Six Nations law discussion: Luke Pearce’s stock continues to rise after classy showing during Ireland v Italy

Lawrence Nolan
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Ireland's Robbie Henshaw scores a try but it is ruled out after a review during the Guinness Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

Ireland's Robbie Henshaw scores a try but it is ruled out after a review during the Guinness Six Nations match at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland.

Planet Rugby reviews Round Two of the 2024 Six Nations, zoning in on two decisions during the weekend’s action.

None of the below made a difference to the outcome of course, but it was demonstrative to all for future rounds how well Luke Pearce and his TMO examined two moments of Irish finishing on Sunday.

Reaching and crawling

Minute 55: Robbie Henshaw takes a flat pass from scrum-half Craig Casey, shows the ball inside and then goes. He is tackled both by a very tired-looking Michele Lamaro and then by Giosue Zilocchi, but under them both, he reaches for the line and plonks the ball down.

Minute 62: James Lowe tears down the left wing and steps inside. He is also team-tackled, by Ange Capuozzo and Giacomo Nicotera, but he also reaches for the line and plonks the ball down. At full speed, identical incidents. But Lowe gets his five-pointer, while Henshaw, after a bit of a chinwag between Mr. Pearce and the TMO, is penalised.

What gives?

The relevant laws first.

Law 8.2.c states that: A try is scored when an attacking player with the ball is tackled short of the goal-line, and the player’s momentum carries them in a continuous movement along the ground into the opponents’ in-goal, and the player is first to ground the ball.

Laws 8.2 d states that: A try is scored when an attacking player: Is tackled near to the opponent’s goal-line, and the player immediately reaches out and grounds the ball.

When Henshaw is brought to ground, he ends up almost on all fours; the only of the four that does not end up on the ground is his left hand, which is holding the ball.

This is unfortunate for him in the evaluation, as we clearly see him both push off the ground with his closer to the line before he reaches out.
Meanwhile, Lowe’s act is also reviewed. He also lands on all fours, this time with the right elbow on the ground and the ball in his left hand. He reaches out and places the ball down – losing his grip of the ball as he does so but never losing contact with the ball itself.

The crucial difference is in the supporting limbs. In Henshaw’s case, not only does his right knee move forward, but his left hand, which was supporting his weight, leaves the ground as his body moves forward. He has thus propelled himself with both his knee and his supporting arm before reaching out.

So, as he has propelled himself, he cannot have scored a try under Law 8.2.c as the movement is not continuous; he has come to a stop before moving himself forward. Nor has he scored a try under Law 8.2.d, as he had to propel himself before reaching out, which makes his action not ‘immediate’.

The decision to penalise him for holding on after a completed tackle – not a double movement, as there is nothing about a double movement in the laws – was correct.

But when Lowe reaches out, his supporting elbow stays in contact with the ground the entire time. The only part of his body that extends or moves towards the try-line is his reaching arm.

He has thus scored a try under Law 8.2.d by immediately reaching out and grounding the ball.

There were a couple of dissenters who looked at the replay and also commented that he had lost control of the ball.

But there is nothing in the law of scoring a try which says a player should have to have control. The law – 21.1 – states that:

The ball can be grounded in in-goal:

by holding it and touching the ground with it; or, by pressing down on it with a hand or hands, arm or arms, or the front of the player’s body from waist to neck.

Lowe does this. His fingers are the first digits to contact the ball and press it onto the ground.

But had he knocked on? No. Had he lost control of the ball and the ball had hit the ground before he pressed down on it, yes he would have. But at the moment the ball touched the ground, Lowe’s fingers were in contact with it. It was dicey, but it was a try.

READ MORE: Wayne Barnes addresses controversial Six Nations incidents including the law that needs to go

Features James Lowe Luke Pearce Robbie Henshaw

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