joe Simpson as a receiver. Hooker Rob Webber throws in towards the back where the second last player in the line-out, Richard Birkett, jumps for the ball. As he goes up Simpson moves from receiver into the line-out and lifts Birkett who wins the ball.
Law Discussion: Obstruction
Tue, 27 Dec 2011
Scarlets play Munster in a Heineken Cup match at Thomond Park. Scarlets win the ball from a tackle/ruck and go left to where prop Rhodri Jones and lock Lou Reed are close to each other. The ball goes to Jones but Reed gets ahead of them. Jones drives into Reed's back as Damien Varley, Wian du Preez and Donnacha O’Callaghan close in.
Law Discussion: Red for replacement
Mon, 19 Dec 2011
There is always something new in rugby. You may have thought you have seen it all when something new crops up - this time a red card for a player that left his side playing with 15 men.
Law discussion: The indications' fault?
Sat, 17 Dec 2011
There is some talk about changing laws, including those dealing with the scrummage. The nearest we have to a suggestion is a change to the referee's cadence at the setting of the scrum. But surely the messy problem goes well beyond the cadence.
Law discussion: Mark and kick
Tue, 13 Dec 2011
At the risk of being labelled nitpickers and spoilsports and killjoys, we shall look at the mark and getting the kick wrong. But it is not clear why the law should be applied...
Law discussion: Whose ball?
Sun, 11 Dec 2011
In a pool match in the IRB Sevens in Port Elizabeth, Lucas Hammond of Canada darts ahead and is stopped five metres by Cecil Africa and Branco du Preez of South Africa.
Law discussion: Hit the scrums
Fri, 09 Dec 2011
If somebody said that scrums were a mess, would you contradict him? Paddy O'Brien, the IRB's refereeing manager, agrees.
Law discussion: 'Stringer's law'
Tue, 29 Nov 2011
Lachie Turner of Australia scores a try against the Barbarians at Twickenham and James O'Connor prepares to take the conversion. He does his ritualistic things and suddenly Peter Stringer arrives and makes off with the ball. The referee gives his stamp of approval and blows the whistle for half-time.
Statistics: Currie Cup Final
Tue, 01 Nov 2011
The Golden Lions were handsome winners of the 2011 Currie Cup when they beat the Sharks 42-16 at Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg on Saturday. We give some statistics for the match.
Statistics: World Cup's end
Mon, 24 Oct 2011
The 2011 Rugby World Cup is over. Like a child who waits and waits for Christmas and then suddenly it is over, so we waited for four years and now suddenly it is over, and New Zealand are the champions, beating France by a point in a gripping match. We give statistics from the final and the third-place play-off.
Statistics: World Cup semifinals
Mon, 17 Oct 2011
The semifinals have come and gone and now the world gears itself for the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. We give some statistics of the semifinals.
Statistics: World Cup, pools end
Thu, 06 Oct 2011
As the pool matches at the 2011 Rugby World Cup come to an end, we give the statistics for the last 12 pool matches and then some further stats about the pools.
TMO controversy - Foul play
Tue, 04 Oct 2011
In the match between Ireland and Italy, the referee refers an incident to the television match official, asking him if a try had been scored and asking him to be aware of the possibility of foul play. The TMO reports that try had not been scored and that there had been no foul play in in-goal. The referee awards a drop-out to Italy.
In the interests of consistency
Sat, 24 Sep 2011
Consistency, we hear over and over, is all the players want at the 2011 Rugby World Cup. By that they mean treating everybody in the same way in the same circumstances.
Statistics: World Cup, Round Two
Wed, 21 Sep 2011
The big surprise in this group of matches was the Irish victory over Australia. We give stats of that exciting match and of all the matches with some totals that are building up.
Penalty and place of the penalty
Tue, 20 Sep 2011
Samoa played Wales in a tight match in RWC Pool D action on Sunday. An incident in that match has provoked many questions.
Statistics: World Cup, Round One
Tue, 13 Sep 2011
We give some statistics of virtue and vice during the first round of the 2011 Rugby World Cup.
Could he have asked the TMO?
Sun, 11 Sep 2011
We have gone through eight World Cup matches in three days with just one controversial refereeing incident. That must be something of a record but that one could have been avoided.
