Would anyone explain me a rule ?

[bobrock]

I hope the fans of this forum will read my naive question as an harmless way to spend time in the off season ( I'm not trolling, even if I'm not completely sure what that means...). I read somewhere that a player could play the ball to himself and the only consequence would be that the tackle he received will count as two takles. I've watched a good number of games in the last 12 months, and I've never seen anything like that. I assume it's a very rare situation, but as far as I've understood the game, I just can't see why a player should want to do that. If he's been tacked than a man from the other team should be so close to him he can never expect to be left free to run with the ball. Is it possible that no one of his team mates is close enough to receive the ball at a normal ptb ? Is there a clear situation when it could be a good option ? Thanks for your attention.

 

[Western_Eel]

It would never work in the NRL as it would take to long to do yourself

 

[Evil Homer]

I do not think you are allowed to play the ball to yourself. I'm sure if it ever happened it would be a penalty for the other team as the ref would think it was an incorrect play the ball. I have never seen it happen anyway. Certainly it wouldn't count as two tackles - the rules of the game do not work like that.

 

[Panfas]

I believe the rule is that if there is no marker present you can tap and go again. It used be used in the past, but with the speed of today's game it is almost impossible to achieve

 

[chrisc101]

I hope the fans of this forum will read my naive question as an harmless way to spend time in the off season ( I'm not trolling, even if I'm not completely sure what that means...). I read somewhere that a player could play the ball to himself and the only consequence would be that the tackle he received will count as two takles. I've watched a good number of games in the last 12 months, and I've never seen anything like that. I assume it's a very rare situation, but as far as I've understood the game, I just can't see why a player should want to do that. If he's been tacked than a man from the other team should be so close to him he can never expect to be left free to run with the ball. Is it possible that no one of his team mates is close enough to receive the ball at a normal ptb ? Is there a clear situation when it could be a good option ? Thanks for your attention.

You are stop on and that is why you have never seen it. I actually remember when they changed this rule. Basically you used to be able to tap the ball if there was no marker and start running. They changed this about 10-15 years ago.

 

[Mr_Ugly]

You used to be able to play the ball in any direction, and the person plaing the ball used to be able to regather it once it cleared the ruck (didn't have to 'clear the ruck' if there was no marker as there was no ruck to clear).

Used to be popular close to the goal line - playing the ball forward for a try.

From memory, I think they canned it when they got rid of contested play the balls around the time of the super league war. Should bring it back IMO.

 

[***MH***]

In no instance can the ball be played in a forward direction.
Law 10 E and the glossary term HEEL enforces that the ball must be played backwards.

The ball is in play when it has been played​

backward.

However. The notes on the laws of the game in Section 11, Rule 10 F allow the player to pick up the ball after it has been played backwards if he is not being marked and there is no dummy half behind him.

No marker​

​

​

10.(f) If no marker takes up a position opposite the tackled
player, and no acting halfback is present, the ball is
deemed to be “clear” immediately it is heeled by the
tackled player, who may immediately regain possession​

and play on.

This means that the player playing the ball can pick the ball up immeadietly after he has heeled the ball (i.e. play the ball backwards)

 

[***MH***]

In relation to what happens to the tackle count with the above post,
the count will increase by one for each time the ball is played.

 

[Evil Homer]

I wouldn't ever think this would be allowed if it happened in a game though. The rulebook also states that a player can 'drop or place' the ball on the ground after being tackled before 'heeling' it back to a team mate - in practice if a player ever did literally stand up, drop the ball and then heel it backwards there's no way play would be allowed to go on.

 

[***MH***]

I wouldn't ever think this would be allowed if it happened in a game though. The rulebook also states that a player can 'drop or place' the ball on the ground after being tackled before 'heeling' it back to a team mate - in practice if a player ever did literally stand up, drop the ball and then heel it backwards there's no way play would be allowed to go on.

Usually in your drop ball scenario, most players would drop the ball before standing to their feet or simply just drop the ball and not heel it backwards. In other cases when it is dropped to try and play the ball, it may hit an opponent which initiates a knockon or they accidently deflect the ball forward first before heeling it back.

Accidental deflection
10. (e) When a tackled player attempts to play the ball
backwards but accidentally deflects the ball forward, a
scrum ensues with the non-offending team having the loose head and put-in.

If a player made a specific effort to drop the ball and heel it back effectively without error, I would hope that the referee knows his rules well enough to know that this is a legal play the ball.

 

[deluded pom?]

I wouldn't ever think this would be allowed if it happened in a game though. The rulebook also states that a player can 'drop or place' the ball on the ground after being tackled before 'heeling' it back to a team mate - in practice if a player ever did literally stand up, drop the ball and then heel it backwards there's no way play would be allowed to go on.

I'm sure I've seen a player play the ball back to himself in the English top flight. Isn't the dropped ball a relic from the past whereby the player would regain his feet and drop the ball onto his heel, which would be slightly behind his other foot, thus ensuring the ball went behind him?

 

[bobrock]

Thank you all for your replies. My sport is union but I find that league can be quite entertaining, and even if you fans say it's a "simple game", well, it's not so simple after all. Thanks a lot.

 

[Archangel2]

Yeah rule removed from my memory like others have said either b4 or after Super League War, along with the opposittion being able to strike from first marker at the ball as it was being played...Benny Elias was a expert at it always used to do it to Stevie Walters(Box) in State of O games then a punch up between them would ensue...rekon that they should bring back a modified version of it actually maybe the marker can strikeout if in the defensive teams last quarter? Just a thought...
Heeling the ball back Bobrock, comes actually from the split when All Golds played on first tour Northern Union still was basically when you got tackled you imediatley dropped the ball and then tried to heel it back on your side...sound familiar? Maybe that is why in some circles the play the ball area is still called the Ruck...However the punters in Northern England got sick of not seeing the ball get played so the Ruck Area evolved into 4 players and the helling of the ball back to keep the open nature of League going and not to tie the ball up for minutes at a time within the forwards.
Just part of the evolution of the game into somthing a bit quicker...Good question though! And no we dont see you as a Troll Brother, just someone who wants to learn a bit about our game ask away anytime Peace Archy