Leinster vs Edinburgh

Brian MacNeice spoke through various
scenarios that a referee may encounter
and how to work through those
scenarios.
Preparation is obviously key and running
through the scenarios in your head is
important preparation.
We had an excellent Q&A session
after, discussing various scenarios that
referees have encountered. The meeting
was held online, but we look forward to
getting back to in-person meetings in the
near future.
Law
Clarifications
World Rugby often publishes
law clarifications during the
season. If a union in membership
is unable to clarify an aspect of
law it may submit a request for
a clarification in law to the World
Rugby designated members.
The World Rugby website https://
www.world.rugby/the-game/
laws/clarifications contains all such
requests for clarifications as far back
as 2002 and gives the associated
response from the designated members.
On occasions, clarifications in law will
result in a law amendment. There have
already been two in 2022.
The main one is that England Rugby
have asked for clarity relating to when a
ball is deemed to be leaving/emerging
from a ruck and when such a ball can
be dived on to claim control of the ball.
Law 15 describes how a ruck ends, and
says a player cannot fall onto the ball,
but we seek clarity on when a player is
legally entitled to dive onto the ball?
World Rugby responded with relevant
law wordings. (There is an excellent
video to accompany this explanation on
the website)
Law 15.16: “Players must not: d) Fall
over the ball as it is coming out of a
ruck.”
Law 15.18: “A ruck ends and play
continues when the ball leaves the ruck
or when the ball in the ruck is on or over
the goal line.”
Definitions: Near = within one metre.
The ball is leaving/emerging from the
ruck when it is in motion away from
the ruck, or when the ball is sitting
just beyond the hindmost player. This
becomes relevant when determining if
a player can fall onto the ball so that
player can comply with law 15.16.
In being consistent with other areas
of Law (scrum law 19.38a, tackle law
14.8d), we determine that the player
can only dive onto such a ball if it is
more than one metre away from the ruck
it has emerged from. ‘Near’ is defined
in law as being “within one metre”. If
the ball has left the ruck, then the ruck
is over, and the ball is out. Providing a
player comes from an onside position
and does not dive onto the ball if it is
within one metre of the ruck, they may
play the ball.
Will this answer the much-asked
question - Is the ball out ref?
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