Ruck No Hands

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Ruck No Hands

• Chris Henshall
• USA Rugby National Panel Referee

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Ruck

• The most contentious facet of our game both on
  and off the field!
• Most prolific penalty generator
• If you can get the tackle right and the ensuing
  ruck you will surely be a C1 or better

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Ruck - Definition

• A ruck is a phase of play where one or more
  players from each team, who are on their feet, in
  physical contact, close around the ball on the
  ground. Open play has ended
• Rucking. Players are rucking when they are in a
  ruck and using their feet to try to win or keep
  possession of the ball, without being guilty of
  foul play.
• FORMING A RUCK
• Players are on their feet. At least oneplayer
  must be in physical contact with an opponent. The
  ball ison the ground.

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MIND THE GATE

• Zero tolerance to be applied to players who do
  not enter through the gate and who have a
  material effect on play. Gate is as wide as the
  last person at the end of each side of the tackle
  or ruck

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PLAY THE BALL

• Unplayables are acceptable if the referee is in
  doubt as to the offender or there is no offence.
  Unplayables should be whistled quickly. A number
  of unplayables should indicate there is a problem

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JUDGE

• Zero tolerance to players who charge into rucks
  and mauls, without Binding
• Zero tolerance to players who clear out
  opponents not involved in ruck or maul

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WE DONT READ MINDS

• Referees to judge on fact/law, not intent. Intent
  is for the judiciary to rule on, not the referee

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BEST PRACTICE COMMUNICATIONAT THE TACKLE /
RUCK
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The verbal communication that is being observed
will be listed as either

• Direct
• A player that is clearly defined
• Eg. Black 7 release and roll away
• Indirect
• Non specific communication
• Eg. Hands away
• Non verbal communication
• Communications used without voice, (eg. Use of
  hand signals)

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Communication is Key

• It has been demonstrated that your communication
  as varied as it comes, could determine your
  ultimate success or your downfall

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RuckThe most contentious facet of our game
both on and off the field!Communication will be
paramount at this breakdown, your knowledge and
interpretation will be yourultimate success.
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ITS A RUCK HANDS OUT RED!now
simplyRuck said as early as possible
How things change
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Your Mental Checklists!

• Identify the ruck
• Communicate early
• Don't get too close post tackle decisions
• Look for Guards?
• Be
• 1. -Positive, Specific, Preventative
• 2. The cleanout
• - must use arms
• - close proximity
• 3. When its over
• - players in an offside position

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END
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• RUCK
• Identify the ruck
• Ruck hands off let go
• Not too close
• Guards?

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Ruck and Maul

• Joining the Ruck and Maul
• Cleaning out
• Rucking, no feet on bodies
• Players offside at ruck/maul pillars and posts
• Obstruction at mauls
• Ball out
• Lazy runners
• Stationary mauls
• Mauls moving sideways
• Consistent calling of ruck (only when one exists)

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Key Points Ruck

• Ball Carrier
• Body position
• Dynamic contact, hit onto and past side of
  defender, power steps, body before ball
• Good presentation, body at right angles to touch
  line, place or pass ?
• Support players
• Effective support
• Effective wipe / Body position / my wipe
• Assess situation / am I needed ?
• Maintain depth / Communicate / attacking options
  ?

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CONTINUITY

• LETS ALL BE ON THE SAME PAGE

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CONTINUITY

• As a referee, one of our prime responsibilities
  is to create a continuous game flow, by means of
  managing situations that occur throughout the
  duration of the game.

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CONTINUITY

• To be really effective, Referees have to maintain
  total concentration.
• Be pre-emptive in managing each incident of play
  as it happens.

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CONTINUITY

• If as a referee you can learn to manage the
  Tackle/Ruck situation, then you will have
  overcome the most prolific phase in a game that
  prevents continuity.

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CONTINUITY

• The timing between a Tackle a Ruck formation
  can be very short.
• Sometimes the ruck forms as soon as the ball
  carrier hits the ground.
• In this case there can be no Poaching of the
  ball, it would be hands in the ruck.

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CONTINUITY

• In other cases the ruck may form seconds after
  the tackle.
• This makes it legal for the tackler to get on his
  feet Poach the ball.
• The tackled player must release that ball
  immediately may not Play or Pass it.

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CONTINUITY

• The tackle/ruck transition requires equal
  management skills.
• The referee ensures the tackled player releases
  the ball, notes when poaching players has
  possession, and if a ruck forms thereafter.
  Allow the poaching player to to continue his
  efforts to produce the ball for his team.

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CONTINUITY

• Conversely, if a ruck forms immediately after the
  tckle, the referee has to prevent hands in, and
  achieve equal opportunity for both teams.
• You may sometimes find youself penalizing hands
  in the ruck too frequently. This is a tackler
  v. tackled situation.

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CONTINUITY

• You have to observe very closely the tackled
  players actions. If he is trying to release the
  ball, but is being prevented by the tackler, deal
  with the tackler.
• If the tackler is releasing and the tackled
  player holds onto the ball just a fraction of a
  second, and a legal poaching player loses his
  opportunity to poach because a ruck forms,
  penalize the tackled player for not releasing.
• A technique to better manage the tackle is to
  watch how the tackle is executed before it goes
  to ground. The clues are offered in the formative
  stage of the tackle. If you wait to sort it out
  after the tackle is complete, you can easily get
  it wrong because of the pace of the play.

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CONTINUITY

• We also get problems with continuity when too
  many bodies are on the ground. The ball gets
  obscured, players are unsure where the ball is
  and they dont know if they are involved in a
  ruck or a muck.
• Penalties are awarded, and more often than not,
  for some offense that would never have happened
  if players had stayed on their feet.
• If you set a standard in your mind that says
  players may drive, not dive the right offender
  will be penalized and create the continuity for
  all subsequent tackle/ruck situations.
• A driving player goes into the tackle/ruck with
  the intention of lifting and driving an opponent
  of the ball or tackled Ball carrier.

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CONTINUITY

• This action is positive and produces the ball for
  continuity, but this action can also result in
  the driving player falling to the ground, often
  after having successfully cleared the way for
  another player to pick up the ball.
• In this case, we have bodies on the ground for
  legal reasons, and they are not penalized. The
  diving players have only one purpose, kill the
  ball, prevent the opposition, and stop
  continuity.
• These get an immediate penalty, and it is the
  referees opportunity and responsibility to ensure
  the offending players understand, and are clear,
  that future infractions of this nature will be
  dealt with severely.

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CONTINUITY

• To sum up, each referee needs to arm themselves
  with a vocabulary of words and phrases to prevent
  destructive play and use them constantly and
  consistently.
• Roll away tackler, release the ball, play
  the ball, ruck formed, hands away, hands
  off, stay on-side, stay behind the back
  feet, stay on your feet, dont pull it down,
  stay bound, and join from behind.
• Any player who doesnt understand these phrases
  should face a firing squad of his own teammates.