Just saw some questions on the web which are involved in the match officials exam.

To see who knows the rules and for a bit of fun I thought I'd I'll put a couple on here.

1.Team ‘A’ drop out from their own 20-metre line. The ball travels up field, bouncing in the field of play and then proceeds to go dead.

How is play restarted?

2. Player ‘A’ is stood in the in-goal area. A member of team ‘B’ kicks the ball, which rolls into the in-goal area and hits the ‘A’ team player’s legs. The ball rolls forward and stops in the in-goal area. A team mate of ‘A’, who was standing in the field of play when the ball hit player ‘A’ runs back into the in goal area and proceeds to pick up the ball.

What is the Referees’ decision?

3. The ball is kicked down field by team ‘A’. A player from team ‘B’ is stood with one foot over the dead ball line and one foot in the in-goal area. Whilst the ball is still moving, player ‘B’ places his hand on the ball and touches the ball down in their own in-goal area.

How and where would play restart?

I'll post answers in a while

1 Scrum to the side that kicked the ball where it bounced out.

*Note to the Touch Judge* IT NEEDS TO BOUNCE FIRST YOU BLIND BAT

2 Not sure

3 Player was out of play at the time, so Tap on the 20.

I’ll go with

1. 20m tap (if you mean it went dead over the in goal not over the touchline in which case scrum with feed to the team who dropped out)

2. Play on

3. 20m tap

2 play on as i think you cant be offside ingoal?

1. drop out from the none kicking team I think

2. sounds like accidental offside to me

3. 20m tap, he makes the ball dead by touching it...

Does it

1: Drop out by team B

2: Offside because he came from the field of play, penalty 10 out and in front of the posts. If they had both been in goal when the ball was touched then it would be play on.

3: Tap on the 20

Pretty sure 1 and 3 are right. Not 100% on 2 but that would be my interpretation.

1. Drop out from underneath the sticks. For the receiving team of the 20m drop out.

2. Play on because the ball wasn't played at.

3. 20m tap

1) Drop out

2) For some reason, I have the urge to say drop out again but I get the feeling it will be a penalty.

3) 20m tap.

1, Srum awarded to team A where the ball went out, 20 meters in.

2, Goal line drop out.

3, Tap on 20 meter line.

1) Goal line drop out
2) Play on (can't be offside in your own in-goal)
3) Goal line drop out (if a player makes the ball dead whilst straddling his own dead-ball line it is a drop out instead of a 20m tap, a strange exception to the normal rules regarding players out of play)

Not convinced about 1 but I suspect it is the same as if a kick off goes dead after bouncing in the field of play.

Reminds me of the situation on Sunday when Huddersfield kicked a penalty into touch in-goal. All the Huddersfield players lined up for a 20m tap, had any Wakey players been more awake they could kicked the 20m drop out quickly to get it to bounce into touch.

1. 20m optional restart. You cannot have a drop out from a drop out.

2. Play on, players can not be offside in their own in-goal.

3. 20m optional restart, defender is already classed as out of play.

I know the LAWS and know nothing of the rules

1. As it is a drop out the rules for this is probably different from a kick in general play so I would say a tap on te 20 to team B

2. Play on because the ingoal area I believe isn't classed as being part of the field of play so therefore the teammate can't be offside.

3. Player B is in touch so when he touches the ball that is seen to be in touch as well so it's a 20 metre tap.

Hmmmm now it all depends if Wigan are involved in the game or not

1. 20m restart.

IIRC the drop out from ball going dead scenario only applies to halfway restarts not drop-outs.

2. Play on

Since the "offside" player goes back into the in-goal where he can't be offside. If the ball was the other side of the try line he would be offside and be penalised.

3. Drop out

IIRC they changed the rules a few years ago to stop straddling the dead ball line and taking the ball dead. Id be interested to know what decision would be given if both feet were over the dead ball line rather than just 1?

Versus Wigan

1. Penalty on the 10m line in front of oppositions posts to Wigan for kicking ball too close to Sam Tomkins

2 Sin Bin kicker for deliberalty attempting to injure Sam Tomkins, Penalty to Wigan


3 Play on, Penalty try to Wigan if anyone attempts to stop Sam Tomkins gaining yards down field

1. Don't know
2. Play on, can't be offside in your own in goal
3. drop out, as said they changed the rules to stop the ball being shuffled dead. This is an exception to the normal rule, and only applies to kicks in general play. Kick offs still follow the old rule.

Team B to drop out from under their own posts. A drop out is a way of restarting play just as a kick off from halfway is, so presumably the ruling is the same?


Play on. A player cannot be offside in his own in-goal. By running back into the in-goal before picking the ball up, he's put himself back onside.


20m place kick (tap)

SBR is right im pretty sure.
Re: number 3 they changed the rules in about 00ishhhh as it was getting a bit daft

I'll go with this.

1 - Drop out.

2 - I'll say play on, as i'm sure you can't be offside in the in-goal area.

3 - Tap 20.

3. Is 100% tap twenty, Briers did it in a game and i recall the commentary, think it was Carney saying "Briers knows the rules better than some of the Refs in Super league"

That must have either been a mistake or before the rule was changed.

[i8 Kick off & Drop out


Drop-out from Goal line 4. The game is restarted with a drop-out by a defending player from the centre of his goal line if:

(i) where a kick is made dead by a defending player straddling the dead ball line or touch in goal line. [/i

He took the ball with one foot over the dead ball line (deliberately) and we retained the ball, that's all i remember.