The ruck is often one of the harder concepts to explain to newcomers to the sport. To the untrained eye it looks like nothing more than mud wrestling, but as our house refs noted last week, the long list of laws and pitfalls at the breakdown account for a staggering percentage of penalties in the Finnish game. Ruck Tales therefore decided to have a stab at delving into the murky world of the ruck for your edification.
It's off to ruck we go -
A ruck can take place anywhere on the field and most
commonly occurs after a player is tackled and the ball is taken to ground. If
the ball is off the ground for any reason, a ruck is not formed. The ruck is
actually formed with players on their feet, with at least one player being in
physical contact with an opponent.
Budge up! -
You must join the ruck from the hindmost (back) foot of your
own side. All players forming, joining and taking part in a ruck should have
the heads and shoulders no lower than their hips (something often missed but
crucial for safety). Another increasingly common issue is the ‘clear-out’ which
the IRB deals with by saying that a player joining a ruck must bind onto a
team-mate or an opponent, using the whole arm. Moreover, simply placing a hand
on another player in a ruck does NOT constitute binding. For a look at examples
of the illegal ‘charging in’ offence, check out this link:
Inside the belly of the Beast –
While rucking, it is a player’s duty to try to stay on their
feet and he/she must not intentionally fall or kneel in the ruck, nor must
he/she collapse a ruck, all of which is considered highly dangerous. A
persistent problem in the Finnish game is support players following the ball
carrier into contact and letting momentum carry them off their feet – an instant
penalty.
(Photo by Sini Nordberg - Zero tolerance: Finnish refs have cracked down on ruck infringements)
Hands off! –
A referee will inform the players when the ruck
has formed – a signal to abide by the laws of the ruck. Once a ruck is formed,
the ball must be released and can only be played by a player who is not
involved in the ruck. The exception to the rule is for a player on his feet
who, following a tackle gets his hands on the ball before the ruck is formed.
Professional rugby has produced many gifted ‘poachers’, as they are known, the
most famous in the modern era being stars like Richie McCaw, David Pocock, Chris
Robshaw and George Smith. Rugby World magazine recently analysed what made
these men so skilled at stealing the ball and the conclusion was that their
positioning and timing was simply better than that of their peers. Pocock in
particular has made the timing of his swoop onto a tackled player into an art
form.Less commonly seen are two further possible infringements: firstly the ball cannot be put back into a ruck (a free kick offence). Secondly (and we would rather like to see this) a player cannot pick up the ball with his feet in the ruck. Although you would concede a penalty for such a stunt, the acrobatics needed might make the spectacle worthwhile!
Sorry, was that your head? –
The actual term ‘rucking’ comes from the player’s ability to
use his boot to free the ball inside the ruck. However, before you go off to
sharpen your studs for the next game, note that strict penalties will be given
against any player who steps on another player’s head or intentionally or
treads intentionally on bodies.
Wait for it...... –
Offside at the ruck is one that we have all come across and
referees have a pretty easy job of spotting it. In short the offside line for
BOTH teams is the hindmost foot of the hindmost player (i.e. furthest back
point of your side of the ruck). The only time this changes is when the back
foot is over the try line, in which case the try line automatically becomes the
offside line instead.
As noted already, a
player must enter a ruck from behind that point, or risk conceding a penalty
for side entry. Interestingly a penalty can also be given for a player
loitering (standing around doing nothing) at the side of the ruck (a good way
to keep lazy players in check)!
Is it over yet, Sir?....... –
The ruck ends successfully when the ball is played out the
back of one end or the other of the ruck, of if the ball is on or over the try
line for a try. Confusion can occur about when the ball is actually out of the
ruck. Ruck Tales advises you to ask the referee how he interprets this one:
some refs deem hands on the ball as ‘out’, others wait until the ball is off
the ground and moving – there is no universal law, so beware!
On occasion the ball gets stuck in the black hole of
humanity. The referee must allow ‘reasonable time’ for the ball to emerge but
the length of time is totally discretionary. The length of time he waits may
depend on the amount of movement happening in the ruck (if one team is making
progress in moving forward etc.) but if meaningful movement ceases, then a
scrum is likely to be called. Generally the put-in at the scrum will be given
to the team moving forward before the ball was made unplayable, but if no team
was clearly moving forward then the default law is that the attacking side will
have possession.
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