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IT’S THE LAW: Jane try – the answer

Matt Rowley October 25, 2012 11

No GravatarYesterday I posted an article discussing the Cory Jane no-try from the weekend and suggested that according to what we can read in the IRB laws, Jane may well have had a closer claim on a try than we all thought (unless you’re a kiwi, or deluded). There was some great discussion and I think it gave most of us a bit of a head-scratch.

Thanks to John Christophersen, a Brisbane Premier grade referee, we can all sleep a little easier. John sent us a copy of  Line Ball Your Call – a guide to assist in making line ball decisions (reprinted by the ARU in 2004 – download here as a 3MB PDF). This is a helpful little booklet — although maybe not that helpful, in that it seems that only refs have or know where to find these things.

Anyhoo, here’s the scenario in said booklet that seems to answer our question:

So there you go; Jane was in touch when he finally jumped up and caught the ball over the touchline, so it was in touch.

For those who thought his juggling of the ball prior to that was a problem, get a load of scenario 6 below:

So until the final sequence, Cory was quite all right.

So I think that’s all perfectly clear, then….

TAGS » , , ,
POSTED IN » All Blacks, Wallabies
About the author: Matt Rowley View all posts by
Matt started G&GR just before the 2007 Rugby World Cup and has been enslaved ever since. Follow him on twitter: @MattRowley

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Discussion »

  • ooaahh

    The only question now, is Peter Marshall in or out of touch In Scenario 5 ??

  • http://landoftheunit.wordpress.com/ Sully

    Ahh yes. I understand completely now!

    • Kiap

      Clear as mud.

      I like Nutta’s method from yesterday better.

  • http://skylinesaustralia.com Christian

    So, to simplify; if the ball crosses the line, either in flight or not, its in touch?

  • Gibbo

    The real answer is 42.

  • NTA

    Christian – no – the ball can cross the plane of touch, but you can catch it, provided you are not in touch, and the ball doesn’t touch the ground in or beyond the line of touch.

    What you are suggesting is true in Australian Rules Football, where the plane of touch is the final decider, regardless of the player being in touch.

  • Mica

    So what happens in scenario 6 if the player catches the ball rather than slaps it?

    Let’s say the red player has kicked the ball from outside the 22 and the blue player catches it as per the picture. If the blue player then steps back into the field of play is the ball deemed to be out on the full and therefore a blue lineout from where the red player kicked or has the blue player taken the ball out and a red lineout from where the blue player caught the ball?

    How a player out of of the field of play can play a ball inside the field of play and this be ok seems to contradict the other touchline based laws (IMHO).

    Cheers Mica

    • Who?

      Feet are on the ground, if you catch the ball you’re out. Simple.

      The RugbyRefs forum seems to have (almost) consensus that he was called for passing it to himself. Which arguably should’ve been a penalty for a deliberate knock on (because the wording isn’t knock down (i.e. to ground), it’s knock ahead), rather than just a lineout, but regardless no try.

      The other interpretation they give is that the second knock indicates control/possession of the ball, and Jane was in touch, therefore the ball was in touch. Certainly, the precedent is that a player who’s touched the ball is deemed able to be tackled (and if the player doesn’t regather the ball, it’s a knock on), so a second knock indicates possession and the ball carried into touch. Hence the lineout.

  • Jon

    When i did course to be my sons team touch judge i thought these laws were unnecessarily complicated I quickly realized even at the international level they aren’t enforced correctly. The in goal rules on whether it is a penalty are equally as confusing. During the All Black v SA test in Sowetto the South African winger caught a ball then placed his foot over the line and the AR gave it as out on the full (Trust me you have to slow it down and go frame by frame) If international refs can’t get it right how can normal weekend dud touch judge parents.

  • Skip

    fuck it. it was no try which means we won 18 all.

  • Cave Dweller

    Don’t know why people complicate simple things for themselves.

    Who kicked the ball over the line? Was the player inside or outside field of play?
    Did he touched a ball that has already crossed the line?

    Simple Black line out

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