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'How can we allow this to happen?': Rugby's laws under spotlight after Blues-Reds clash
Caterpillar rucking has once again come under the spotlight after the Queensland Reds were spotted using one to clear a box kick against the Blues in their 53-26 loss at Eden Park.
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The image shows Reds halfback Tate McDermott preparing to hoist a kick with four forwards standing up connected in a line to extend the ruck backward. One Reds player is on the ground, however zero Blues players are engaged in proceedings.
Twitter user Alan Zondagh questioned: “How can we allow this situation to happen in rugby? What is it?”
“It’s not a maul, it’s not a ruck. No defenders in contact with attackers.”
How can we allow this situation to happen in rugby? What is it? It’s not a maul, it’s not a ruck. No defenders in contact with attackers. pic.twitter.com/GaDr6AD6Lm
— alan zondagh (@alanzondagh) May 15, 2022
The problem seems to be ongoing in professional rugby as rule makers struggle to get a grip on rucking to promote more contests during ball in play time.
To have no defenders in contact with attackers at any time during phase play where the ball is not moving seems to be inherently against the original intentions of the game.
Fans could not agree whether this was technically a ruck as there were zero defenders involved at the breakdown.
Technically, it’s a ruck. The players are bound to each other legally. And in that situation, the ruck was contested unsuccessfully.
ADVERTISEMENTThis is a situational manipulation of the laws since there’s no clause limiting the length of a ruck.
— nalo. (@nalothepsycho) May 15, 2022
It’s not a ruck as there’s no player from the defensive team involved. It’s a tackle so there’s an offside line.
All you do is introduce a law saying you can only extend 2 metres from the front of the tackle and you can not single latch to the back.
That way they can’t extend.
— Big Will (@BigWill_Rugby) May 15, 2022
In this instance it was likely the Blues players had already retreated from the ruck to form the defensive line as the recycle was so slow with the Reds preparing for a kick.
It no doubt was a ruck but the attacking team spent such a long time setting up their telegraphed exit play ( a highly predictable box kick) that all the defenders were able to get out and back into the defensive line. Ref should have called use it much earlier to keep play going
— Daniel Burges (@DJBurges) May 15, 2022
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Other fans believe the problems around the breakdown stem from the Italy England game where the Italians stunned the English by refusing to form rucks, therefore there was no offside line.
After that game, the offside line laws were amended to be in force once a tackle was made, not a ruck formed.
was highlighted years ago when 🇮🇹 put no players into a ruck and at the time this meant no offside line and 🏴 moaned to the ref and his reply its perfectly legal im the ref not your coach. 🏴 complained to irb the next day and the law was changed. Now its a slower game.
— Matthew Miers (@MatthewMiers) May 15, 2022
You don’t need a player from the opposition to be involved to be a ruck otherwise you will have the Italy vs Eng debacle and that was way worse… the above is just innovation. Smart coaches find ways to innovate
— The Rugby Whisperer – Beautiful Warrior of GOD ✝️ (@VoLKANO76) May 15, 2022
Overall, the Blues-Reds Super Rugby Pacific contest was a highly enjoyable high scoring affair with plenty of attack from both sides as the home side ran rampant.
Whether the game can stamp out caterpillar rucks altogether remains to be seen.
Comments on RugbyPass
Look, we know contradicting opinions and wacky comments bring readers and clicks, so well done to RP for allowing always-wrong-Ben to say something here. However RP needs to put a disclaimer next to his comments for their own credibility. NZ was and is incapable of acknowledging their opp beating them. They refused so with Ire and with Arg in 2022 and also the Boks in 2023 x 2. Nothing Ben says here holds water, NZ attacked backwards, except when Kolisi and Kolbe was off And cyncialy took out Bongi, we played without lineouts for 75mins. Kolisi and Kurt-Lee almost scored twice. Thats 3 vs 2 for Boks, but the Boks opportunities was legal. Boks should have been 16-3 up by half time. Tacticaly the Boks attacked better defended better scrummed better (without a hooker) kicked better and crossed the whitewash more times. Boks beat Fr Eng Nz to win in 23, comeon give some credit at least. Even Federer Verstappen NY Mets, Mamoa, was able to see a great human sport achievement by the Boks and their DNA Boks #RWC27 !🏉
167 Go to commentsForget the 85kg bit, that can become something else. However I do like the one off test on ANZAC day idea. SR plays Fri/ Sat, test players travel Sunday and the squads have the full week together before playing Saturday. Rest of SR has a week off. Either involve women's teams in same location or in the other country and rotate annually. Herbert is right in that change is needed.
