World Rugby Application of laws for sevens rugby tournaments.
This memo and the information below is intended to help develop an understanding between players, coaches and officials on how the laws of the game are expected to be applied for the approaching Sevens tournaments, and to assist in playing and officiating Sevens in your respective Unions.
The material in this memo has been generated through consultation with officials and coaches, including Paddy O’Brien, World Rugby High Performance Sevens Referee Manager, and Paddy McNally, World Rugby Sevens Referee Selector.
It is worth noting that the laws are intended to reward the team that is most effectively applying the Principles of the Game (contesting possession, continuity of attack, applying pressure, etc). Officials attempt to judge each situation by which team is legally dominating the situation through superior force, tactics, or numbers. This means that, in some situations, committing an offence might not lead to a penalty, depending on how it affects the opposition. For example, a tackled player that takes the “Squeeze Ball”
position might not be penalised if there are no defenders contesting possession, but is more likely to be penalised if taking that position hinders a defender that was attempting to get the ball.
Below is a video generated by Paddy O’Brien to prepare the officials for the 2014-15 Sevens World Series. Although not all of the clips will apply at every tournament, it provides a good resource for players, coaches and officials to prepare themselves.
2014-15 Sevens Technical Laws Video: http://play.buto.tv/l98Ts
It is hoped that this video is self-explanatory. Please contact Laws@RFU.com if you have any questions or seek clarification.