So you think you know the laws? Try this short quiz...

So it’s easy from the stands, but do you know what you’re looking for and when to award what??  The answer is not always, Cov ball... :-)  

Each question asks, “What should the Assistant Referee do now?”  For some questions the answer could be “No action”.  However, when your answer does include an action, please state not only the decision but also the team to whom you are awarding the decision and the location of the restart e.g. “Raise his flag and indicate touch, throw-in to Reds on the halfway line.”  Assume that the Referee has not seen the incident (not difficult) and base your answers on actions that would be expected from Assistant Referees who have radio contact with the Referee.

Omission of the location of the re-start (where appropriate) will not give a complete answer.

Good Luck!

Each question asks, “What should the Assistant Referee do now?”  For some questions the answer could be “No action”.  However, when your answer does include an action, please state not only the decision but also the team to whom you are awarding the decision and the location of the restart e.g. “Raise his flag and indicate touch, throw-in to Reds on the halfway line.”  Assume that the Referee has not seen the incident (not difficult) and base your answers on actions that would be expected from Assistant Referees who have radio contact with the Referee.

Omission of the location of the re-start (where appropriate) will not give a complete answer.

Good Luck!

• 1)     The Red full back kicks for touch from within his 22 metres area.  The ball, whilst in the air, crosses the touch-line above his 10-metre line and then curves back and lands on the touch-line near the half way line.  What should the near side Assistant Referee do now?

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• 2)    The Red full back kicks for touch from outside his 22 metre area and the ball flies just beyond the touch-line.  Whilst it is still in the air the Blue left winger, standing with both feet in the field of play, reaches over the touch-line to catch the ball.  He does not catch it cleanly and it goes from his hands straight down to the ground, just beyond the touch-line.  What should the Assistant Referee do now? 

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•   3)  A kick by Reds, from their 10-metre line, is heading towards the touch-line.  A Blue player, who is standing in touch, prevents the ball from reaching the vertical plane of the touch-line by deflecting it, with his hand, backwards and in-field.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 4)    Reds kick the ball, from their 10-metre line towards touch.  Just before the ball reaches the vertical plane of the touch-line it is caught by a Blue player, who has one foot on the field of play and one foot on the touch-line.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 5)   Reds kick off from the centre at the start of the match.  When ball is above the 5-metre line and two metres short of Blues’ 10-metre line, a Blue player, who has advanced from behind his 10-metre line, is the first to play the ball.  It then slips from his hands and goes backwards into touch, one metre short of the 10-metre line.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 6)    Reds kick for touch from outside their own 22-metre area and the ball travels beyond the touch-line and in the air.  A Blue player dives from in-field of the touch-line and, whilst in the air, deflects the ball backwards, directly into the field-of-play.  He then lands in touch.  (When he played the ball, he had one foot above the touchline and one above the field of play.)  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 7)    Reds kick from within their 22-metre area and the ball sails into touch on the half way line.  The ball hits a floodlight pole 10 metres beyond the touch-line and bounces to a Blue winger, by now standing in touch near his 10-metre line.  He picks it up and takes a quick throw-in.  What should the Assistant Referee do now? 

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• 8)    Reds win a line-out near their own goal line.  The ball is not controlled and lands in in-goal, one foot over the goal line and one foot from touch-in-goal.  The Blue hooker, who was onside at the line-out, dives forward, flattens the corner post and places his hand on top of the ball with the remainder of his body lying on the ground in touch-in-goal.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 9)    Reds take a penalty kick on Blues’ 22 and kick for the corner.  The ball crosses the touch-line 3 metres from the corner post, straightens and first lands on the touch-in-goal line.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

• 10)  A kick by Reds, from within their 22, is heading towards the touch-line.  A Blue player, who is running in touch, jumps in the air to prevent the ball from reaching the vertical plane of the touch-line by deflecting it, with his hand, backwards and in-field.  When he made contact with the ball, he had one foot above the touch line and one above touch.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 11)   The Blue winger carrying the ball is held by his opposite number, who also gets his hands on the ball.  Other players arrive and a maul is formed.  The force of these players arriving causes the maul to tumble sideways into touch on Reds’ 22 metre line with both wingers still holding the ball.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 12)   The Blue winger is dribbling the ball on the ground.  As he crosses the half way line he kicks the ball, which is within the field-of-play with his left foot, whilst his right foot is on the touch-line.  The ball then bounces before it crosses the touch-line on Reds’ 10 metre line.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 13)    Blues kick for touch from outside their own 22-metre area and the ball travels beyond the touch-line and in the air.  A Red player, who is well into touch, jumps towards the pitch and, whilst in the air, deflects the ball backwards, directly into the field-of-play.  He then lands on the pitch.  (When he played the ball, he had both feet above the field of play.)  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

• 14)      Reds kick a long ball which bounces over the touch-line inside Blues’ 22.  The Blue full-back picks up the ball (which has not been touched by anyone else) and takes a quick, straight throw in, 1 metre in front of the corner post, to his winger standing 7 metres from touch.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 15)    Reds grub-kick towards Blues’ corner.  A Blue player tries to collect the ball but fumbles it onto the corner post, from where it bounces into in-goal.  It is immediately grounded there by a Red onside player.  What should the Assistant Referee do now?

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• 16)    A conversion kick goes directly over the top of a post.  What should the Assistant Referee, responsible for that post, do now?

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• 17)    At a conversion attempt, a defending player charges after the kicker has started his run-up and manages to get a hand to the ball.  The ball deviates but still creeps over the bar.  Has the kick been successful or not?

If you've managed that, the answers will be here just before the Jersey game (so we can "help" whichever hapless soul has the job on the day.

Happy new year.