Sindile Mayende of Durban is one of South Africa's most promising referees, a young man who went under contract to the Sharks, had some time off to bulk up, started refereeing and is now one of the top referees in South Africa at only 27 years of age. He is on the national panel of 11 top referees and ranked ninth. He answers readers' questions.

1 Name: Louis Prins

Question: Safety is a ref's main responsibility. What in the case when you have a very stronger pack against a weak one and you can see possible injuries especially in school games. Do you ask for uncontested scrums or do you contest as usual. Contesting and a player gets injured does the law not require you as a safety officer to have taken reasonable steps to minimise injury?

Sindile Mayende: Hi Louis. Yes, safety must be a referee's main priority and it will happen that a referee will come across a team with a much stronger pack. Yet, a referee can't force uncontested scrums in a game other than for lack of front row players. A referee must do his best and manage these situations and ensure that none of the stronger pack's scrumming techniques are dangerous or illegal during the match. A referee can also do a "silent" request to the stronger pack to assist the situation and ensuring no injuries occur without making it obvious to the weaker team.

2. Name: Ryno Pretorius

Question: Hi.

I'm busy watching the Sharks / Western Force game and there was just an incident where Alistair Hargreaves was penalised for playing the ball from an offside after a kick by Swanepoel was charged down by a Western Force player. Was Hargreaves's not played onside after by the Western Force player charging down the ball? Surely, just as the charge-down can not be seen as a knock on, then the Sharks player being in front of the kicker after the charge-down can't be seen as offside. There has been incidents in the past where the ball clipped a hand of an opposition player, going forward still from the kick, and where the kicking player's teammate caught the ball with the ref shouting "play on". I'm not an expert myself but would appreciate your view on this in hindsight.

Best Regards and great game, Ryno

Sindile Mayende: Hi Ryno,

I recall the situation you are referring to here as I was the 4th official involved with this match. This incident happened just before half time and Pro did confirm that he made a mistake in this decision. So you are correct in your statement. Please see Clip 12 - 19 May in Right or wrong Video Clips of the SA Referees website for further explanation regarding a similar incident.

3. Name: Morgan Davies

Question: Does coming from a playing background help you as a referee?

I was a referee here in the US at one point, but gave up due to finding it hard to adjust to being a referee.

However, I would like to try again sometime in the future, as I want to give back to this great game I have supported through the years.

Sindile Mayende: Hi Morgan.

It is generally found that a referee with a rugby playing background has a slight advantage in the general understanding of the game.

4. Name: Joe Savage

Question: Can you have a tackle without a tackler?

Sindile Mayende: Well Joe, it's pretty clear in the definitions of Law 15 (Tackle: Ball Carrier Brought to Ground). Which reads: "A tackle occurs when the ball carrier is held by one or more opponents and is brought to ground.

A ball-carrier who is not held is not a tackled player and a tackle has not taken place.

Law 15 DEFINITIONS
Opposition players who hold the ball carrier and bring that player to ground, and who also go to ground, are known as tacklers.
Opposition players who hold the ball carrier and do not go to ground are not tacklers.

So, the last sentence makes it quite clear here. You can have a tackle without a tackler - in terms of the law.

5. Name: Wayne Woodland

Question:  Hi.

In a line-out what are the laws regarding the receiver joining the line-out? My understanding is that should the receiver join the line-out the ball has to be thrown to him. Correct? And if the receiver joins the line-out must someone move into the receiver position. I ask because at a recent school game a team was penalised for the receiver joining the line-out (and receiving the throw) and the ref said there has to be a receiver at all times. What is the correct interpretation?

Many thanks
Wayne

Sindile Mayende: Hi Wayne,

Law 19.8 (i) explains where the receiver must stand. Then a receiver joining the line-out does not need to receive the ball at the throw-in.

Any one player may then take this receiver position up again but only after the ball has been thrown in at the line-out but a team is not required to have anyone in the receiver position should the receiver join the line-out.

Law 19.8 (i) Where the receiver must stand. The receiver must stand at least 2 metres towards that player’s goal line from that player’s team-mates who are line-out players and between 5 and 15 metres from the touchline until the line-out begins.
Sanction: Free Kick on the 15-metre line

Exception: The receiver may run into the gap and perform any of the actions available to any other player in the line-out. The receiver is liable to sanction for offences in the line-out as would be other players in the line-out.

6. Name: David "Jamo" Jameson

Question: Hello again from the States.

