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DEFINITION
Foul
play is anything a person does within the
playing enclosure that is against the
letter and spirit of the Laws of the Game.
It includes obstruction, unfair play,
repeated infringements, dangerous play and
misconduct.
1
OBSTRUCTION
(a)
Charging or pushing. When
a player and an opponent are running for
the ball, either player must not charge or
push the other except
shoulder-to-shoulder.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(b)
Running in front of a ball -
carrier. A player must not
voluntarily move or stand in front of a
team-mate carrying the ball, thereby
preventing opponents from tackling the
current ball-carrier or the opportunity to
tackle potential ball-carriers when they
gain possession.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(c)
Blocking the tackler. A
player must not voluntarily move or stand
in a position that prevents an opponent
from tackling a ball carrier.
(d)
New Blocking the ball. A
player must not voluntarily move or stand
in a position that prevents an opponent
from playing the ball.
(e)
Ball-carrier running into
team-mate at a set-piece. A
player carrying the ball after it has left
a scrum, ruck, maul or line-out must not
run into team-mates in front of the
player.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(f)
Flanker obstructing opposing
scrum-half. A flanker in a scrum
must not prevent an opposing scrum-half
from advancing around the scrum.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(g)
A player carrying the ball cannot be
penalised for obstruction under any
circumstances.
2
UNFAIR PLAY
(a)
Voluntary offending. A
player must not voluntarily infringe any
Law of the Game, or play unfairly.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
A
penalty try must be awarded if the offence
prevents a try that would probably
otherwise have been scored. The player who
voluntarily offends must be either
admonished or cautioned that a send-off
will result if the offence or a similar
offence is committed, or sent off. After a
caution a player is temporarily suspended
from the match for as period of ten
minutes' playing time. If a player repeats
the offence, the player is sent off.
(b)
Time-wasting. A player
must not voluntarily waste time.
Penalty: Free Kick
(c)
Throwing into touch, etc. A
player must not voluntarily knock or throw
the ball into touch, touch-in-goal, or
over the dead-ball line.
Penalty: Penalty Kick on
the 15-metre line
A
penalty try must be awarded if the offence
prevents a try that would probably
otherwise have been scored.
For
an offence in the player’s In-goal, the
mark for the kick is 5 metres from the
goal-line in line with the place of
infringement.
3
REPEATED INFRINGEMENTS
(a)
Repeatedly offending. A
player must not repeatedly infringe any
law. Repeated infringement is a matter of
fact. The question of whether or not the
player intended to infringe is irrelevant.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
If
necessary, the player is cautioned. If the
player repeats the offence, the player
must be sent off.
(b)
Infringements. The
problem of repeated infringements usually
arises with the scrum, line-out, off-side,
ruck, maul or tackle laws. A player
penalised for several infringements of one
of these laws is cautioned and temporarily
suspended from the match for a period of
ten minutes' playing time. If the player
repeats the offence, the player is sent
off.
(c)
Repeated infringements by the
team. When different players of
the same team repeatedly commit the same
offence, the referee must decide whether
or not this amounts to repeated
infringement. If it does, the referee
gives a general warning to the team and if
they then repeat the offence the referee
cautions and temporarily suspends the
guilty player(s) for a period of ten
minutes' playing time. If a player of that
team then repeats the offence the referee
sends off the guilty player(s).
Penalty: Penalty Kick
A
penalty try must be awarded if the offence
prevents a try that would probably
otherwise have been scored.
(d)
Repeated infringements: standard
applied by referee. When the referee
decides how many offences constitute
repeated infringement, the referee must
always apply a strict standard in
representative and senior matches. When a
player offends three times the referee
must caution that player.
The
referee may relax this standard in junior
or minor matches, where infringements may
be the result of ignorance of the laws or
lack of skill.
4
DANGEROUS PLAY AND MISCONDUCT
(a)
Punching or striking. A player
must not strikes an opponent with the fist
or arm, including the elbow, shoulder,
head or knee(s).
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(b)
Stamping or trampling. A
player must not stamp or trample on an
opponent.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(c)
Kicking. A player must
not kick an opponent.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(d)
Tripping. A player must
not trip an opponent with the leg or foot.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(e)
Dangerous tackling. A
player must not tackle an opponent early,
late or dangerously.
A
player must not tackle (or try to tackle)
an opponent above the line of the
shoulders. A tackle around the
opponent’s neck or head is dangerous
play.
A
‘stiff-arm tackle’ is dangerous play.
A player makes a stiff-arm tackle when
using a stiff arm to strike an opponent.
Playing
a player without the ball is dangerous
play.
The
referee decides whether or not a tackle is
dangerous. The referee takes into account
the circumstances, such as the apparent
intentions of the tackler, or the nature
of the tackle, or the defenceless position
of the player being tackled or knocked
over. Any of these may result in serious
injury.
All
forms of dangerous tackling must be
punished severely. A player who commits
this type of foul must be sent off.
Advantage may be played, but if the
offence prevents a probable try, a penalty
try must be awarded.
A player
must not tackle an opponent whose feet are
off the ground.
Exception: A player is permitted to
attempt to tackle a player who is in
possession of the ball and is in the act
of diving in an attempt to score a try.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(f)
Playing an opponent without the
ball. Except in a scrum, ruck or
maul, a player must not hold, or push, or
charge into, or obstruct an opponent not
carrying the ball.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(g)
Dangerous charging. A
player must not charge or knocks down an
opponent carrying the ball without trying
to grasp that player.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(h)
Tackling the jumper in the air. A
player must not tackle or tap or push or
pull the foot or feet of an opponent
jumping for the ball in a line-out or in
open play.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(i)
Dangerous play in a scrum, ruck or
maul. The front row of a scrum
must not rush against its opponents.
