ouch Judges.

The great majority of the hundreds who patrol the touchlines at most club matches each
weekend are willing volunteers, who have probably started the chore because there was
no one else prepared to step forward. All but a few have learned the trade by experience
and advice from those around them, few have had any training (perhaps many would
not want any). The remainder of the countrys flag wavers are mainly referees, ex-
referees and trained touch judges. Most rugby people would not profess to knowing (or
maybe not wanting to know) an awful lot about refereeing, and there are probably even
less who have a yearning to an in-depth knowledge of touch judging. For those who have
never tried it, it is not as easy as it looks. Ask the two international referees who ran the
line in this seasons England v. Ireland match!

For a start, there is the problem of running (or strolling) along the touchline without being
impeded by coaches, replacement players, spectators who have leaned so far on the rope
that they are also on the touchline, water carriers or their water bottle containers with the
sharp edges that always bite the shins or the soft spots just above boot top level. My most
alarming experiences as a TJ on a cramped touchline were a bicycle on its side with one
of its pedals pointing skywards within two feet of the line, a beer glass actually on the
line and a baby buggy, with child, again about two feet away and with a cup-match crowd
three deep behind it and the proud mother. Then, of course, there is the added problem of
the shouts from the spectators who believe that all TJs (more commonly referred to as
linesman, or even lino), like their colleague with the whistle, do not know the simple
laws covering situations when the ball is in touch. Then there are the TJs own problems
caused by doubt in their minds as to how far they can help the referee in areas other than
raising their flags, or not. Some refs will ask for help from the TJ by showing the players
where the 10-metre line is at lineouts, or at penalty or free kicks, and some may go
further than this.

From a touch judge coachs point of view, the most relevant advice I could give a club TJ
would be to ensure that his area of patrol is as safe and impediment-free as he, the referee
Copyright © Rugby Football Union & Clive Leeke, 2006.
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and the club can make it. To give him any comprehensive advice on the Laws of the
Game covering touch would take too long and probably cause a response of something on
the lines of, You must be joking! I mentioned the simple laws above. Most spectators
probably think they are simple. They are not, and believe me, because of the vagaries of
them, there are often quite heated discussions on this topic, even between experienced
National Panel TJs of several years standing. If any layperson is intrigued enough, or any
club TJ keen enough, there are RFU Touch Judging courses available that will help in
understanding them. The modules of this course designed for the Club TJ last for only
about two and a half hours. Contact your local Referees Society if you are interested.

Just to give a very brief outline of the basic laws; there are two main instances which
deem that the ball is in touch. One is when it is travelling freely through the air, usually
after it has been kicked. It is deemed to be in touch when it hits the touchline or the
ground beyond it or any object or person in these positions. (So, the banana kick, where it
crosses the touchline in the air and then bends, or is blown, back over the pitch, is not
touch. Couldnt they use that one to good purpose in soccer? It would make play more
continuous, not just with balls not going into touch, but with all those swinging corner
kicks that go beyond the goal line, swerve and then land in the penalty area.)

The second instance of touch in our game is when a player carrying the ball touches the
touchline or the ground beyond it (or occasionally, the corner post). Sounds simple
enough, and it usually is. It gets complicated when a player tries to stop the ball crossing
the touchline, or tries retrieving it after it has crossed the line. Touch then depends on
whether he taps the ball or catches it, whether his feet are in the field of play or in touch
when he does so, or where they are in relation to the touchline when he plays it if he
jumps in the air to do so. Once this has been decided, the decision then is which team
should throw it in and whether the throw in should be level with where it crossed the
touchline or level with the position from where it was kicked. Unfortunately, simple it is
not.

Society Referees as Touch Judges.

When appointed by their Society to run touch, their main duties are the same as the club
TJ in indicating touch, touch in in-goal and successful penalty kicks at goal and
conversions after a try has been scored, plus the added responsibility of identifying and
reporting incidents of foul play to the referee. Any other assistance given to the referee
should not interfere with these priorities. These other tasks can include giving advisory
signals to indicate forward passes, knocks on, offsides which affect play and, in down
time when the ball is dead, informing the referee of general trends in the game. Advisory
is stressed, because that is what this information is; the referee does not have to act on
this information. The only times the referee has to act on a TJs actions is when the TJ
uses his flag and he only does that to signal touch, goals and conversions kicked and foul
play.


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3

Most Referee Societies, if they have the referees to spare, will appoint referees to run the
line in local cup matches. This can cause a dilemma for those running the line and for the
referee. For most regular referees, running the line is such an unfamiliar role and is,
believe it or not, so very different a job from refereeing. Just take the foul play role for a
starter. Because, again believe it or not, all referees are human beings and are therefore
not clones; an incident perceived by one TJ to be worthy of reporting to the referee may
not be seen in exactly the same light as another inexperienced referee-TJ or, indeed, by
the referee for that match. This can cause doubt in the mind of a TJ not wanting to
interfere with the referees game but also wanting to bring justice to the game himself.
From the perspective of the match referee, refereeing with TJs can also be an unfamiliar
situation and can put extra pressure on him, especially if the TJs are not as experienced in
their roles as he is in his.

Before being able to report foul play to the referee, the TJ has first to have seen it. If the
incident is near to the referee, the referee himself will probably have seen it sufficiently
well to have dealt with it. For the inexperienced TJ, if the incident is near the referee, he
will probably have seen it as well. If it is not near to the referee, the inexperienced TJ will
probably not see it. Why not? Because, like most of us, he likes to watch a game of rugby
and, in so doing, will spend most of the time watching the area near the ball.

Not only will their eyes be looking in the wrong direction, but the TJs positioning will
probably be in the wrong place to give the referee the best support. Touch judging needs
the TJ to be a team player, the main responsibility being to support the referee in
managing the game and the referee is the leader of this team.

From a coaching point of view, trying to find ways of changing the mind set from that of
a refereeing role to that of an effective TJ can be very difficult. Most referees will have
spent years watching the ball when they were players and watching the play around the
ball as referees and the same when they have had time to watch a match as a spectator.

To watch as much of the pitch as possible, TJs are encouraged to triangulate. For
example, at kicks in open play and when play moves away after scrums, lines out, rucks
or mauls, the TJ on the touch line towards which the ball is played will follow the ball
upfield and become the leading touch judge. The further (trailing) touch judge will not
follow the play but hold back to mark the place of the kick and to watch for foul play in
the area from where play has just moved and watch the area as long as there is any
likelihood of misconduct by players still close to opponents. It takes a strong will to
maintain this position and to resist the temptation to watch the area of play near the ball
in the new phase of play further upfield.

Another skill that is difficult to master in this unfamiliar role is that of concentration. Do
referees not concentrate, you may be asking? Of course they do, but it is different for
them. Paul Dixs article (also published this week) covers this point by saying that a
referee is constantly making decisions whereas a TJ may be out of the game for long
periods of time and then suddenly back in it again.
Copyright © Rugby Football Union & Clive Leeke, 2006.
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RFU Panel of National Touch Judges.

This panel is recruited and managed by the RFU Referee Department (Steve Savages
article also published this week) and officiates at National League matches and cup
matches. Panel TJs are expected to be accurate with their decisions and to understand the