Advantage question:  Red ball-carrier knocks on 6m from Blue's line.  The ball bounds into in goal.  Blue player picks up ball and runs 15m in in-goal to his right and sees that there is no way out so he touches down.

Was there advantage and do you award the 22m drop out?  Do you go back to the scrum at the point of the knock-on 6m from the line?

Follow up:  if you will award the 22m drop out then what do you award if in the same scenario the Blue player gathers the ball, takes a half a step and touches down?

Thank you very much and appreciate this site very much!  Jamo

Sindile Mayende:  Hi Jamo,

The scrum has to be awarded, as per Law 12.1 (c) and (d).

12. 1 (c) Knock-on or throw forward into the in-goal. If an attacking player knocks-on or throws forward in the field of play and the ball goes into the opponents’ in-goal and it is made dead there, a scrum is awarded where the knock-on or throw forward happened.
(d) Knock-on or throw forward inside the in-goal. If a player of either team knocks-on or throws-forward inside the in-goal, a 5-metre scrum is awarded in line with the place of infringement not closer than 5 metres from the touchline.

7. Name: Maurice Markus

Question: Die skeidsregter het nog nie die begin fluitjie vir wedstryd geblaas nie. Terwyl die besoekende span die tuisspan op die veld wag draf die laaste speler van die tuisspan oor die veld en hardloop onbewustelik been van besoekende spelers se voorspelers "it die grond it". Wat behoort die skeidsregter se optrede te wees en begin die wedstryd as fluitjie blaas of as spen of veld draf?

NB The question asks what the referee should do if a player accidentally knocks an opponent over when running onto the field before the match's has started.)

Sindile Mayende: Hi Maurice.

This is a very interesting situation for a referee. Well, the game definitely starts only when the referee blows his whistle for the start of the game but a referee will have to do something about this occurrence; otherwise he might find himself with a lot of negative incidents. So, to defuse possible conflict which may follow he'll definitely have to manage the situation by calling both captains to defuse any possible conflict that may result from this accidental contact.

8. Name: Johan Momberg

Question: During an Under-19 match this weekend, which was a very close affair as far as points was concerned, a referee ended a match at the 70 minutes time limit. After blowing the end whistle and signalling the end of the match his attention was drawn to an assistant referee who pointed out an infringement which was a high tackle. The referee then ordered everybody off the field, restarted the match and allow the penalty kick which allowed the team to win the match by two points.

Where does it states that a referee can restart a game after he ended it? Surely if he did not see the signal of the assistant referee and he ended the game that was it.

Sindile Mayende: Wow, Johan, this is quite a situation that occurred. And the only referral as far as Laws to the Game of Rugby is concerned can be found under Law 6.A.5 (Referee Altering a Decision), where it states that the referee may alter a decision when an assistant referee has raised the flag to signal touch or an act of foul play.

So, I'll leave it there.

Law 6.A.5 REFEREE ALTERING A DECISION
The referee may alter a decision when an assistant referee has raised the flag to signal touch or an act of foul play.

9. Name: Ryno Combrinck

Question: This is a serious question: why are South African referees better than other referees in other parts of the world?

Sindile Mayende: Hi Ryno, good to hear from an experienced coach and to see that you are viewing our referees' website. Well, I think it's because of the good structures we've got in place in South Africa and the constant informative feedback we as referees receive during a season.

10. Name: Peter Shortell

Question: "Does 11.4 apply in in-goal?

Defending 5m scrum.  Ball is passed back to flyhalf 7m behind the goal line.

Under pressure he gets a kick off just as he is tackled, but the kick floats and will land on the 5m line.  Do the defenders have to retire to the 10m line i.e. 5m inside in-goal before the normal offside law applies, or is the goal line sufficient?"

Sindile Mayende: Yes, Peter, Law 11.4 does apply in in-goal as it doesn't state anywhere that it does not. Thus offside players have to get 10m back from the ball or behind the kicker or a player that was behind the kicker before being on-side. So, advancing offside players are liable to be penalised. All the more pressure then on the kicker to make sure of his kick!

Law 11.4 OFFSIDE UNDER THE 10-METRE LAW
(a) When a team-mate of an offside player has kicked ahead, the offside player is considered to be taking part in the game if the player is in front of an imaginary line across the field which is 10 metres from the opponent waiting to play the ball, or from where the ball lands or may
land. The offside player must immediately move behind the imaginary 10-metre line or the kicker if this is closer than 10 metres. While moving away, the player must not obstruct an opponent.
Sanction: Penalty kick