2023-09-10 19:23:57
Also called “spontaneous scrum”, the ruck is an essential phase of the game of rugby. For us to be able to talk about a ruck, at least two opponents must compete for the ball which is on the ground, while remaining on their supports (they must be on their feet). The ruck ends when the ball is expelled from the regroup.
Regulations completely revised in 2005
A ruck can therefore occur at any time and in any place on the field, it is not the referee who decides. Once the ruck is formed – the man with the whistle announces it loudly – no player is allowed to scrape the ball off the ground with their hands. If the ball carrier falls to the ground, he must drop it. On the other hand, the “rucking”, that is to say the action of disputing the ball with the feet, is authorized. Another way to defend a ruck is to perform a collective push: the players participating in the action must be linked to each other, by the arm and shoulders.
Rucks frequently result in penalties. Their regulations were completely revised in 2005: the objective of this reform was to prevent players from “diving” on the ball in groupings, which is dangerous. Since 2005, they have not only had to remain on their supports to compete for the ball but they are not allowed to enter the ruck from the side. They must engage in regrouping by passing ” through the door “that is to say in the axis of the ruck and necessarily of the part of the field where his team plays.
A highly strategic phase of play
Strategically, the ruck is the main event of the game, more than the touch or the scrum. There are almost ten times more rucks than scrums in international matches, hence the interest of the big nations. The New Zealanders and the Irish, in particular, are masters in the art of these phases of play. They seek to play them quickly to maintain constant offensive pressure on the opponent. Chaining three or four successive rucks forces the opponent to retreat, to replace themselves, to come and tackle. This has the effect of disturbing his defensive replacement and thus creating gaps in which attackers can rush.
Infographics : The worldVictoria Denys, Benjamin Martinez
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