Clarification 8-2004

Ruling in Law by the Designated Members of the Rugby Committee

This clarification was incorporated into law in 2009

Request

The JRFU has requested a ruling with regard Law 15-Tackle.

Team B ball carrier (“B-player”) is "held" (not tackled) by two Team A players (“A1-”, “A2-player”) and A1-player held on to the legs of B-player while A2-player held on to the ball and the arm(s) of B-player. By momentum, B-player and A2-player (held on the ball and B-player's arms) changed/rotated the position with each other, as the result, A2 player is closer to the Team-B's goal line than B-player. Then B-player went to the ground on his knee(s) as well as A1-player, which by definition forms a "tackle". After this tackle, A2-player is still on his feet, playing the ball and is about to gain the possession of the ball from the tackled B-player.

Law 15.7(b) provides, “After a tackle any players on their feet may attempt to gain possession by taking the ball from the ball carrier’s possession.” A2-player, by this law, can still continue to play the ball or to attempt to gain the possession. The JRFU Ruling said a player in A2-player’s position should "release the ball in the tackled player's hands". However, no part in Law 15.7 states that such player must "release the ball." Clarification is sought whether a player in A2-player’s position, who is on his feet and playing the ball while a tackle occurs without involving such player, could still play the ball.

For the purpose of this analysis, also assume that such player is not merely holding on to the part of ball carrier's body, just pulling an arm etc.

If the Ruling previously given on a request from the JRFU is applied to the above scenario, A2-player, who had been already playing the ball at the time when the tackle was made, has to release the ball and retire in order to play the ball again pursuant to Law 15.7(c) which result is also consistent with Law 15.8(b) prohibiting all players from preventing the release of the ball by the tackled player. A player on his feet could only play by virtue of Law 15.7(b), which applies “After a tackle”, if and only if, he retires first in accordance with Law 15.7(c), which deals with “other players” “at or near to a tackle” (which is earlier in point of time than “after a tackle”).

Ruling of the designated members of the Rugby Committee

The Annual Meeting of Council in 2004 agreed to approve changes to Law 15-Tackle. This related to the Definition which now reads:

“A tackle occurs when the ball-carrier is held by one or more opponents and is brought to ground. A ball-carrier who is not held is not a tackled player and a tackle has not taken place. Opposition players who hold the ball-carrier and bring that player to ground, and who also go to ground, are known as tacklers. Opposition players who hold the ball-carrier and do not go to ground are not tacklers.”

The players who are not tacklers are covered by Law 15.7(c) specifically, and those players can only play the ball if they approach from behind the ball and from the directly behind the tackled player or the tackler closest to those players’ goal-line.