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'How can we allow this to happen?': Rugby's laws under spotlight after Blues-Reds clash
By Sam Smith
Caterpillar rucking has once again come under the spotlight after the Queensland Reds were spotted using one to clear a box kick against the Blues in their 53-26 loss at Eden Park.
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The image shows Reds halfback Tate McDermott preparing to hoist a kick with four forwards standing up connected in a line to extend the ruck backward. One Reds player is on the ground, however zero Blues players are engaged in proceedings.
Twitter user Alan Zondagh questioned: “How can we allow this situation to happen in rugby? What is it?”
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“It’s not a maul, it’s not a ruck. No defenders in contact with attackers.”
How can we allow this situation to happen in rugby? What is it? It’s not a maul, it’s not a ruck. No defenders in contact with attackers. pic.twitter.com/GaDr6AD6Lm
— alan zondagh (@alanzondagh) May 15, 2022
The problem seems to be ongoing in professional rugby as rule makers struggle to get a grip on rucking to promote more contests during ball in play time.
To have no defenders in contact with attackers at any time during phase play where the ball is not moving seems to be inherently against the original intentions of the game.
Fans could not agree whether this was technically a ruck as there were zero defenders involved at the breakdown.
Technically, it’s a ruck. The players are bound to each other legally. And in that situation, the ruck was contested unsuccessfully.
ADVERTISEMENTThis is a situational manipulation of the laws since there’s no clause limiting the length of a ruck.
— nalo. (@nalothepsycho) May 15, 2022
It’s not a ruck as there’s no player from the defensive team involved. It’s a tackle so there’s an offside line.
All you do is introduce a law saying you can only extend 2 metres from the front of the tackle and you can not single latch to the back.
That way they can’t extend.
— Big Will (@BigWill_Rugby) May 15, 2022
In this instance it was likely the Blues players had already retreated from the ruck to form the defensive line as the recycle was so slow with the Reds preparing for a kick.
It no doubt was a ruck but the attacking team spent such a long time setting up their telegraphed exit play ( a highly predictable box kick) that all the defenders were able to get out and back into the defensive line. Ref should have called use it much earlier to keep play going
— Daniel Burges (@DJBurges) May 15, 2022
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Other fans believe the problems around the breakdown stem from the Italy England game where the Italians stunned the English by refusing to form rucks, therefore there was no offside line.
After that game, the offside line laws were amended to be in force once a tackle was made, not a ruck formed.
was highlighted years ago when 🇮🇹 put no players into a ruck and at the time this meant no offside line and 🏴 moaned to the ref and his reply its perfectly legal im the ref not your coach. 🏴 complained to irb the next day and the law was changed. Now its a slower game.
— Matthew Miers (@MatthewMiers) May 15, 2022
You don’t need a player from the opposition to be involved to be a ruck otherwise you will have the Italy vs Eng debacle and that was way worse… the above is just innovation. Smart coaches find ways to innovate
— The Rugby Whisperer – Beautiful Warrior of GOD ✝️ (@VoLKANO76) May 15, 2022
Overall, the Blues-Reds Super Rugby Pacific contest was a highly enjoyable high scoring affair with plenty of attack from both sides as the home side ran rampant.
Whether the game can stamp out caterpillar rucks altogether remains to be seen.
WR have gone out of their way to protect the caterpillar from natural predators so I probably wouldn't get my hopes up. Saracens found a way to counter it within the laws of the game last year. They called it the 'counter-caterpillar' over here. Within days WR had oultlawed it and the 10-second caterpillar lived to squirm another day.
In Ireland's recent match against France, I saw Ireland make a badly formed caterpillar (no contact between arse and shoulder of two of the players in the caterpillar), meaning that the ball was technically out and available to be snaffled. When Dupont asked to go snaffle it the ref instead helped Ireland to re-form the caterpillar (despite the fact that technically it's open play at this point according to the laws of the game) by instructing the player to get his shoulder against the next players arse.
Apologies for getting these pesky laws of the game involved in the issue as well (referees and WR brass look away now), but perhaps if officials were to double the frequency with which they apply the 5-second law in games (bump it up to twice a season?) it would also make 1-in-10,000 caterpillars a little harder to form.