Two sides to every story

The trouble with French referees, Kitch Christie used to say, is that they only blow about 10 laws… the problem is that you have to work out which ones!

There’s no such problem in the Super 14 judging by events in Week Two of the tournament – especially that bizarre excuse for a match between the Lions and the Chiefs.

There is only ONE law according to the way referees have gone about applying the tackle ball law (one of them actually) which is not a new law at all but a re-affirmation of an old law that has existed for some time!

That paragraph was deliberately Irish for we have seen some weird things since the instruction came down from on high that the tackler had to let go of the tackled so that he had a chance to play the ball.

Having written probably a million words calling on rugby officials to get back to blowing the law as it is (especially this one!) I lauded the decision and I must say what we saw in Week One, and in some matches in Week Two, was highly promising.

But referees, being only human as we’re often told, seem to have been swept up in the concentration and publicity being given to the tackle ball situation and have gone to the other extreme by, in many cases, watching only the tackler to the detriment of the defensive team.

So here we again. Please get back to blowing the laws as they are written in the book so that we can have a fair contest for the ball.

By all means watch the tackler, because if not he will get away with murder, but please also watch his teammates to make sure that it is not impossible for the defending team to get at the ball.

This means that when the tackled player’s teammates arrive at the breakdown they have to join from their side of the tackle (i.e. onside), they may not hit the melee in the side, in so doing sealing off the ball, they may not go off their feet and if they make contact with a defender who is over the ball they may not play the ball with their hands.

What we’ve seen is that the attacking players coming in to play a ball that has been placed by the tackled player on the ground can play the ball with their hands but the defenders may do no such thing. Palpably unfair which pretty much means that the team with the ball cannot be stopped.

As far as I know a maul is still a maul (ball in the air) and a ruck a ruck (ball on the ground) so let’s get back to playing it that way.

Next be strict on the “hindmost foot” stipulation and… oh hell, there I go repeating myself again!

And again! As I said in my last column but one, “imagine if the simple act of making the tackler play to the law can make such a difference how much space there would be if the “hindmost foot” law and joining behind the ball were stringently applied?”