1. Scrums, engage and resets
The Laws of the Game require us to settle scrum down in a sequence of Crouch, Hold, Engage. This has become crouch-'n-hold - pause - Engage! In some cases it becomes crouch'nholdengage - one word.

The pause before engage can vary in length.Presumably the reason for this ceremony is to settle the scrum down and avoid the tedium of resets and lessen the number of free-kick/penalty sanctions.

But is it working?

We are going to look at 10 recent Tests in the southern hemisphere involving Argentina (3), Australia (2), New Zealand (3), South Africa (3), Wales (2), France (3), Italy (1) and England (1).In those matches there were 154 scrums.

In those 154 scrums 63 were reset, 17 resulted in free-kicks, 12 resulted in penalties and four were wheeled requiring another scrum. In other words 96 required further action. 96 out of 154 is over 62 percent - more than half. That may be better than it was before all this ceremony but it's hardly ideal.

Look, also at the slowing down of the scrum. The referee stands at the mouth checking all sorts of things. Then he moves back, not necessarily with agility. Then the scrumhalf comes forward to present the ball, at which stage the scrum has collapsed.

Compound this with the reluctance of some referees to allow a quick tapped-kick and you have a cumbersome process of the game - ceremony, check, reset, and then hope that the ball can come into play. All that trouble for about 16 scrums a match!

Was it worse when we had my-ball-my-call for engagement? Would it be worse if the referee saw to the crouch-'n-hold and then let the players engage while he stood out of the way and let the scrumhalf put the thing immediately? That would get rid of that irregular pause before engage that gets one impatient side from getting in early and suffering the referee's free-kick wrath.

2. Injuries
While on the topic of time-wasting, what has happened to play on for injuries unless there is danger in some way? It was good to see the referee in Sydney bustling things on at injury and line-out time.

3. A ruck or not
Is theft wrong because the Ten Commandments say so or do the Ten Commandments say so because theft is wrong in terms of natural law? Certainly the latter.

Is it a ruck because the referee says so or because it is one in terms of rugby law? Certainly the latter.So what does the law require for a ruck? Here are some things from Law 16:
Definition A ruck is a phase of play where one or more players from each team, who are on their feet, in physical contact, close around the ball on the ground. Open play has ended.

1 FORMING A RUCK
Where: A ruck can take place only in the field-of-play.
How: Players are on their feet. At least one player must be in physical contact with an opponent.

SUMMARY
Ruck: Ball on the ground; needs at least two players on their feet, one from each team.

Remember:
a. ball on ground
b. players on feet.

Stirling Mortlock of Australia is tackled by Olivier Mage of France with a little assistance from Aurélien Rougerie. Mortlock goes to ground and is rolled over in the tackle so that he is lying on top of Magne, his back to Magne's front.The first player to arrive at the scene is big flank Sébastien Chabal, who leans down to get the ball which is in front of Mortlock who is holding onto it.

Other players then arrive.The whole affair happens far more quickly than you can read it. Do we have a ruck? No. The ball is not on the ground.

Is Chabal allowed to play it with his hands? Yes. Who is most likely to be penalisable? Mortlock. He is off his feet and holding onto the ball.The referee should not call Ruck in such a case, simply because it is not a ruck, simply because the ball is not on the ground.

Within moments of the sort of situation we have described, Chabal is again in action nearer his line as Daniel Vickerman of Australia sold a little dummy and stepped inside where Pierre Mignoni of France tackled him.

This time the ball was on the ground. This time a ruck was possible.Other players gathered. The referee then called that Chabal could play the ball because he was on his feet.He was as much on his feet as he was in the first incident.

Chabal could be forgiven for being confused if he had been penalised the first time! If it is a ruck when the ball is not on the ground but on a body, how does it become available?

People are not allowed to use their hands. Presumably they are then allowed to use their feet. That could be dangerous.

4. In the way, ref
Australia pass. The referee is in the way but evades the pass. Australia are in trouble as the ball bounces.Does the referee then stop the game and award a scrum to Australia?

Law 6:12 THE BALL TOUCHING THE REFEREE
(a) If the ball or the ball-carrier touches the referee and neither team gains an advantage, play continues.
(b) If either team gains an advantage in the field-of-play, the referee orders a scrum and the team that last played the ball has the throw-in.
(c) If either team gains an advantage in in-goal, if the ball is in possession of an attacking player the referee awards a try where the contact took place.
(d) If either team gains an advantage in in-goal, if the ball is in possession of a defending player, the referee awards a touchdown where the contact took place.

The Law, it seems, does not make allowance for the ball not touching the referee. It may be a kindness to have a scrum but it's not really in the Law, is it?

5. Off-side at a kick
The law does not allow a player in front of a kicker of his side to move ahead before he has come on-side. The place of the penalty is where he starts moving.But how does he come on-side?

Law 11:2 BEING PUT ON-SIDE BY THE ACTION OF A TEAM-MATE
In general play, there are four ways by which an off-side player can be put on-side by actions of that player or of team-mates;

(c) Action by the kicker or other on-side player. When the kicker, or team-mate who was level with or behind the kicker when (or after) the ball was kicked, runs in front of the off-side player, the player is put on-side.

That means that if Gérald Merceron kicks downfield and Aurélien Rougerie far out on the right-wing is level with or behind Merceron, Nicholas Brusque, in front of Merceron, is entitled to start running when Rougerie passes him.

It's certainly hard for a referee to have such wide vision. It takes a lot of self-discipline to do a wide scan in such circumstances.