Rugby Union – van der Merwe’s second try for Scotland yesterday

Yesterday afternoon, as it happened for the first time in this season’s Six Nations rugby union tournament, I settled into my favourite armchair shortly before 4.30pm in order to watch the BBC’s live television coverage of the match between Scotland and England that took place at Murrayfield (kick-off 4.45pm).

Regular visitors to this organ will be familiar with our self-imposed convention that ordinarily we tend to avoid straight “reportage” of sports contests and events – preferring instead to leave this trade to the Fleet Street brethren who operate as specialists in the genre – but, when we feel moved to do so, restrict ourselves to occasional review or comment.

The subject of my contribution today is Scotland’s Duhan van der Merwe’s second try of his outstanding match-winning hat-trick and here I am conscious that – in posting it – I simultaneously reveal my lack of detailed knowledge of the laws of rugby union, that is, until the early hours of this morning when I awoke and researched them.

The starting point for my piece must be the try to which I refer.

See here (at 1 minute 45 seconds) into this “BBC highlights” video as is featured upon the website of – YOUTUBE

Yesterday, watching his second try as it happened, I was convinced that – in diving for the try-line van der Merwe had collided with the corner flag post momentarily BEFORE he dotted the ball down beyond it.

At the time, as I then understood the laws of rugby union, the flag post is “in touch” – and therefore the supposed try should not have been awarded.

Yesterday, however, neither the referee, nor his two assistants, nor indeed any of the TMO officials on duty in the video truck somewhere in the depths of the Murrayfield stadium either noticed this (or, if they did, they took no account of it).

I was completely wrong in forming this view.

LAW 21.15 of the laws of Rugby Union states:

“IF THE BALL OR BALL-CARRIER TOUCHES A CORNER FLAG OR CORNER FLAG POST WITHOUT OTHERWISE BEING IN TOUCH OR TOUCH-IN-GOAL, PLAY CONTINUES UNLESS THE BALL IS GROUNDED AGAINST THE POST.“

I now stand corrected: you cannot get any clearer than that, can you?