3 Go to commentsI’ve read loads of nonsense before but this article takes the cake. Or perhaps someone changed the date for April Fool's Day.
3 Go to commentsReally Rugbypass? Ben Smith I think you forgot what the Springboks did to the All Blacks at Twickenham 8 weeks earlier? Springboks 35 All Blacks 7. There is alot of ifs and buts in your article. The All Blacks threw the sink at the Springboks and unfortunately they were not good enough regardless if they played with 14 men or not. It was the Springboks who forced the All Blacks to make mistakes! Sorry but not Sorry the Springboks is the best ever Rugby World Cup Nation in the world. 4 Cups baby!
167 Go to commentsYou just backed the Boks with that fantastic review! Well done! Have some cake!
167 Go to commentsBen Smith please write up something better than this. The Springboks would have won the world cup if you were 15 men on the field. They would have found a way, they always find a way to beat the All Blacks.
167 Go to commentsWow, there is a lot of “could have” and “ should have” in this waist of time dribble. I love the deportation in this story to search for a glimpse at a silver lining. Here are the facts, NZ was a badly coached and undisciplined shadow of their former glory. They never took the lead in a game they were never going to win.
167 Go to commentsGOTTA MAKE ‘THE GEORGE’ HAPPEN!!!! That’s a great idea! A trans Tasman midget battle on ANZAC Day. I don’t think the ABs Wallabies game should be a one off winner takes all though, just the first match with the other two later in the year with the RC. Reason being, no one will ever shut up about how aussies couldn’t win it when it was a 3 match series.
3 Go to comments@Ben smith. Thats knock out rugby. So honeslty who cares?
167 Go to commentsIt will interesting to know which Irish players said that…
1 Go to commentsNaaaww boys will be boys! Now run along ya wee scamp! Don’t let us catch you at again😏
1 Go to commentsGreat to have Ethan Blackadder back in the Crusaders in the last few weeks. One of the best all round loose forwards around. He played so well last week against the Rebels. Fantastic attitude Ethan has and his comments are spot on.
2 Go to commentsThe author is 100% right. The Springboks know that they don't have near the natural attraction, mana, skill and mystic the All Blacks have. So, Chasing the sun 1 & 2 was concocted to overblow the Boks image on the back of a corruptly obtained “win". It's marketing ploy to force the Boks delusion as the World's Best. I guess World Rugby is also not to be believed when it came out with an apology about how the final was officiated. And if the 2023 final such a superb game by the Boks, then the Boks crying about Referee Bryce Lawrence for decades is also deserves a laugh. Chase the sun and get burned like a moth. A very well written literary piece that tore the Boks and Chasing the sun farce to shreds. 🖤All Blacks🏉
167 Go to commentsI’d say France was far more hard done by in the 2011 final than the All Blacks in this game. Joubert simply refused to call a penalty against the All Blacks in the last quarter even directing an All Black to drop a ball he picked up in an offside position rather than penalizing him. This article also totally discounts the efforts of PSTD. Ask Jordie how well he played. Or the backup flank who played hooker for the entire game. Siya was also a brilliant tackle by Richie from scoring a blinder. Pollard was also fantastic. Look I don’t like the boks style but the only thing more questionable than the content of this article is the timing of it. Get over it already
167 Go to commentsDad Marty was also a handy rugby player for Linwood back in the day. Great bloke. Sensational softball career.
2 Go to commentsWhat ifs are always dangerous. If you look at the game before Sam cane got sent of SA was dominating. You could make the argument the going down to 14 men rallied the troops and made them have to play to win which is always dangerous.
167 Go to commentsOmg… you are bruised And battered Benny. Stop crying … the scoreboard speaks. What a pathetic lover you are.. 🤣🤣🤣
167 Go to commentsPacific Lions, cry me a river
167 Go to commentsThis is the single worst piece of journalism I have ever seen since your last one. As a neutral, who really states that there should be an asterisk next to a win? You are an utter embarrassment to real AB fans, journalism and that joke of a house which pays you for this nonsense. Get a life, Ben.
167 Go to commentsGuys. Cancel the World Cup champions after this analysis. It changes everything. Ben knows. We’ll have to unengrave the Bokke off the trophy and hand it to the ABs, now that I’ve been enlightened about this illegitimate win. This needs to be done. Now!
167 Go to comments