RUGBY FOOTBALL

Chronicle (Levin), 18 June 1946, Page 6

RUGBY FOOTBALL

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TACKLING LAW AND NOTES CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT

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The law reiating to the tackle has causou many cuiitroverdies arnong xjiaycxs, reierees anu.ciie specunorb. iiic. WJ.iOxe' quesuon is, wnen is a piayer utqkiea;' ..tsexore qucting the i«,w ana lis in ierpreuaaidii, it sxiouiu ue re.aieiiiDeica that oniy the' rei•erec hau aceiue that a tackie has uoeurieu. jn.ei.ice a great aeai ox eriticxsiii is xiuiietl at uus oinvjal ix ms ciecioxon aoes not meet wnn tne approvai oi uie pxayers and puPiic.' lne reieree gxves his decision, not ujj wnat jie tmnKs nappenea, uut on wnat ne actuany knows occurred. ^onietixixes ne lxxignt ue wrong, but ixu reieree is penect. unuer ijaw z a tackle is delined: a o&civie uccurs wnen cxie iioiuer of ulic ua, u in tne neia oi piay is held u'y oxxe or more piayers of tne oxjpcbixig teaixi, so tnat whlle he is ou ixexu, >ne oaii comes m concact wxux tne'ground, or there is a inorneixt wnen ne cannot pass or piay tne oaii. unaer Law 16 (.a) after a tackle tne utu! lxxust oe urougnt mto piay ,-vitii a luut; (Uj when a pxayer is ucCiried, out not brougnt to the grounu, ne xnusc xnxmeaiateiy rexease the oaii so uiat it laiis to tixe 51'ouiiO. uecwcen riiinseif and his ^ipjjonents' guax-iine; (c) the uaekieu pxayei, ix xying 011 the grouna, xnuot xxxiiiieaxatexy ieiease txxe uan, iuu away rrom it and get up ueiore ^lciying xt wnn ms iuot; (d) nopxuycx sxxaxx preve'nt a lackiea piayer ii niu leicaMiig tne oan, or gettig ap aiter ne nas reieasea it; (ej no' piayer siiau picK up tne oau aiter a ucve.^ieci pictyei iiac, ltiiea&ed it, 01 wiiexi it is uii tiie gxound after a jjiaycr.iias oeen tacKied, uxitil it iias ^celi piayea witn a ioot; and (f; no xjiaycx lying on tne grouna aiter a uaoAie onan mtenere with the bali 1.1 ciny w ay untn it nas Deen piay ea witn tne iuot oi a piayer wno is uoo i^uig un tne grouna. r'lie penaity na penaity kica awaraea at wxe piace ox tne iniringement. it a pxayex carrying tne oan is thrown Oi xviiuCxceu over, .Dut not tacKied, he inay iievertiieiess pass tne oaii Oi ^eo up aua .cuxitinue ms run, eveii oiiuugii tne uaxx nas toucned tne ^ruuiid. Points to Note If a piayer is urougnt down or "coxiarea" oy the legs or ankles, and faxx witn hxs arms cfear, lie may pass tr-ie uaxx, even tnough it iias ooucnea tne grouna, or puc it on or over uie goai-xme and score a try if ne were urougxxt down cxose enougn to tne goai-xme.

A pxayer 111 pussession of the oaii maifes progress down the field despxte' tiie iact tnat 'an oppoiieM & sb 1 iiuiuxxig xiim tnat ne cannot pass ! tne oaxi. Tnis piayer is consideredj uo oe tackxea, aria wouia oe penal- ; isea uniess ne lrnmediately release er attempt to rexease tne oall. However, ix tne pxayer m possession oi uiie oan naa uiie oi' xxiure upponents naixging on to mxn, and ne cuula ^oxn inaae progress witn his arms xi ee, iie xs in a pusition to pass tne uan. iience ne is not tackled. xn tne evenc ox a pxayer getting ria oi tne uaxx just as, or imniediatexy aiter, ari opponent grasps nim, ne nas piayed tne oaii legauy, and ne is not tacKied. Tnus, any piayer wno is 011-side is witnin nis ngnts to picK up uie oau witnuut pxaying it witn tne foot. II tne pxayer witn one uan were not suiucientxy neia to prevent nim ii'uin snuxiig mto nis bpponexit^ m-g uai witxi uie oaii 111 ms arins, ana tnere grounamg it, ne onaii ue awaraeu a ury, even oiiuugn 'uiie oaii may nave toucned tne grounu ueneam ms uoay in uie fieiu oi piay. li ne cumes tu rest 111 uie nelu ui piay wi'ui uie oan oeneatn ms ooay, ne is tacaied. 'i'ne unus io uiien upuii mrxi to roa away lrom uiie oan, proviaed tnat ne was actuany iieiu wnen ne caxne to rest. li ne were not neia, ne can get up witn uie oan, or even pass it oif the grouna. Actuany, any piayer 011 tne gruuiia ana not xxi possession of the ■uan is enutxed to reacn out aua sauier it xn, pass it, or piay it witn xout, or get up and run witii it piuvxucd that laj he has not oeen uacKieu; toi tne oaii has not just 'oeen leieased oy a tacKied piayer; aua tcj uie oan is not 111 a scmmniage, set or loose. 11 a piayer lalls, is bumped, ^mocked or pushed over wime ne iia» possession oi the oall, and is xiuu heia in any way, ne is not tacklca eveh tnousii tne oaii may touch uie groiind. a piayer with the bali is grasped oy an opponent and as he comes to tne ground ne oreaKs through the ••cui'iar," or his opponent releases mm. it is obvious tnat he can still piav the oan in any oi tne approved ways; hence he has not been tackled. xTid puint is, tnat tne reieree nas to deciae wnetner the bali has touched the ground, and that the piayer concerned was unabie to piay the oaii wnile he was held. The law definiteiy states that the leferee must. decide for himseif when a tachle occurs, and it is often extremely diflicult to see exactly what happens when a piayer is grasped by an opponent. Instead oi pxayers guessing whether a tacxle has occurred or not, it wouid be in their own and their team's Jnterest if they always piayed the bali with the foot before picking it up after another piayer of either side has been held or brought to the ground. Incidentally it wouid help the referee as well. Playing the bali with the foot merely entails touching it with either foot, and if piayers did this, they could never be penalised on ' any occasion for failing to observe

^ * the law. Even if there was 110 tackle, it is, still the best poliey to be on the safe side. No plaver qan foretell what the referee will decide'.