Diving on the ball as leaving the ruck?

[Flish]

How do people tend to visualise is this? Is it a case of if ball is out for all other purposes, so open play, you would allow a player to dive on the ball as If anywhere else on the pitch, or can the ball be out to pick up and play, yet you would ping if dived upon?

Trying to visualise the narrow margins, as otherwise if the ball is not out (just emerging) everyone has to stay bound / back foot anyway as ruck not over - is this a law that if you follow the others it’s impossible to penalise for?

[frenchie851]

When the ball is clearly out then I would see it as open play. But for a player to dive on it they would have to come from an onside position?

[Zebra1922]

Well, the laws say it’s not allowed but I’ve only ever seen it penalized once by WB in professional or amateur game. I think we generally referee it as open play.

[didds]

It's something Ive never quite understood ie when it is illegal and when its not.

didds

[frenchie851]

The law says:

"Fall over the ball as it is coming out of a ruck."

So I suppose you need to interpret what is "coming out of the ruck" and what is "clearly out of a ruck".

[beckett50]

From where has the player that dived on the ball originated? If the is part of the ruck then he must have retired behind the offside line before coming forward, because (as part of the ruck) he is offside once he detaches his binding.

I understand that many here will say that as soon as the ball is out of the ruck then all players become on-side and I will agree. However, at the point the player to which we are referring starts his actions to dive on the ball he is part of the ruck - either that or the scrum half has the slowest pair of hands in history and needs to reconsider his playing position )

[Shelflife]

For me the law is for when there is a good counter ruck and the defending SH basically tries to secure the ball by falling on it.

If the ball squirts out away from the ruck then its open play for me.

[Taff]

The law says: "Fall over the ball as it is coming out of a ruck."

So I suppose you need to interpret what is "coming out of the ruck" and what is "clearly out of a ruck".

I think the easiest way to think of it is if it's "coming out of the ruck" then it hasn't come out of the ruck yet. When it has, and we're clearly back in open play, you can pounce on it if you like ... provided you come from an onside position.

For me the law is for when there is a good counter ruck and the defending SH basically tries to secure the ball by falling on it.

Good point.

[didds]

I think the easiest way to think of it is if it's "coming out of the ruck" then it hasn't come out of the ruck yet.

I don;t disagree - but in which case the diver is offisde and/or handling in the ruck. so it doesn't need a separate offense.

didds

[Rich_NL]

I take it to be principally about balls that bobble out of the ruck and immediately a player dives over to gather it. Having the law protects players from diving onto each other, and prevents a huge pile of bodies growing from the subsequent ruck.