What's new
The Front Row Forums

Register a free account today to become a member of the world's largest Rugby League discussion forum! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

The Obstruction Rule Farce

Tiger5150

Bench
Messages
3,060
This rule and the modern interpretation of it is driving me crazy. The way it is interpreted and policed these days has turned pretty much every try that involves a decoy runner into a bunker lottery.

To sum up what I mean, the Tigers had a try disallowed last Friday based on the standard modern interpretation of the rule. Chris Lawrence, running as a decoy came in contact with the outside shoulder of a defender in the line about 20m from the man with the ball. Ref, bunker, commentators all happily scream "OUTSIDE SHOULDER" and everyone pats each other on the back at a job well done. My problem in this case (and Ive seen it a few times) is that Lawrence started his run from the outside of the opposition second rower ("his man" in defence) and ran inside him past his inside shoulder. He did do the "right" thing. trouble is the defending teams know the interpretation of the rule and simply know if you can contact a runner with your outside shoulder the try will be disallowed, so the inside man races across to tag him and the try is disallowed. If you run to the inside of a defender like you are supposed to you are still on the outside of the next man and if he can get across to tag you with his outside shoulder and fall to the ground 20m from the ball, no try.

The converse of this I saw in the Souffs Penrith game. One of the panthers trys out wide the penrith decoy runner ran STRAIGHT INTO Naden, chest to chest and just took him out but Naden didnt drop like a sack of spuds. Naden had no hope of stopping the try, but he was clearly taken out. Try was allowed.

Its a rubbish interpretation and as it is applied simply and in such a black and white manner, its is becoming a lottery.
 

Timmah

LeagueUnlimited News Editor
Staff member
Messages
100,874
If your only way to score a try is by running a decoy play which could easily be interpreted as obstruction, then maybe you need to find more inventive ways of scoring?
 

ReddFelon

Juniors
Messages
1,485
The current interpretation is one of many issues plaguing the game as far as over correction is concerned. Like the knock on rule where it seems as though any ball touching the ground is a knock on, obstruction should be when a player deliberately stops a defender from making a tackle by acting as a shield. This garbage where players catch a ball metres behind another player and have that ruled as being on the inside or outside shoulder is moronic. Of course it doesn't matter what I say, RL has gotten to a point where all calls are now inconsistent 50/50s.

The Storm/Newcastle game last week is a perfect example. Penalties all the time in the first half and then almost none in the second. One week it's all about offside and the next it's as though there's a one metre rule.
 

Tiger5150

Bench
Messages
3,060
If your only way to score a try is by running a decoy play which could easily be interpreted as obstruction, then maybe you need to find more inventive ways of scoring?

You seem to have a burr in your butt about me or the Tigers not sure which. Im not talking about the Tigers, in fact I gave an example regarding Penrith/Souths. Im talking about the current interpretation of the rule. What is your take on it?
 
Messages
15,545
This rule and the modern interpretation of it is driving me crazy. The way it is interpreted and policed these days has turned pretty much every try that involves a decoy runner into a bunker lottery.

To sum up what I mean, the Tigers had a try disallowed last Friday based on the standard modern interpretation of the rule. Chris Lawrence, running as a decoy came in contact with the outside shoulder of a defender in the line about 20m from the man with the ball. Ref, bunker, commentators all happily scream "OUTSIDE SHOULDER" and everyone pats each other on the back at a job well done. My problem in this case (and Ive seen it a few times) is that Lawrence started his run from the outside of the opposition second rower ("his man" in defence) and ran inside him past his inside shoulder. He did do the "right" thing. trouble is the defending teams know the interpretation of the rule and simply know if you can contact a runner with your outside shoulder the try will be disallowed, so the inside man races across to tag him and the try is disallowed. If you run to the inside of a defender like you are supposed to you are still on the outside of the next man and if he can get across to tag you with his outside shoulder and fall to the ground 20m from the ball, no try.

The converse of this I saw in the Souffs Penrith game. One of the panthers trys out wide the penrith decoy runner ran STRAIGHT INTO Naden, chest to chest and just took him out but Naden didnt drop like a sack of spuds. Naden had no hope of stopping the try, but he was clearly taken out. Try was allowed.

Its a rubbish interpretation and as it is applied simply and in such a black and white manner, its is becoming a lottery.


Not sure which Penrith try you're talking about? Souths had one disallowed where we had a two on one with a Penrith defender out wide and the Penrith defender made a decision to tackle the wrong player. Nobody ran behind anyone else and yet the try was taken away from us for an obstruction. I can't remember any possible obstruction try's that were actually awarded in that game...

