jirskyr
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 13, 2009
- Messages
- 13,891
I have a new pet peeve - something I would have called "second tackles" in the old days.
Anyone paying attention to Shaun Johnson last weekend may have noticed that, when his team was in possession early in a set, he would follow the ball-carrier and push into his player as soon as they made contact with the defender. This causes the general momentum of the tackle to increase in the forward direction, at the disadvantage of the defenders, because there are now 2 player weights being applied in the forward direction.
This is a "lite" version of rugby's maul and it is not permitted. You are only permitted to "lend weight" to an attacker who is being driven back by the defence, at which point the referee is immediately to call held.
Rugby League rules, Section 11 (2) (a) notes
www.rugby-league.com
Moving tackled player 2. (a) Where opponents do not make a tackle effective in the quickest possible manner but attempt to push, pull or carry the player in possession, it is permissible for colleagues of the tackled player to lend their weight in order to avoid losing ground. Immediately this happens the referee should call “Held”.
NRL interpretations 2020:
Lending Weight It is permissible for a player to ‘lend weight to a teammate in possession in order to avoid losing ground’. Section 11 (2) (a) notes 1 . It is not permissible for the player lending weight to impede a defender from making the tackle 2 . The Referee will take into account any momentum the tackle has already generated.
To take this style of play to an extreme, imagine two Tigers players involved in every hit-up, and the minute the ball-carrier hits the line, the second player drives in with outstretched palms (to push), or even more provocatively, places their shoulder into the forward effort. Now imagine 2 or 3 players doing this. Now imagine a wedge of players doing this (a rugby maul). These are all clearly illegal plays, but paring it down to a single player providing forward momentum, it's still illegal.
I counted Shaun Johnson did this perhaps 30 times in the entire match, and it wasn't just that his back 3 were willing to attack at speed, but Johnson interfered with the attempted tackles several times every set. Because in fairness to the Tigers, they dealt fairly well with Montoya and DWZ taking big wind-ups, and arguably dominated them earlier in the first half.
It needs to be policed by refs.
Anyone paying attention to Shaun Johnson last weekend may have noticed that, when his team was in possession early in a set, he would follow the ball-carrier and push into his player as soon as they made contact with the defender. This causes the general momentum of the tackle to increase in the forward direction, at the disadvantage of the defenders, because there are now 2 player weights being applied in the forward direction.
This is a "lite" version of rugby's maul and it is not permitted. You are only permitted to "lend weight" to an attacker who is being driven back by the defence, at which point the referee is immediately to call held.
Rugby League rules, Section 11 (2) (a) notes
Laws of the Game
www.rugby-league.com
Moving tackled player 2. (a) Where opponents do not make a tackle effective in the quickest possible manner but attempt to push, pull or carry the player in possession, it is permissible for colleagues of the tackled player to lend their weight in order to avoid losing ground. Immediately this happens the referee should call “Held”.
NRL interpretations 2020:
Lending Weight It is permissible for a player to ‘lend weight to a teammate in possession in order to avoid losing ground’. Section 11 (2) (a) notes 1 . It is not permissible for the player lending weight to impede a defender from making the tackle 2 . The Referee will take into account any momentum the tackle has already generated.
To take this style of play to an extreme, imagine two Tigers players involved in every hit-up, and the minute the ball-carrier hits the line, the second player drives in with outstretched palms (to push), or even more provocatively, places their shoulder into the forward effort. Now imagine 2 or 3 players doing this. Now imagine a wedge of players doing this (a rugby maul). These are all clearly illegal plays, but paring it down to a single player providing forward momentum, it's still illegal.
I counted Shaun Johnson did this perhaps 30 times in the entire match, and it wasn't just that his back 3 were willing to attack at speed, but Johnson interfered with the attempted tackles several times every set. Because in fairness to the Tigers, they dealt fairly well with Montoya and DWZ taking big wind-ups, and arguably dominated them earlier in the first half.
It needs to be policed by refs.
