Back in sunny Durban after his cold trip to Eden Park for the opening match of the 2009 Tri-Nations, Craig Joubert answers two questions stemming from that match.

1. Name: Drew Richardson

Question: Having watched Bledisloe Game 1, I had some trouble understanding some of the penalties given at the scrum.  I'm not the expert (hence my question!) and I believe my confusion is a result of my not having a full understanding of front row play.  During the game in question, it looked to me as if both props failed to bind correctly and both went down together, however in two cases at least penalties were awarded.  Therefore, I was curious as to what you look for at scrum time?  How do you decide if it's the tighthead standing up or loosehead driving up?  What makes the difference between a bad bind and an illegal bind? What are some of the triggers that would cause you to award a penalty?  Who do you give the benefit of the doubt to and under what circumstances?

Respectfully, Drew Richardson

Craig Joubert: Hi Drew,
 
Baxter was penalised on three occasions for not binding correctly. The law states that the tighthead has to bind on the body and not on the arm of the opposition loosehead.

Law 20.3 (d) Binding by tight head props. A tight head prop must bind on the opposing loose head prop by placing the right arm outside the left upper arm of the opposing loose head prop. The tight head prop must grip the loose head prop’s jersey with the right hand only on the back or side. The tight head prop must not grip the chest, arm, sleeve or collar of the opposition loose head prop. The tight head prop must not exert any downward pressure.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
 
Cheers, Craig

2. Name: Deon Strydom 

Question: Q for Craig. Great game this weekend. I saw an entry this weekend in the 69th min at the ruck where the player came in with the shoulder and was not penalised. Must admit, I had to watch it twice to make sure. With things happening so fast and there is a lot of things to control for a referee and assistant referee at that level, how do you explain to people that Bakkies got suspended but other players get away with the "same" offence? As I am always trying to educate myself to have more management and less penalties in the games I referee, how do I get a copy of the DVD concerning illegal entries you mentioned?

Cheers, Deon

Craig Joubert: Hi Deon,
 
This sort of thing is certainly something that we are focussing on trying to eradicate from the game. You may recall McCaw also got penalised for a similar incident in the first half? With regards to citings and disciplinary hearings that is a process that is independent of us and is not a process I'm able to comment on.
 
Cheers, Craig