Two Law Rulings
Dear Territorial Chairs,
Two Rulings are attached. Please ensure distribution to all referees, teams and Unions in your area. Take particular care to reach teams involved in playoffs this weekend.
The first (# 2) is more for Union management, and how they choose to deal with teams that fail to meet the requirements for “suitably trained and experienced” front-row players. From the referee end, if the game situation requires non-contested scrums then that’s what happens. Don’t artificially impose other sanctions.
The second (# 3) addresses the binding of players at scrum engagement.
An engagement strategy has become popular over the last year or so. The technique involves the # 8 not fully binding prior to the referee giving permission to engage. Instead the # 8 grips the shorts of the second-rows without any other contact. When the scrum goes in to engage, the # 8 joins the back of the scrum forcefully, acting as a pile-driver to increase the impact at engagement.
The Ruling makes it clear that this is not legal. All participants in a scrum must be fully bound prior to engagement (penalty kick). The bind must involve the entire arm of the player up to and including the shoulder.
Referees should be observant for this prior to giving permission to engage, and should manage the players to bind properly.
Peter Watson
Chair USA Rugby Laws sub-committee