Christmas has come and gone and also the celebrations of the start of 2010. To get the year going we have Jonathan Kaplan to answer readers' questions.

1. Name: John Davies

Question: Xmas greetings from a soggy UK!

Following the tribunal hearing the case of the late cancellation of the game between Sale and Wasps on  27th November. The finding was that Wasps had no case to answer but the blame was squarely put on referee David Rose's shoulders for not understanding IRB or premiership regulations!

My belief was that you could not force players onto the park! If one captain was unwilling to play because of pitch conditions the game did not go ahead and it was to others to rule on veracity of the action. If there was some concern the refs opinion could be sought. If in the unlikely circumstances both sides wanted to play but the ref deemed the conditions dangerous, the ref would start the game and then immediately blow and abandon the match. I don't suppose that such events occur in sunny South Africa!

Please enlighten.    

Jonathan Kaplan: My understanding is that referee decides if game goes ahead. Captains can input but referee decides. If one team refuses to run out they run the risk of losing the fixture. I am sure there are regulations governing each tournament though.

2. Name: Darrell Richards

Question: In general play, the Red fullback kicks to touch. 

Can Red teammates, who are ahead of the kicker at the moment of touch, begin to move forward, upfield, and past the line of touch to mark the Blue opposition players who are waiting for a quick thrown in?  Or must these Red players wait until they are put onside by actions of their teammates?        

Thanks in advance for response.

Darrell  

Jonathan Kaplan: They may move forward. The ball is dead.

3. Name: Wesley van der Linde

Question: Hi there.

I'm just needing some clarity over the subject of the formation of a ruck. I will give you a scenario:

Lets say player from team Blue is tackled to ground by a player from team Red (who also goes to ground). Another player from team Red enters through the gate at the tackle and attempts to grab the ball (his hands are on it). Immediately a player from team Blue drives into him but falls to the side, and the player from team Red is able to continue his attempt at grabbing the ball.

I read of a referee penalising player from team Red, after he had been driven into by player from team Blue, for hands in the ruck. The claim here is that a ruck was formed immediately after the player from team Blue drove into the player from team Red. This player from team Red is not interested in 'physical contact over the ball' (as it is put in the law) and therefore I believe that the Blue player had just failed a clean-out attempt.

So is Red player okay to continue getting the ball? And is 'physical contact over the ball' intentional binding from at least one player from each team? which has not occurred here.

It is then obvious that another penalty may be blown in this scenario such as holding on, coming in from the side etc.

Thanks for your time.
Grace and Peace.

Jonathan Kaplan: The scenario you created is common in rugby matches around the world. Red has all the rights. His entry is good. He is on his feet and he has his hands on the ball attempting to retrieve it. He does not have to relinquish it to Blue even if there is an attempted clean out.

4. Name: Darrell Richards

Question: When the ball has crossed the dead ball-line can an attacking player with both feet in in-goal catch it and bring it back in play, knock it away from the dead-ball line, or knock it back into play?  Can a defending player in in-goal do the same?  If yes, does the defending player only need to keep to one foot in in-goal as per law 22.9 (a) to accomplish the same?

After the ball has passed the dead-ball line, has the direction of knock or passes relative to the dead-ball line changed since it is now on the opposite side from the field of play? 

This is highly unlikely to happen, but it will serve to answer questions in regard to the dead-ball line.

 Is the ball out of play when crossing the dead-ball line?

 Does crossing require contact with any or anything on the side opposite the field of play?
 
Quite a question and quite hypothetical I know.

Thanks in advance 

Jonathan Kaplan: I assume you mean the ball is in the air. If the ball is in the air and has not touched the dead-ball line or the ground or anybody or anything beyond the dead-ball line, it is not dead.

In this case the ball is not out and can be played or brought back into play as in the examples you have mentioned.

The player wishing to keep the ball live must have both feet in in-goal. Other wise he is a person beyond the dead-ball line at a time when the ball is no longer in in-goal.

If a defending player knocks it back from the dead-ball line it would be a knock-on because he has knocked it towards his opponents' dead-ball line. If an attacking player knocks it back from the dead-ball line it would not be a knock-on.

The law you quote about having one foot in in-goal, concerns a player whose other foot is in the field-of-play.

5. Name: Bunny Bolton

Question: When the referee awards a scrum, he dabs a foot on the ground between the two front rows.

Why does he do this? Are the front rows expected to react?

Jonathan Kaplan: That serves to show the teams where the mark of the scrum is. The hookers must line up on the mark