Is advantage lasting longer?

Our f or mer match of f icial looks at t he issue of let ting play continue af t er an inf ringement

SEVERAL SPORTS have a law for ‘advantage’ that allows play to continue in the hope that a team can capitalise on an opponent’s error or infringement. In rugby football before 1875, team captains were responsible for deciding if play could continue. It’s no surprise disagreements led to the introduction of a neutral ref!

The advantage law (Law 7) is designed to keep the game flowing and referees have wide-ranging discretion in its application. They must decide if any advantage is tactical, territorial or both.

The ‘opportunity’ to gain advantage is not enough and it’s usually not in the game’s interest to play advantage when none is there. Like many decisions, the application of advantage is more art than science, a feeling, a subjective view of an incident in a specific game.

It’s not one size fits all, although it’s fair to suggest from a scrum infringement that two phases of play should suffice. For a penalty, longer should be given although referees must exercise caution playing advantage after foul play!

Some have questioned whether recently we’ve seen longer taken for advantage. In the Gloucester-Harlequins match, the hosts went 30m upfield from an infringement and almost scored, but for a knock-on over the line. A yellow card was given and we still went all the way back for a penalty.

It’s easy to blow too early, and equally frustrating to let play go on for too long. Refs must get it right and communicate clearly to the players when advantage is on or over. Ultimately, it’s down to skill, experience and everyone’s mood.

Advantage is a fine line and, as is so often the case, the referee is only noticed when they get it wrong.