World Rugby Law Clarifications – Diving on the ball coming out of the Ruck and In-goal Scenarios
Diving on the ball coming out of the Ruck
Message from Keith Lewis, Laws Co-ordinator, World Rugby (dated 4 February 2022)
“This has just been published online and been sent from the World Rugby International Relations team to your respective Unions. Normally these would come out on a Monday, but it was a question that came up in the 6N coaches call with Joel Jutge and the team, so needed to be answered formally before Saturday!
It relates to Law 15.16d and when players can dive onto a ball as it’s coming out of a ruck. The question was at what point is it out (and therefore fair game) versus when is it still ‘coming out’. We’ve ruled that if it’s out of the ruck, it’s out and it can be picked up or played by onside players, but can only be dived on when it’s more than 1m away. That’s consistent with the definition of ‘near’ which already exists in law and is referenced in other areas of the game. As you can see from the clips we’ve put on the website – https://www.world.rugby/the-game/laws/clarification/2022/2 – there’s a player welfare element to this too.
For many, especially at Community level, this is how it is was likely to be refereed anyway, but we have now given the 6N coaches this answer for clarity.
We will try and stick to Mondays going forward to give you and your colleagues a sporting chance of cascading it appropriately.”
Clarifications on potential in-goal scenarios
World Rugby have provided the following in-goal scenario clarifications at this link ; the information is re-produced below.
With the new GLDO laws being trialled, a number of potential scenarios have been queried by Members:
- How should play be restarted when there is a simultaneous touchdown in in-goal, with hands of a player from each team on a loose ball?
- How should play be restarted when there is doubt about grounding in-goal?
- How should play be restarted when a defender takes/plays the ball into in-goal and it then becomes dead by being held up?
Clarification of the designated members of the Rugby Committee
Scenario 1
For a try to be awarded, Law 8.2a says an attacking player has to ground the ball first. Where there is simultaneous grounding by an attacker and a defender, the attacking player did not do so ‘first’, so a try cannot be awarded.
Therefore the defender’s touch takes precedence in determining the restart.
The correct restart then depends on how the loose ball first entered the in-goal area. In this scenario it is likely to come from one of these situations:
- Kicked into in-goal by an attacker = Goal line drop-out (Law 12.12b)
- Charged down from the field of play into in-goal; or a penalty/drop kick at goal strikes the post and remains in in-goal = 22 Drop out (Law 12.11)
- Passed into in-goal by a defender and ball becomes loose = scrum on the 5m line, attacking throw in (Law 19.1 table row 5)
Scenario 2
Scenario 1 is only realistically determined by use of a Television Match Official with slow motion replays. Either with, or without a TMO, where there is doubt about who grounded the ball first, Law 21.17 declares a restart of a 5m scrum, attacking team throws in.
Scenario 3
Law 19.1, table row 5, says that when a defender takes the ball into their own in-goal and is then made dead – which includes being held up – the outcome is that a scrum is given, 5m from the goal line, in line with where the ball became dead. The attacking team throws in.
Under the new Global Law Trials for season 2021-22, Laws 12 and 21 were amended with the intention of encouraging the attacking side to score a try rather than rely on a scrum 5 restart if they fail to do so. This now predominantly results in a goal line drop-out. We recognize that the current wording of Law 21.16 conflicts with 19.1 and will be amended accordingly when World Rugby Council determines the law trial outcome.