The Rugby Thread

[PeteC]

What's the minimum amount of players needed that constitute a maul. 3?

Edit: I ask as a player doesn't scream "maul", the Ref does, so he must see something that tells him what is happening.

With rugby having a rule for just about anything you can imagine, I would think there is one for this as well.

[pharvey]

What's the minimum amount of players needed that constitute a maul. 3?

Edit: I ask as a player doesn't scream "maul", the Ref does, so he must see something that tells him what is happening.

With rugby having a rule for just about anything you can imagine, I would think there is one for this as well.

Yep, it's a minimum of 3 players, BUT made up from the ball carrier and (at least) one player from EACH team.

[PeteC]

[PeteC]

Pharvey.. Help...Help!

"You can't take out the #9 at the ruck..." A TV commentator commented that "no where in the rule book can that be found..." Ref called it as a penalty and apparently they do all the time. A further comment was if there is no one else there except the #9, what does the defensive player do?

Can you put some light on all of this?

[dtaai-maai]

I'll be interested to hear pharvey's view on this, because it's not something I've ever thought about.

I assume it refers to anyone in the scrum-half position (i.e. not just the bloke with 9 on his shirt!) behind the ruck, and therefore not part of it. Until, of course, he has the ball, then he's fair game.

[PeteC]

I think in the circumstances in this case he was in the ruck, or close enough to it to be thought to be in the ruck by the defense.

[dtaai-maai]

I think I've seen penalties given for trying to pull him into the ruck. Where's Harvey when you need him? Probably drunk again.

[pharvey]

Where's Harvey when you need him? Probably drunk again.

Not quite yet......

"You can't take out the #9 at the ruck..." A TV commentator commented that "no where in the rule book can that be found..." Ref called it as a penalty and apparently they do all the time. A further comment was if there is no one else there except the #9, what does the defensive player do?

Can you put some light on all of this?

A defending player needs to be bound to the ruck. Presumably the Scrumhalf is behind the ruck and therefore the defending player cannot bind to him. If the defending player cannot attempt to tackle him without losing his bind to the ruck, or going around the ruck and being offside.
Of course, if the Scrumhalf picks the ball up, all bets are off.....

[PeteC]

I don't know, I'll have to watch and listen more closely to see if other refs call it or not. The commentators are not just talking heads, but experienced players themselves and saying they can't find it in the rule book makes me think.

If the 9 is standing in the back without the ball, and not bending down to get the ball, and a defensive player comes through the middle and cleans him out, a penalty?

[pharvey]

Obviously it's difficult to be sure without fully understanding/seeing the situation you are describing, but laws for the ruck are clear. As you say, the commentators will be experienced ex-players who will have first hand knowledge of the laws (despite them changing on a regular basis)!

If the 9 is standing in the back without the ball, and not bending down to get the ball, and a defensive player comes through the middle and cleans him out, a penalty?

I would say if it was a single player - yes, a penalty. Two or more players driving over the ball and clearing attacking players off the ball, then no. Again, difficult to say without seeing the "play".

[PeteC]

I'm watching, I'll let you know. I've watched 5 matches from Friday to today and the situation hasn't repeated.

Edit: On a personal basis I'm about 3 years in since watching rugby for the first time and I would say my eye is at 50%. I hope I live long enough to be able to see let's say 75%?!

[PeteC]

Geeze louise...where does the time go?! Looking back at this thread it's been 7 years since I got into the game, not 3. No concept of time any longer. Anyway, my eye is still at 50%

[pharvey]

Geeze louise...where does the time go?! Looking back at this thread it's been 7 years since I got into the game, not 3. No concept of time any longer. Anyway, my eye is still at 50%

Time flies when you're enjoying it Pete - I was going to say 3 years was a bit of an underestimate as you were talking rugby union around the same time I left China!

With rule changes and "experiments" and differences between northern and southern hemisphere rugby, having an eye at 50% is pretty good!! I've been involved in rugby in one way or another - playing, helping out, teaching kids the game, supporting (armchair these days) for well over 40 years and still get dumbfounded by some of the rules!!

My father who played the game at both club and district level many years ago, did get lost at the rules of the modern game at times - Christ, he still referred to the 22 as the "25 Yard Line"!!

Actually, that begs the question - Does rugby in America use the 25 Yard Line or 22 Metre Line? They do use the Imperial System after all.....

[PeteC]

No clue about the American. Rugby Pass TV has some of their games on but I've never really watched.

The southern game is still using the red card player replacement after 20 minutes, but they've scrapped the "Captain's Challenge", and I think there was a third new rule, but not sure what it was?

[PeteC]

Where do Refs come from? The majority seem too scrawny to have actually played in the professional ranks. The vast majority I've seen though know their stuff. Certain interpretations can be more or less strict depending upon the man, and I'm always screaming to check his bank account to see how stuffed it became prior to the game?! , especially if it's an Australian Ref doing a Kiwi game. I'm not prejudiced, just think under their usual losing circumstance they "help" with some calls.

From a corruption viewpoint, I think European Football has more opportunities to be corrupt, and history of it, than Rugby does.

Anyway, I look at someone like Nigel Owens who is arguably the god of referees and I wonder how he ever got that way. They must have one hell of a school somewhere that immerses these guys for months if not years to be able to see what they see on the pitch and call it so quickly.

Another gripe, I'm not sexist but when it comes to female rugby announcers in the South to me it's like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard. The one and only one I think they have knows her stuff, probably better than the men, as she's quick with the observations and the video/TMO usually shows she was right. It's just the chicken squawking voice. Let men do the men's games and a woman the women's IMO.