We also copped another penalty when Cleary took a decoy with him to the line and decided to dummy at the last second. A Souths player tackled the decoy and was penalised for tackling a player without the ball. As far as I'm concerned, if you run as a decoy and get hit, it should be play on. Particularly if someone dummies to pass to you.

Anyway, I agree with your point though. So many try's are taken away from teams when an opposition player has made a bad decision and tackled the wrong player, just because they try to make this rule black and white when it isn't.
 

Tiger5150

Bench
Messages
3,060
Not sure which Penrith try you're talking about? Souths had one disallowed where we had a two on one with a Penrith defender out wide and the Penrith defender made a decision to tackle the wrong player. Nobody ran behind anyone else and yet the try was taken away from us for an obstruction. I can't remember any possible obstruction try's that were actually awarded in that game...

We also copped another penalty when Cleary took a decoy with him to the line and decided to dummy at the last second. A Souths player tackled the decoy and was penalised for tackling a player without the ball. As far as I'm concerned, if you run as a decoy and get hit, it should be play on. Particularly if someone dummies to pass to you.

Anyway, I agree with your point though. So many try's are taken away from teams when an opposition player has made a bad decision and tackled the wrong player, just because they try to make this rule black and white when it isn't.

the To'o try, 10 mins into second half. Im not saying the try should have been disallowed, but a Penrith player runs straight into Naden, taking him out and stopping him from attempting to get across (he wouldnt have). Its no different to many that get called every week.
 
Messages
15,545
the To'o try, 10 mins into second half. Im not saying the try should have been disallowed, but a Penrith player runs straight into Naden, taking him out and stopping him from attempting to get across (he wouldnt have). Its no different to many that get called every week.

Naden is a Penrith player...
 

unforgiven

Bench
Messages
3,138
I like the current interpretation, a decoy runner that is front of the ball is offside, he shouldn't be making contact with a defender. I also like that on a sweeping play that the player has to receive the ball on the outside of the decoy.
 

This Year?

Immortal
Messages
31,285
I have seen a few instances where the defender has milked the obstruction, but if the decoy runner isn't in the line then there is no opportunity for it to happen.

I don't think it's perfect, but it's much better then it used to be.
 

Timmah

LeagueUnlimited News Editor
Staff member
Messages
100,874
You seem to have a burr in your butt about me or the Tigers not sure which. Im not talking about the Tigers, in fact I gave an example regarding Penrith/Souths. Im talking about the current interpretation of the rule. What is your take on it?
My post has nothing to do with you. You asked about the obstruction rule, my post was my opinion.

So my opinion again - rather than focus on whether referees or video officials are getting it right or wrong, maybe coaches and/or players could be more inventive about finding ways to get through opposition lines to score?
 

unforgiven

Bench
Messages
3,138
My post has nothing to do with you. You asked about the obstruction rule, my post was my opinion.

So my opinion again - rather than focus on whether referees or video officials are getting it right or wrong, maybe coaches and/or players could be more inventive about finding ways to get through opposition lines to score?
The block plays are a blight on the game, they are starting to reduce though in my opinion.
 

Knight76

Juniors
Messages
2,043
What about the obstruction rule where a player plays the ball just in front of the try line, and the dummy half dives over next to the player who played the ball, say, to the left of them.

Defender standing to the right tackles the player who played the ball, no try!

What a crap interpretation.
 

Mr Spock!

Referee
Messages
22,502
Yep penrith player ran straight into Turner and took him out before the final try. .

They didn't even check it.
 

T-Boon

Coach
Messages
15,168
I like the current interpretation, a decoy runner that is front of the ball is offside, he shouldn't be making contact with a defender. I also like that on a sweeping play that the player has to receive the ball on the outside of the decoy.

Agreed. Decoys became the darling play of coaches around the time they become totally obsessed with completions and structure and ruck dominance. Decoys are popular and fit in with coaches with this philosophy because it is a way of putting doubt in the defensive mind without taking any risk of losing possession, unlike back in the days when you put doubt in the mind of the defense by having a bag of tricks up your speeve and playing what you see in front of you. Decoys are an eye sore now. Get tough on them.
 

carcharias

Immortal
Messages
43,120
If you have to watch it 10 times to see if a bloke who was no chance at stopping a try is impeded then it’s a f**king try.

The rule is stupid.

And I agree it gets milked more than my knob by me.
 
Last edited:
Top