Point of clarification from the dragons match

[pwrmoore]

Somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes in, with the score at 7-3 to Ulster play broke down straight in front of the posts in the Dragons half about 30 metres out. At the time I thought the ref had awarded Ulster a penalty by the position of his arm but ulster seemed to opt for a scrum rather than take the 3 points on offer. Was I wrong? Was it not a penalty but only a Dragons knock-on? Or did we spurn 3 almost certain points for a dubious chance pf 5 or 7?

[cables]

Don't know which was awarded and as there is a scrum option for both the decision does not throw any light either.

[Rooster]

The position of the refs arm seemed to have very little bearing on what he was actually doing, perhaps he was trying to keep himself balanced, who knows what the answer is pwr, the players probably didn't know either at the time

[pwrmoore]

Was just hoping someone else remembered - it happened closer to where you stand cables. I remember thinking we'd been awarded a penalty as McPherson seemed to have his arm in the air. But I was absolutely stunned to see us take a scrum. It was the easiest 3 points we seemed to be offered all night and if we turned it down for a go at the line it was criminal. If it was a knock-on then we effectively had no choice and so it would be understandable.

From that scrum we turned over posession and shortly after that we gifted the dragons a penalty to close the gap to a single point. If it was the result of a decision to opt for a scrum then that was a criminal squandering of 3 almost certain points.

[Snipe Watson]

I don't remember any such incident. If Ulster had beennawarded a penalty and taken a scrum, I think I probably would remember. But I could be wrong.

[rosetintedgoggles]

Remember the incident and you are correct. We also chose to kick into the corner later on in teh half. The number one priority is to put points on the board and demoralise the opposition before turning the screw later on in the match. It was almost as if we thought the bonus point was on from the start. You only go for the bonus point when the game is won.

After all this is the mistake that EOS made during the WC against the minnows of Namibia and Georgia when Irelands ineptitude at the lineout and loose gave the opposition hope. Had they kicked the penalties they were given the games would have been over by halftime and the bonus point secured in the second half.

We need to win games by scoring points when the opportunity presents itself. Under the ELVs the lineout is no longer a given and we should not kick away posession on the offchance that we might score and extra 2 or 4 points.

[The FRU]

The one which PWR is referring to was a free kick not a full penalty. The scrum was the correct decision in my opinion.

[bogboy]

Ulster were given a free kick not a penalty as THE FRU have stated

the free kick has a similiar arm action but should be bent at the elbow

a kick to touch from a free kick goes to the opposition thus returning possession to them if the quick tap is not available then the safest option is the scrum

[pwrmoore]

If it was a free kick then the scrum was the correct option. I thought I saw the ref signal a penalty but it could have been a free.