Front-row
players must not voluntarily lift
opponents off their feet or force them
upwards out of the scrum.
Players
must not voluntarily collapse a scrum,
ruck or maul.
Players
must not charge into a ruck or maul
without binding onto a player in the ruck
or maul.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(j)
Retaliation. A player
must not retaliate. Even if an opponent is
infringing the laws, a player must not do
anything that is dangerous to the
opponent.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(k)
Acts contrary to good
sportsmanship. A player must not
do anything that is against the spirit of
good sportsmanship in the playing
enclosure.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
The
player who commits an act of dangerous
play or misconduct must either be
admonished, cautioned that a
send-off will result if the offence or a
similar offence is committed, or sent
off. After a caution a player is
temporarily suspended from the match for a
period of ten minutes' playing time. After
a caution, if the player commits the same
or a similar offence, the player must be
sent off.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
(l) Misconduct while the ball is
out of play. A player, must not,
while the ball is out of play, commit any
misconduct, or obstruct or in any way
interfere with an opponent.
Penalty: Penalty Kick
The
penalty is the same as for sections 10.4
(a)-(k) except that the penalty kick is
awarded at the place where play would
restart. If that place is on the
touch-line or within 15 metres of it, the
mark for the penalty kick is on the
15-metre line, in line with that place.
If
play would restart at a 5-metre scrum, the
mark for the penalty kick is at that place
at least 15 metres from the touch-line.
If
play would restart with a drop-out, the
non-offending team may choose to take the
penalty kick anywhere on the 22-metre
line.
If
a penalty kick is awarded but the
offending team is guilty of further
misconduct before the kick is taken, the
referee cautions or orders off the guilty
player and advances the mark for the
penalty kick 10 metres. This covers both
the original offence and the misconduct.
If
a penalty kick is awarded to a team but a
player of that team is guilty of further
misconduct before the kick is taken, the
referee cautions or orders off the guilty
player, declares the kick disallowed, and
awards a penalty kick to the opposing
team.
If
an offence is committed outside the
playing area while the ball is still in
play, and if that offence is not covered
by any other part of this law, the penalty
kick is awarded on the 15-metre line, in
line with where the offence happened.
For
an offence reported by a touch judge a
penalty kick may be awarded where the
offence happened, or advantage may be
played.
(m)
Late-charging the kicker. A
player must not voluntarily charge or
obstruct an opponent who has just kicked
the ball.
Penalty: The
non-offending team may choose to take the
penalty kick either at the place of
infringement or where the ball lands.
Place
of infringement. If
the infringement happens in the kicker’s
in-goal, the mark for the penalty kick is
5 metres from the goal-line in line with
the actual place of infringement.
If
the infringement happens in touch, the
mark for the penalty kick is on the
15-metre line in line with the place of
the actual infringement.
If
the infringement happens in touch-in-goal,
the mark for the penalty kick is 5 metres
from the goal-line and 15 metres from the
touch-line.
Where
the ball lands. If the ball lands in
touch, the mark for the optional penalty
kick is on the 15-metre line in line with
where it went into touch. If the ball
lands within 15 metres of the touch-line,
the mark is on the 15-metre line opposite
where it landed.
If
the ball lands in the in-goal, in
touch-in-goal, or on or over the dead-ball
line, the mark for the optional penalty
kick is 5 metres from the goal-line, in
line with the place where the ball crossed
the goal-line and at least 15 metres from
the touch-line.
If
the ball hits a goal post or cross bar,
the optional penalty kick is awarded where
the ball lands on the ground.
(n)
Flying Wedge and Cavalry Charge. A
team must not use the ‘Flying Wedge’
or the ‘Cavalry Charge’.
Penalty: Penalty Kick at
the place of the original infringement.
‘Flying
Wedge’. The
type of attack known as a ‘Flying
Wedge’ usually happens near the
goal-line, when the attacking team is
awarded a penalty kick or free kick.
The
kicker tap-kicks the ball and starts the
attack, either by driving towards the
goal-line or by passing to a team-mate who
drives forward. Immediately, team-mates
bind on each side of the ball-carrier in a
wedge formation. Often one or more of
these team-mates is in front of the
ball-carrier. This, in itself, is illegal.
In any case, the ‘Flying Wedge’ is
potentially dangerous to players who try
to stop it. It is illegal.
Penalty: Penalty Kick at
the place of the original infringement.
‘Cavalry
Charge’. The
type of attack known as a ‘Cavalry
Charge’ usually happens near the
goal-line, when the attacking team is
awarded a penalty kick or free kick.
Attacking players form a line across the
field some distance behind the kicker.
These attacking players are usually a
metre or two apart. At a signal from the
kicker they charge forward. When they get
near, the kicker tap-kicks the ball and
passes it to one of them. Until the ball
is kicked, the defending team must stay at
least 10 metres from the mark or behind
their goal-line, if that is nearer. The
‘Cavalry Charge’ is potentially
dangerous. It is illegal.
Penalty: Penalty Kick at
the place of the original infringement.
5
SANCTIONS
(a)
Any player who infringes any part of the
Foul Play Law must be admonished, or
cautioned and temporarily suspended and
sent off.
(b)
A player who has been cautioned and
temporarily suspended who then commits a
second cautionable offence within the Foul
Play Law must be sent off.
6
YELLOW AND RED CARDS
(a)
When a player has been cautioned and
temporarily suspended in an international
match, the referee will show that player a
yellow card.
(b)
When a player has been sent off in an
international match, the referee
will show that player a red card.
(c)
For other matches the Match Organiser or
Union having jurisdiction over the match
may decide upon the use of yellow or red
cards.
7 PLAYER
SENT OFF
A
player who is sent off takes no further
part in the match.
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