Saturday February 10, 2023, Murrayfield Stadium.
Scotland and France passed the ball back and forth for several minutes from their 22m.
On one side, the 10 of the XV du Chardon, Finn Russell, and on the other Thomas Ramos and Matthieu Jalibert.
Exchanges of kicking play which contribute to the slowing down of the game, amplified by the absence of replacement of the players between the two kickers, almost immobile in the center of the field.
In reality, the two selections fell into a loophole in the World Rugby regulations.
A gray area spotted more than a year ago by Antoine Dupont, the scrum half of the Blues and Toulouse, leading to a situation today called “Dupont law”.
The two articles in question are articles 10.4 and articles 10.7.
The first stipulates that a player positioned in front of the openers cannot interfere in the game, a point known to all.
On the other hand, the second paragraph has changed the situation for several months, which the captain of the XV of France, absent from this 2024 Six Nations Tournament, understood well. The rule indicates that the players located between two kickers are put back into play They remain stationary more than ten meters from the ball carrier before he launches a new action, or if the player in possession of the ball completes five meters.
Bath very in tune with the Dupont loophole that states you can advance from an offside position once a catcher has traveled five meters.
When Will Muir finally does get a charge-down, though, Gloucester benefits from the ricochet.
Please can we close the loophole?
It's trashy.
pic.twitter.com/PZAao1Spvk
— Charlie Morgan (@CharlieFelix) January 7, 2024
A “scourge on gambling” law
Some teams therefore exploit this regulation to avoid tiring their forwards with incessant back and forth.
This gives rise to a multiplication of exchanges of kicks with the hope of gaining as much ground as possible, and somewhat unreal phases of play, where nearly 20 out of 30 players remain motionless.
The “Dupont law”, as it is called across the Channel, is thus at the center of criticism.
Scotland manager Gregor Townsend complained about the strategy:
"
France decided to adopt this long kicking tactic which is a scourge on the game, but it didn't put us under pressure
.
»
Nigel Owens, the former Welsh international referee, described the law as “grotesque”.
In the southern hemisphere, officials went further and decided to remove Article 10.7.
From now on, only article 10.4 will be applied.
“
Defenders will remain offside until they are put into play by a teammate behind the kicker, or by the kicker himself,” says
Super Rugby Pacific, the championship of the New Zealand provinces and the Pacific.
Super Rugby Pacific's latest Law Innovation will mean defenders remain offside until they have been put onside by a teammate who has come from behind the kicker, or the kicker themselves.
Read more: https://t.co/FiWCiEQgAb
— Super Rugby Pacific (@SuperRugby) February 13, 2024
The president of the competition, Kevin Malloy, believes that this development will help avoid absurd exchanges of kicks:
“
Recently, fans have spoken out about teams exploiting a loophole which allowed a large number of players to stand still while the kicks went over their heads in what some call “kick tennis.”
We don't think this is the spectacle our fans want to see at Super Rugby Pacific.
We want to give teams the opportunity to counter-attack with the ball in hand and we are confident that this change in the law will encourage this trend and encourage exciting, attacking rugby.
»
It remains to be seen whether the system will be extended to other international competitions.