Field Goal Blockers

[johnny plath]

Question for technical rule buffs who are out there. Why is it not a penalty when teams put a wall of blockers between their field goal kicker and the defenders trying to get through? I can’t see why that is not called an obstruction. Surely as the kicker steps to set his kick he is running behind another player? Also, (not sour grapes here) but I thought Broncs should have had a scrum penalty during golden point. The Cows had a wall of three blockers in line with their lock. I am pretty sure that both teams have to be back five metres from a scrum, apart from the halfbacks. Does anyone out there know for sure??

 

[Morkel]

Question for technical rule buffs who are out there. Why is it not a penalty when teams put a wall of blockers between their field goal kicker and the defenders trying to get through? I can’t see why that is not called an obstruction. Surely as the kicker steps to set his kick he is running behind another player? Also, (not sour grapes here) but I thought Broncs should have had a scrum penalty during golden point. The Cows had a wall of three blockers in line with their lock. I am pretty sure that both teams have to be back five metres from a scrum, apart from the halfbacks. Does anyone out there know for sure??

In normal play, as long as the blockers stay still (or if they are moving, don't change direction from their original course), it's no obstruction. But it's just as messy as on kick-chasers, in that the refs have let them get away with it and now it's too late to start penalising.

As for the wall at the scrum, I can't comment. Because I can't remember seeing it off the the top of my head and there is no way in **** I'm putting myself through the video again.

 

[johnny plath]

No worries, understand your pain. Hypothetically then, if there was a wall of players in line with the lock (which there was :smile:) are they offside at the scrum?

 

[Morkel]

No worries, understand your pain. Hypothetically then, if there was a wall of players in line with the lock (which there was :smile:) are they offside at the scrum?

If they came from the scrum and broke after the ball was out, no offside. If they were there when it was fed, they all deserve to be sent off, disemboweled and fed to the closest horse stable.

 

[jarro65]

You'd have to think that if the blockers weren't part of the scrum then they'd be offside ??

Is this what happened when Thurston kicked the field goal ? I can't really remember seeing it ??

 

[johnny plath]

You'd have to think that if the blockers weren't part of the scrum then they'd be offside ??

Is this what happened when Thurston kicked the field goal ? I can't really remember seeing it ??

This was the set up for his attempt from the scrum. Somehow defenders got through and tackled him, but I just remember watching a head on replay and thinking how much it looked like a gridiron play, and the qb getting sacked. Definitely didn't break from scrum, they were there set when it was fed.

 

[jarro65]

Wasn't there the same situation in a game during the regular season ?

I seem to recall the commentators saying a wall had been built to protect the kicker, can't recall what game it was though ??

No penalty given that time.

 

[Morkel]

Gonna do a screen dump shortly. We'll see..

 

[Morkel]

It doesn't matter. Nothing will change the result. I had to sit through Hunt dropping the ball in the lead-up, and at the last moment his hand knocks it back well before it touches the ground. But here we go:

If the refs policed the rules, our penalty. March up the field, within range withing maybe 2 or 3 runs, history may change.

 

[Culhwch]

Yeah, from memory (and I'm not watching again either) there were three or four players set up immediately to the right of the scrum, about in line with the lock. I thought it was dodgy but didn't know if it was against the rules.

 

[Morkel]

Why the ref has us 10 metres back I don't know... Amazing that we still defended that drop goal attempt.

 

[Rhys van Beurden]

I finally worked up the courage to venture back to this forum after my trip home from Sydney, but I swear point blank a Cowboys player pushed Blair to the ground in his attempt to get to Thurston. The ref was never going to take it from them, but it looked awfully dodgy.

 

[MrTickyM]

Going from the stills only, that middle blocker has definitely changed direction to get in the road of a player coming through or what?

 

[BRC088]

OBSTRUCTION
a) It is the responsibility of the decoy runner/s not to interfere with the defending team.
b) The ball runner cannot run behind his own team and gain an advantage.
c) A sweep player may receive the ball on the inside of a block runner as long as there is depth on the pass to him. It there is no depth he needs to receive the ball on the outside of the block runner.
d) Defensive decisions that commit defenders to decoy runners will not be considered obstruction.
e) Attacking players who loiter next to the play the ball can be interpreted as obstructing the defending team.
f) In the process of scoring a try an attacking player dives through or into the legs of the player who has played the ball a penalty will be awarded to the defending team. This action will be interpreted as obstruction.
g) If in the opinion of the referee/video referee the play had no effect on the scoring of the try the try will be awarded.



Also

4. All players outside the scrum, other than the scrum half putting the ball in, shall retire ten metres or more
behind the mark where the scrum is formed and shall remain so until the ball has emerged correctly from
the scrum

 

[Morkel]

Yeah, one of about 8 things in the last few minutes that, had just one of them not happened, we win.

 

[Dash]

OBSTRUCTION
e) Attacking players who loiter next to the play the ball can be interpreted as obstructing the defending team.

This was the rule of the day a few years back. I remember players being penalised for it left, right and centre at the time. I seem to remember it lasting longer than the usual 3 week enforcement period too. Haven't seen it penalised since though.

 

[ningnangnong]

4. All players outside the scrum, other than the scrum half putting the ball in, shall retire ten metres or more
behind the mark where the scrum is formed and shall remain so until the ball has emerged correctly from
the scrum

Wow.

 

[jarro65]

So we should've got a penalty then ?

Hmmmmmm......