Time

The concept of actual time is introduced, to be used for timing the 15 blood bins. This is in contrast to playing time, which is used to time sin bins. Blood bins are now limited to fifteen minutes actual time.

Method of Scoring

When a Penalty Kick at goal is being taken, any touching of the ball to prevent the goal from being scored is illegal and is sanctioned by a Penalty at the place of infringement.

Kick-offs

All kick-offs, including starting each half, are drop kicks. The reason for this is to get away from the ridiculously high tees now being used to achieve loft on the kick-off. The same result can be obtained with a drop kick.

Drop outs

If a 22 drop out goes all the way to the opponent's in-goal without having touched or been touched by a player it is treated the same way as a similar kick-off. If it is made dead or touched down immediately, the receiving team has the option of another drop out or a scrum at the middle of their opponent's 22 meter line.

Players in the Air

This part of Law 10 was amended to make it clear that tackling any player in the air was dangerous - not just when receiving a kick. There is an exception allowing defenders to tackle a ball carrier who is diving for the goal line. "Tackling" was added to the list of what cannot be done to a jumper at a line-out.

Tackle

It is now specifically clear that a player on his or her feet may attempt to pull the ball from a tackled player. This can happen even before the tackled ball carrier has had a chance to place or pass the ball. Effectively, if there are opponents present on their feet (and having arrived legally), the tackled ball carrier's options are reduced down to one - release.

In Touch

Amend LAW 19 1 (d) to read:

"Kicks indirectly into touch. When a player anywhere in the playing area kicks indirectly into touch so that the ball bounces in the field-of-play the throw in is taken where the ball went into touch.

When a player anywhere in the playing area kicks the ball so that it touches or is touched by an opposition player and then goes indirectly into touch so that the ball bounces in the field of play the throw in is taken where the ball went into touch.

When a player anywhere in the playing area kicks the ball so that it touches or is touched by an opposition player and then goes directly into touch the throw in is taken in line with where the opposition player touched the ball or where the ball crossed the touch line if that is nearer the opposition player's goal line." Thus ground cannot be gained by a charge-down that goes directly into touch.

Line-out

When the ball is in touch, all players who approach the line-of-touch are presumed to be doing so to form the line-out. They must do so without delay. Once in the line-out they must not leave until the line-out is ended, except when peeling. This is interpreted to mean that players who form the line-out cannot swap places with the receiver. Once the ball is thrown in, they may of course peel.

Knock-on

It was clarified that a voluntary knock-on or throw forward is illegal, even if recovered by the same player. It is illegal to knock the ball over a player in a forward direction and then to catch it.

Scrum

The scrumhalf must hold the ball with both hands with the major axis parallel to the ground and to the touchline (and in the middle, etc.)

The scrumhalf who is not throwing in the ball cannot set up on the opposite side. He or she must be either on the same side as the throw-in or behind the offside line (last foot).

If a scrum is stopped because of a collapse or lift without penalty, the scrum is reset with at the original place and the original put-in. Regardless of which team was in possession at the time of the stoppage.

Television Match Official

For those who are fortunate enough to be refereeing where a TMO is in use, the TMO may now be consulted with regard to the scoring of a try or a touchdown where foul play may be involved. This does not mean you can go running over to the proud father who is videotaping his kid play and have a look in his camcorder.

GUIDELINE CHANGES

There are four changes in the Guidelines on Application. Three are consequential; the fourth rectifies an administration omission.

Quick Penalties and Free Kicks at Scrums

The referee still will not make the mark for the penalty or free kick until the front-rows have disengaged. If they choose, the team receiving the penalty or free kick may take a quick tap before the mark is given. If they do so, the tap must be taken at the place called for in Law, or directly back from it. There will be no tolerance for taking the quick tap to the side of the piece. In this circumstance, the responsibility is on the team taking the quick tap to know where the mark should be. The referee has the option to prevent this at any time for safety or control reasons. The referee should explain this in their pre-match briefing. If the ref needs to chat to the players, he/she can delay giving the PK/FK signal (think of the signalling sequence after foul-play: whistle, caution; award penalty.) The half back that seeks to gain an advantage by taking a quick-tap to the side is rewarded with a scrum to the opponents.

Pre-gripping at Line-outs

Supporters may pre-grip the jumper anywhere on the shorts. The jumper still must initiate the jump before support is provided. Once the jumper is up, the support may be on the thigh from the supporter in front and on the buttocks from behind. This was reinstated for safety reasons, and because it is common practice worldwide. The Guidelines Committee emphasizes that teams should continue to develop the skills necessary to support in a dynamic fashion (without pre-gripping), as this ability opens many tactical options not available when pre-gripping.

