Scrums banned from free-kicks, 20-min red cards and shotclocks: World Rugby tries to speed up the game
Seven months after the Springboks sensationally elected for a scrum from a mark inside their 22-metre line during their run to a fourth Webb…
For many years now I have watched a strange thing happen at rugby matches. Whenever a ball is kicked out near a line (halfway, 22 etc), the touch judge (assistant referee), invariably sets the lineout right on the line, with the two teams lined up either side.
I have sat at many games where the crowd have rightfully berated the official for ripping their team off when the lineout gets set further back than it should (they are quiet when it goes the other way).
I have also shared my theory with many fellow rugby watchers, and asked them to keep an eye on this phenomenon, and lo and behold, they all find the same thing.
A ball will be kicked out crossing the plane of the line anywhere from 1-5 metres from a line, but the lineout gets set right on the line.
Why is this so?
The officials may have been instructed to do this, but I have had no confirmation.
Another observation; this practise is worse the higher up you go, so it’s really prevalent in test matches, but not so much in club rugby.
So, next time you are at a game (it’s harder to judge on the box), watch where the ball crosses the chalk, and I bet that if it’s anywhere near a line, you’ll know where the lineout will be set!
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Kicking is such a big part of the game and doing it well, more than your opponent, correlates strongly with winning outcomes at an elite level.