Lineout Offside.....Again

[robertti]

G'day guys, its good to be back :) a slight absense. Just wanted to ask your guy's view on a lineout offside situation that happened to me in a 4th grade game on the weekend.

We all know a player cannot step across the line of touch until the ball is tapped/thrown down from the lineout by a lineout player (i.e. when the lineout ends).

If however, the ball is not thrown in straight by the hooker, so it is thrown on the attacking team's side of the line of touch and say for example you choose to play advantage to the defending team. At what point can a defending player run from his side of the line of touch to the attacking player's side (where the ball now is) to contest for possession bearing in mind the ball is never tapped or touched by any lineout player because it isn't thrown in straight.

As per the letter of the law, the lineout is not 'over' (it hasn't gone over 15m either) and legally the player isn't entitled to step over the line of touch.

In my situation I simply blew it up for it not being straight, to some protests; but it got me thinking.....
Would appreciate some opinion......cheers.

[OB..]

If I understand rightly, the throw was so bad that no lineout player could touch it, it did not cross the 15 metre line, and a defender moved across the line of touch before the ball hit the ground.

Law 19.13

(c) After the ball has touched a player or the ground. A player not carrying the ball is off-side if, after the ball has touched a player or the ground, that player steps in front of the ball, unless tackling (or trying to tackle) an opponent. Any attempt to tackle must start from that player’s side of the ball.

(d) The referee must penalise any player who, intentionally or not, moves into an off-side position without trying to win possession or tackle an opponent. (my emphasis)


I think the bit in bold allows a player to try to gain possession by crossing the line of touch even if the ball has not touched a player or the ground.

[Davet]

Can we use terms according to Law.

The attackers are not necessarily the throwers.

The attacking team is the team which is playing in their opponents half.

If Red 15 kicks long from within his own 22, and the ball goes into touch on Blue 10m line; then Red is the attacking team, blue the defending team. Blue are the throwing team.

If we use terms colloquially and without precision then our thought processes, and decisions, will follow the same pattern.

[tim White]

I would guess that when the ball touches the floor outside the lineout then the lineout must be over. If the offending team gain posession then you would end any wait for advantage pretty sharpish. I also think that if a catcher has to move OUTWARDS from the line of touch to take a catch you could argue the ball had left the lineout.

All in all, it would have to be a very rapid advatage to the defenders to even consider playing on- unless they are getting stuffed in scrums and lineouts.