Welcome to Part 4 of this series of lessons on The Laws of the Rugby Universe.


So let's get on with Law No. 8: Advantage

READ THE LAW FIRST: http://rugby.hwachong.googlepages.com/law8.pdf


1st Pointer: The law of advantage has limits.
The law states that the referee is the sole judge of whether a team has gained an advantage.

Take Note: The referee WILL call for "advantage over" when he deems that the non-offending team has already made a gain either territorially or tactically from playing the advantage. Hence sometimes it is prohibitive to actually PLAY the full advantage which would otherwise result in the referee going back to a penalty for the initial infringement.


Scenario No. 1: It's 1 min from full time in a game. The attacking team (which is down by 2 points) is inside the opposition 22. During a ruck 15 meters from the try line right in front of the goal post, the defending team commits an offence. the referee calls for advantage to be played for the attacking side. Should the attacking team exhaust the advantage (gain a clear advantage and hence resulting in the referee calling "advantage over")?

The Answer: IN THIS CASE, it's best to take the safe option and get the 3 points and the win with the match so close to full time. This is because if you happen to exhaust the advantage, and the referee blows "advantage over", you've lost a great chance to put 3 points on the board through a penalty kick from such a great position, and possibly a chance to win the match in this case. In other instances, depending on situation, a team may choose to exhaust their advantage.


2nd Pointer: Advantage can be either tactical or territorial.
The law states an advantage is gained through either gain in territory, or the gain in freedom for the non-offending team to play the ball as they wish.

Scenario No. 2: A team has been awarded the advantage in their own half. After a couple of phases, one of the players kicks the ball into the opponent's half. What happens?

The answer: It depends. Remember, an advantage gained can be territorial. Usually if the ball goes out straight into touch ON-THE-FULL (kicker outside his own 22), OR if the ball does not go out of touch but the opponent catches it immediately, the referee will blow for a penalty at the place of the original infringement. In the case where the ball goes into touch NOT on-the-full, or if the kick does not go into touch and the opponent does not catch it immediately and the kick be allowed to bounce, USUALLY the referee will call "advantage over" instead because there is a real gain in territory. But also take into consideration that ultimately it's still up to the REFEREE's discretion, so always play to the whistle.


3rd Pointer: Further infringements by either team.
The law states if there's more than one infringement by the same team, the advantage still applies, while an infringement by a team that is playing the advantage will result in a penalty for the original infringement.

Take note: This means while the other team is playing the advantage following an infringement by the offending team, any further infringement by the offending team will result in the referee awarding another advantage to the other team. The reverse however does not apply, i.e. if a team which is while playing the advantage commits an infringement, then the referee will stop play and the team is awarded a penalty for the original infringement by the other team.



I know the advantage rule sounds confusing, but really it is quite simple. Feel free to drop all your questions in the comments section!


That's it for now. End of Lesson.