Hurricanes’ Julian Savea is on the touch-line, five meters out from the corner when he receives a pass. He never gets control of the ball, but keeps it in front of him. As he drives towards the line, the Chiefs’ Tom Marshall bundles Savea into touch causing the ball to spill to the turf in the in-goal.
Referee Chris Pollock calls for the TMO to review, “Try or no-try?”
During the review, the referee team notices that Marshall did not bind in the tackle. They decide a penalty for the shoulder-charge (something not noticed or penalized during the play), penalty try because the try “probably” would have been scored and yellow-card for Marshall’s foul-play.
When did a shoulder-charge become a yellow-card offense? I can agree with the penalty, and, grudgingly, agree to the penalty-try. I think it is a stretch that the try “probably” would have been scored “except for the foul play by Marshall”. Savea didn’t have control of the ball and would have had to regain control while dealing with Marshall’s tackle, which if it had been legal, surely would have stopped Savea from re-gathering.
My real issue though is the yellow-card. Is a shoulder charge at the half-way line a yellow-card offense? It never has been in my recollection. It’s a penalty with a warning, “Don’t do it again!” Then, on with the game. So, why make it a yellow-card at the try-line?
This amounts to double-jeopardy in my mind. Marshall and the Chiefs are penalized twice for the same offense. Once with the penalty-try and once with the yellow-card. That’s overkill.
Rugby is a hard game. Why are we softening it up? From a fan’s perspective, I want to see the best competitors playing hard. Surely, safety is a concern, but this is not really a case of an issue with safety. Marshall’s ill-advised “shoulder-charge” was really him turning his back in the tackle. There was no danger to anyone but himself. The referee’s overreaction reduced one team to 14 players. Removing players from the game diminishes the competition.
Let’s swing the pendulum back towards keeping players on the pitch. There are too many yellow-cards being given without enough cause.
Players are getting bigger and bigger. Something that would not have caused so much damage at the dawn of professionalism will now knock a man out and even finish his career. They are now full time pros and if you can’t learn, understand and implement the laws, including reckless behavior, within a 40 hr week you’re too dumb to play, and are probably a danger to yourself as well as others. There have been so many incidents of reckless dangerous behavior once a player is in the process of going over the line. One of the worst is where the defender attempts to slide his leg and foot at the area where they believe will be placed. Another is running from 10 metres behind a ruck and clearing out a defender with a shoulder charge. A yellow is too civilized. Yellow cards are good/necessary because they should be making team mates police their own. It is a privilege to be able to earn a living at playing this game and no body deserves to have their livelihood taken away from them because of an opponents recklessly dangerous behavior.
Peter,
I agree with you about the danger of the clean-out. I’m not so sure I understand what you mean by “slide the leg and foot….” However, I disagree with the cure. These offenses need to be penalized. When they are consistently penalized the offenders will stop committing them. The problem is that too many offenses are overlooked to keep the game flowing.
The penalty laws are designed to fairly punish a player, and team, for an offense. The yellow-card should should be used for repetitive offenses or egregious foul play. Over use of the yellow-card is unfair, reduces the level of competition and diminishes the spectacle — the thing itself that not whistling penalties is supposed to enhance.
Ruggerus