BBC Rugby Union News: Obstruction Controversy Overshadows Challenge Cup Final
The Challenge Cup final between the Sharks and Gloucester was marred by a contentious obstruction incident that led to an air collision during a crucial moment in the match. Rugby union experts have called for a crackdown on a “loophole in the law” that allows some teams to exploit a specific tactic.
In the 37th minute, Sharks fly-half Adam Hastings delivered a high restart kick that was claimed by Aphelele Fassi. Replays showed that Fassi was very fortunate not to have been shown a yellow card earlier for taking out Gloucester’s Zach Mercer in the air.
As the ball hung in the air, three Sharks players – Phepsi Buthelezi, Francois Venter and Ethan Hooker – moved backwards towards the falling ball, positioning themselves between Fassi and the onrushing Gloucester winger Ollie Thorley. The trio formed a formidable “wall” in Thorley’s path, forcing the Gloucester player to collide with Venter, who in turn crashed into Fassi as he attempted to gather the high ball.
“Referee Mathieu Raynal initially awarded a penalty, but after reviewing the replay, decided that Thorley’s collision was unintentional and awarded a scrum to Gloucester instead, as Fassi had spilled the catch.”
While the decision not to penalize Thorley was deemed correct, rugby pundits have questioned whether the organized obstruction tactics employed by the Sharks should be addressed by World Rugby. The laws around obstruction, outlined in Law 9 and Law 10, appear to permit such maneuvers, as the Sharks players did not change direction or actively block Thorley, and were not yet offside when the incident occurred.
Experts have called for a clarification that would compel receiving teams to either actively play the ball or actively retreat from the path of chasers, in an effort to eliminate the type of coordinated obstructive tactics witnessed in this match. The rugby community is hopeful that such a change could help prevent similar dangerous collisions in the future.
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