Mass confusion reigns over the ground rules

ON RUGBY:The decision by the IRB to enforce the new interpretation of the breakdown laws midway through the Six Nations Championship is baffling, writes GERRY THORNLEY

IMAGINE, FOR a moment, that the northern hemisphere tried to introduce a radically altered amendment of one of the game’s laws, say in the Heineken Cup, and then had it chucked into the southern hemisphere season - ideally in the middle of the Tri-Nations? Graham Henry, Robbie Deans and Pieter de Villiers would throw an almighty fit. And rightly so too.

Of course, it wouldn’t happen. In modern-day rugby, under the auspices of the International Rugby Board, the self-appointed moral obligation for generating any changes to the game’s laws seems to rest solely with the south. So it is that the latest IRB law edict debacle smacks of yet more post-ELV vengeance down south.

The IRB will claim that the new emphasis on Law 15.6.c - whereby a defending player on his feet must release his hold on the ball-carrier before re-engaging and contesting for the ball - was part of a directive sent out in November. But this is somewhat disingenuous, for it was never clarified to the extent it was before the Super 14, which began three weeks ago.

The IRFU’s referees chief, Owen Doyle, sought to first contact his IRB counterpart Paddy O’Brien, who was not in Europe for the first three rounds of the RBS Six Nations, and then sought clarification from Mark Lawrence prior to the Twickenham game. Whether co-incidental or not, O’Brien having given clarification last week, Craig Joubert applied the new edict much more forcefully than any referee to date in the championship at Croke Park on Saturday.

To treat the blue riband event of European test rugby like this is disrespectful and even smacks of arrogance. By the by - just a small point here IRB - recalling how Wales came within one kick of denying Ireland the Grand Slam last year, on such small margins can championships be won and lost.

The amended interpretation might not be so bad in itself if there had been clarification of it. Like all edicts, players and coaches can adapt over a period of, say, six weeks, but that should be in pre-season - not in-season!

Instead, mass confusion reigned at the weekend in the grounds, especially Croke Park, and on the television and radio airwaves. On BBC, it was clear that Eddie Butler and Philip Matthews were at a loss to explain to each other or the viewers what exactly was going on at the breakdown until Colin Charvis clarified things at the interval. And this was the BBC, who are the prime terrestrial television network for three of the six competing nations!

In point of fact, of Ireland’s 16 penalties, nine were conceded at the tackle/ruck area, but of those only three were, it seemed, strictly down to the new edict. For example, the penalties against Jonathan Sexton for not rolling away (though he could hardly have done more to position himself away from the ball), Brian O’Driscoll (playing the ball off his feet) and ditto Jonathan Thomas, or indeed Tomas O’Leary (for going off his feet to seal the ball) would all have been valid prior to O’Brien’s edict.

The only clear-cut examples of the new edict were when O’Driscoll was penalised for not releasing after chasing his own kick ahead to tackle James Hook, Cian Healy early in the second-half and finally, of course, when O’Driscoll and Wallace double tackled Jamie Roberts, with the latter immediately attempting to rip the ball from the Welsh centre.

It’s clearly errant nonsense that in a contact sport Wallace should have to let go of the ball and Roberts before re-engaging. It’s even more ridiculous that Wallace and co now have to train themselves to go against all their instincts mid-way through a Six Nations by perhaps waving his hands in the air before looking for the ball again. ‘Look ref, no hands.’ Perhaps he could do a pirouette as well?

The Welsh, ironically, were only penalised once by dint of the new edict, when Shane Williams and Leigh Halfpenny failed to release Jonathan Sexton after the tackle when the Irish out-half followed up O’Leary’s box kick in the build up to the latter’s quick tap for the first try.

There is still room for turnovers, though not many mind. By arriving after the double tackle by his fellow backrowers on Halfpenny, Wallace engineered a legitimate steal on the deck for the turnover ball which O’Leary box kicked prior to the first try. Earlier, Wallace had also arrived after the tackle to wrestle the ball from Lee Byrne on the deck before the latter’s yellow card.

But that was their lot, compared to the official tally of eight turnovers which Ireland engineered at the tackle/breakdown area in Twickenham. The only other two turnovers were Irish penalties against Welsh players for not releasing on the deck.

John Hayes was again twice penalised at scrum time and five other Welsh penalties were for offside or failing to retreat behind the hindmost foot. As with Lawrence at Twickenham, this is fine if everyone does it, and were Joubert as hot on offside from a kick ahead as Lawrence was, better again. In any event, with a third South African in a row on Saturday, Jonathan Kaplan, Ireland need to brush up on the offside line as well as the new edict.

The southern hemisphere referees are far better versed in this than their northern counterparts though, that said, a degree of confusion seems to reign in the Super 14 still. Richie McCaw and his openside ilk are none too happy, though Robbie Deans is, and no doubt the Australians are in general. The net effect has been to radically reduce the number of turnovers, ensure multi phase attacks and laughable scorelines such as the Lions’ 72-65 win over the Chiefs.

This is nothing short of global warfare. Just as well it’s only a game then.

PS: Congrats to Newpark Comprehensive on retaining the Leinster Senior League, Section A title with a 19-13 win over Wilson’s Hospital yesterday. Coached by Morgan Lennon and captained by Sean Reynolds, they had qualified through Sections A and B of the Cup to reach the first round proper and deserved some silverware for their season’s efforts.

PPS: All Friday night long Bomber Jnr kept saying, mantra like, “Ireland by 15” with hand outstretched for any takers. Alright, on the money Bomber.