It’s about time the law makers got hookers to toe the line

THE Not-Straight scourge is spreading. Having already devalued the scrum as a contest by allowing scrum-halves to feed the ball into their own second row, this World Cup has seen the line-out nobbled in a similar way by referees and assistant referees simply ignoring the law book.

Last week’s World Cup matches reflected the nocontest trend with Ireland winning all 16 of their throws against Samoa, who won nine of theirs to one lost. South Africa won all eight of theirs and stole three off Canada who won 12, New Zealand won all six of theirs and also won three from a Namibian line-out which secured 12.

Elsewhere Wales won all ten of their line-outs against Fiji, who won 14 and lost one, and Scotland won all 11 of theirs against Japan, who won four from five.

The only team who suffered were Georgia who won six throws and lost five against an Australia side which won 18 throws and lost one.

That is a total tally of 126 throws won on own ball against 15 lost. To make matters worse, that 15 includes overthrows and crooked glitches, and therefore almost certainly does not reflect the number actually won fair and square in an aerial contest.

The law is clear on two points that are repeatedly ignored by officials in the professional game, whether international or club, and it is killing the line-out as a contest.

The first is the cardinal law of the line-out that the ball must be thrown straight down the metre gap between the two lines of forwards from the mark where the ball went into touch.

The stipulation that the throw is straight down the middle of the gap is

because the line-out is meant to be a contest for possession, rather than one in which the side throwing-in has a divine right to win their own ball.

The second ruling is that the hooker, or whoever throws-in, must stand on the mark of touch with both feet outside the field of play.

However, it is now standard practice for hookers to line up on the mark initially, but then be given the leaway by assistant referees to shuffle around just before they throw.

This usually sees them take a late half-step sideways so that, instead of throwing down the middle of the gap, they are throwing much closer to their own line of forwards.

Even though the throw is usually straight, the new alignment gives his own jumpers a huge advantage.

This makes it very difficult for the opposition jumpers to challenge for the ball without leaping diagonally across the gap, and risk being penalised for barging, shoving or leveraging.

Often hookers are so far over the touchline when they throw that both feet are on the pitch – which the law book says should result in the referee immediately awarding the opposition a turn-over with the option of taking either a line-out or scrum.

This non-refereeing of the main line-out laws has led to the chances of winning opposition throws legitimately being minimised.

It is turning the lineout into a no-contest in which you are guaranteed your own ball – which is another step in turning the set-piece into a game of unopposed re-starts that bears no resemblance to Rugby Union as described in the laws of the game.