Weekly Update 10/11

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone had a great weekend. Based on what I saw in the WhatsApp group, there were a number of good matches out there, but also a lot of management issues that came up, as well as some law clarifications that we all need to be better about.

• Gator Rolling and the Breakdown
  • While the new global law variations specifically state that gator rolls are a legal technique to remove a jackler, they need to be done safely. A safe gator roll has the following components:
    • Jackler is grasped lower than the armpits (not using head or neck to move the player- that would be a yellow card)
    • Jackler is rolled to the side, not pulled forward
    • Jackler lands on back or side, not head or neck (again, that would likely be at least a yellow card)
    • Gator-roller does not make any contact whatsoever with the jackler’s lower body
    • Gator-roller must be in control of their own body weight, and not drop their weight onto the jackler
  • If players can’t do this safely, they shouldn’t do it at all. Be very strict, especially on the lower college levels, about getting it exactly right- if they can’t, get it out of the game. Unsafe gator rolls are foul play, and should be refereed accordingly. We have had at least 2-3 major injuries over the past few weeks about this, so it’s on us to clean it up.
  • The defense cannot gator roll an offensive support player in the ruck. Gator rolls only apply to the removal of a jackler.
    • Also- please make sure we’re keeping a high standard on gate entry (angle of entry and proper binding)

• The Scrumhalf- ball out
  • We’ve been hearing about issues with ball out as well, specifically the actions of the scrumhalf. Please keep the following in mind:
    • Scrumhalves are allowed to dig for the ball to get a decent grip, and then keep their hands on the ball and look around without the ball being considered out
    • Scrumhalves can toe the ball back to the back of the ruck, but cannot roll it back with their hands (if they do, the ball is considered out)
    • Scrumhalves do not need to be shoulder-bound to dig for the ball
    • Scrumhalves cannot fake a pass out of a ruck, maul, or scrum. If they do, manage first. If they do it again, it’s a scrum to the opposition.
    • The ball is out when it’s clearly beyond and/or outside the last body part in the ruck; a good rule of thumb for the defense- if you aren’t sure, it isn’t out

• Coaches- Reprimand and Removal Process
  • If a coach starts getting out of line, this is the process to follow:
    • Stop the clock, and bring the captain over. Instruct the captain to talk to their coach and refrain from yelling at the referee, or else they risk being removed from the playing enclosure
    • If it continues- stop the clock, talk to the captain and tell them you are removing the coach, and then remove the coach from the playing enclosure (meaning they cannot be seen or heard from the pitch)
      • If the coach refuses, tell the captain the match will be abandoned and a forfeit will be awarded unless the coach complies
    • Teams and players are never to be penalized for the actions of their sideline. Do not issue a penalty or a yellow card. Play will restart from when it was stopped as if nothing else happened.
  • After the match- please send an email to me outlining the incident so I can follow up with the appropriate administrators
  • Ideally, we want to use all of our management tools to avoid a situation like this, but sometimes it’s unavoidable

• Next ANCRR Development Series Meeting- 10/19
  • Our next ANCRR development meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 19- one week from tomorrow.
  • We will likely have World Rugby referee Amelia Luciano present on in-game management, which is always a timely topic. We hope everyone can join us then.