Teaser

A player's ball lies against a board at the base of an out of bounds fence

A player's ball lies against a board at the base of an out of bounds fence. He swings a club from the out of bounds side of the fence against the board, i.e. swings at the ball with the board intervening between the club and the ball. The stroke moves the board which causes the ball to move away from the fence. Is such a stroke permissible? Answer: Yes. The player fairly struck at the ball, even though other material intervened between the club and the ball. The definition of "Out of Bounds" allows a player to "stand out of bounds to play a ball lying within bounds."

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • What’s making headlines in the rugby world? Listen to The Counter Ruck podcast with Nathan Johns

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered to your phone