PAUL REES PREDICTS A CLOSE ENCOUNTER IN THE CALCUTTA CUP BUT SEES IRELAND WINNING ANOTHER GRAND SLAM
THE second round of the Six Nations was as dramatic as the first but saw a drop in quality. Ireland continued on their unobstructed way to retaining their title, but the other home unions were involved in matches that could have gone either way.
Both were spiced by refereeing decisions that provided more to talk about than the rugby. Scotland felt they were denied a match-winning try against France when Sam Skinner forced his way over the line and appeared to finally ground the ball after initially being held up by Yoram Moefana’s boot.
Wales were awarded a penalty try at Twickenham after Ethan Roots collapsed a maul, much to the disgruntlement of the home supporters who were even more enraged when George Ford’s conversion of Ben Earl’s try was charged down as the visitors reacted to what they felt was the start of his run up by sprinting off their line.
There was a common denominator to Scotland’s non-try and Ford’s conversion woe: Skinner. Three years ago, the second row scored a try for Exeter in the closing moments against Northampton at Sandy Park to leave the Chiefs trailing by a point with the conversion to come.
It was from close to the righthand touchline and Joe Simmonds was told by the referee that the conversion would be the final act of the match. As the outside-half prepared to kick, Northampton’s backs charged off their line and Simmonds looked on with the same disbelief that Ford was to show as Ollie Sleightholme kicked the ball off the tee and into the stand.
Any motion towards the ball by Simmonds had appeared slight, almost imperceptible, but the referee Christophe Ridley sided with Northampton’s players. World Rugby had just changed the regulation, explaining its decision after a query from the New Zealand union following a Super Rugby match when a kicker took a step backwards and opponents set off from their line in a successful chargedown.
“The moment the kicker moves in any direction it is deemed he is ‘approaching to kick’. The reason for this interpretation is simplicity, otherwise the referee would have to judge when the kicker first moves, and in what direction. It would also be open to misinterpretation by players, match officials and spectators.”
The rule would seem to be that when a player attempting a conversion comes to a stop after planting the ball on the tee and stepping backwards, their next move marks the beginning of their run-up and is the signal for opposing players to set off.
Ford was unimpressed, saying afterwards: “It doesn’t make sense to me. I am trying to use the full shot clock time as we have got men in the sin-bin. You are at the back of your
