Scenario
Team A are awarded a 22 drop-out. The kick is correctly executed and the ball enters the opposing team’s in-goal area without having touched or been touched by a player in the process. A defending player picks up the ball within this area and touches down, making the ball dead.
What should the referee’s decision be?
Law 13 Definitions state:
The kick-off occurs at the start of each half of the match and at the beginning of each period of extra time. Restart kicks occur after a score or a touchdown.
Law 13.10 Definitions state:
Drop-out: A drop-out is a drop kick taken by the defending team. The drop-out may be taken anywhere on or behind the 22-metre line. A drop-out is used to restart play after an attacking player has put or taken the ball into the in-goal, without infringement, and a defending player has made the ball dead there or it has gone into touch-ingoal or on or over the dead ball line.
Law 13.15 Drop-out goes into the opponent’s in-goal states:
- a) If the ball is kicked into the opponent’s in-goal without having touched or been touched by a player, the opposing team has three choices:
- to ground the ball,
- or to make it dead,
- or to play on.
- b) If the opposing team grounds the ball, or makes it dead, or if the ball becomes dead by going into touch-in-goal or on or over the dead ball line, they have two choices:
- to have a scrum formed at the centre of the 22-metre line from where the kick was taken and they throw in the ball, or
- to have the other team drop-out again.
- c) If they opt to ground the ball or make it dead, they must do so without delay. Any other action with the ball by a defending player means the player has elected to play on.
Further to this, the Seven-a-side Variations state:
The Laws of the Game apply to the seven-a-side game, subject to the following variations.
The variations presented for Law 13 end at Law 13.9. In the fifteen-a-side game, that Law refers to (Kick-off) ball goes into the in-goal. Thus, if no variations are presented for the incidents surrounding the drop-out, the “normal” Laws should be applied.
Hence, our understanding is that in the seven-a-side game, in the event of a 22 drop-out travelling into the opposing team’s in-goal area without touching or having been touched by a player in the process and a defending player grounds the ball without any delay, the referee’s decision should be to apply Law 13.15. (option between a scrum on the 22 where the kick was taken or ask to repeat the drop-out).
In other words, the Free Kick sanction applied in the seven-a-side game for infringements surrounding the kick-off does not apply to the restart kick (“22 drop-out”). Similarly, this would apply to a drop-out being incorrectly taken (law 13.12), not crossing the 22-metre line (law 13.13) or kicked directly into touch (13.14).
Is this interpretation correct?
Clarification of the Designated Members of the Rugby Committee
This interpretation is correct. For drop-outs normal 15 a-side sanctions apply. Law 13.15: Drop-out goes into the opponents in-goal
(b) If the opposing team grounds the ball, or makes it dead, or if the ball becomes dead by going into touch-in-goal or on or over the dead ball line, they have two choices:
- To have a scrum formed at the centre of the 22-metre line from where the kick was taken and they throw in the ball, or
- To have the other team drop-out again