Receiver coming into the Line-out

The IRB ruled on this issue in late July. A receiver may run into a gap in the line-out to take the throw, and may be supported in that endeavor, but may not become a supporter for another player in the line-out who jumps for the ball.

Goal Post Padding

USARFU reinstated the padding requirement on all goal post. The padding must be at least two inches thick and must extend from the ground to a height of five feet on the posts. This directive was inadvertently dropped when the Laws were rewritten two years ago.

Sept 1, 2001

There are not as many changes to the Laws as a year ago, but there are a few that will impact how the game is played. A good synopsis was published in the June issue of Rugby Magazine, and there is another summary at: http://www.rugby365.com/stories/laws/LW_010521_22986.shtml

DROP OUTS

If the drop out is kicked directly into touch, the opposing team has three options:

-scrum at the middle of the 22 meter line

-have the kick taken again

-accept the kick (e.g. have the lineout). This is the change - the lineout will be at the 22, not at the spot where the ball went into touch, unless that spot is closer to the kicking team's goal line.

LINEOUTS

As soon as the ball has been won by either team, or has passed beyond the jumper, the supporters are required to lower the jumpers to the ground immediately. FREE KICK.

Pre-gripping at the lineout is allowed only at or above the waist. The real waist, not the "anywhere on the shorts" waist. Supporting after the jumper has initiated the jump is still as before (thighs from in front and shorts from behind).

SCRUMS

The ball must be put in from a meter from the mark for the scrum, not a meter from the outer edge. In practice, this means the ball must be put in from outside the tunnel, and the scrum half must not touch any players in the scrum. Still has to be straight. Repeated kicking the ball out the tunnel, in the direction from which it was thrown, is now a PENALTY KICK.

All Experimental Variations enacted last year have been elevated to Full Law status, with the exception of the "turnover at a wheeled scrum", which is still in there as an E.V.

MAULS

Under old Law, if a maul remains stationary (or stops moving forward), then the maul ends unsuccessfully. If the ball in the stationary maul is moving and the referee can see it, then the referee allows a reasonable time for the ball to emerge. If it doesn't emerge, then the referee orders a scrum to the team not in possession when the maul began. This is known as "use it or lose it". Under the new amendment, "use or lose" doesn't come into effect until the maul has been stationary for five seconds. Thus there is a five second window during which a maul that has been stationary from the beginning can move for the first time, or a maul that stopped moving forward can move forward (i.e. in the same direction) for a second time. The five second window can be used only once at any one maul. If a maul becomes stationary a second time, then "use or lose" comes into effect immediately. Referees should use the phrase "Five seconds" to indicate that a team still has the option to move the maul, and the phrase "use it" to indicate the maul may not resume moving and the ball must be produced.

RUCKS AND MAULS

Players must bind onto a player in the ruck or maul when joining. Failure to bind is Dangerous Play.

PLACING OR THROWING THE BALL INTO TOUCH

Still a Penalty Kick, but now the spot for the kick is specified as 15 meters in from the touchline. If placed or thrown into touch-in-goal or over the dead ball line, then the place of the Penalty is five meters out from the goal line, but not closer than 15 meters from touch.

OBSTRUCTION

This section has been rephrased to clarify that a player in front of a teammate with the ball is not liable to penalty unless the opponents have been disadvantaged in some way. This is not a real change in meaning, but rather a clarification.

REPLACEMENTS

If a front row player is sin binned, the captain may make a temporary switch using one of his remaining players to bring in a player from the bench who is trained to play in the front row. The team is still a player short for the duration of the bin, and when the bin expires, the temporary sub leaves and the team reverts to it's composition. before the bin.

GAME MANAGEMENT INSTRUCTIONS

In addition to the Law changes, the USA has revised the GMI's to conform with current Law and usage. They will be posted on the New England Society's web site and will be included in the 2001-2002 Law Book. There are a few important changes:

BALL OUT OF SCRUM OR RUCK

In addition to the ball which is outside the feet of and no longer controlled by the winning team, the ball is now considered out if the scrum half (or a player acting in that capacity at a ruck) places both hands on the ball. A player who is not in the ruck or scrum may dig with one hand to produce an already won ball, but once both hands are on the ball, it is out.

SIN BIN AND CAUTION

The US no longer gives the referee the option of cautioning a player with binning. All cautions must include a sin bin. In eighty minute games the length of the bin is ten minutes. The referee does not have the discretion to impose a shorter period. The time in the bin carries over from the first half to the second (and does not include the half time interval).

Peter G. Watson
New England RFU
Referees' Society