Clarification 2-2004

Ruling in Law by the Designated Members of the Rugby Committee

Request

1. Are teams required to have front row replacements only amongst those players on the bench at the beginning of the match or can those front row replacements come also only from the players starting the match as opposed to bench replacements?

In case teams have the required front row replacements coming both from the bench and from the pitch, can a team use either one depending on the necessity?

We suggest the team can have suitable trained and experienced front row replacements even coming only from the players who started the match. E.g. 4 players among those who start the match if the list includes 16, 17 or 18 players.

2. A player is outside his team's 22 metre line, while he gets ready to catch the ball being kicked by an opponent. He drops the ball but not forward within his 22. The ball is then picked up by the same player who kicks it directly into touch.

Where is the game going to restart?

Ruling of the designated members of the Rugby Committee

1. The Law states the number of suitably trained and experienced players in the front row who must come from the players who started the match or from the nominated replacements. Therefore designated front row players can come from either the bench or from the original starting fifteen. Replacements must also satisfy Law 3.5 (c) and (d).

2. In this scenario the player has played the ball outside his 22 metre line and it has then gone into his 22 metre area. This player is considered to have put the ball into his 22 metre area and therefore the line-out is in line with the place from where he kicked the ball into touch.