Lineout

Pre Lineout

Be there first and at the front. This allows you to manage the arriving players, setting gaps etc. Mark distance in for front player in lineout.

Get both sides in lineout formation – gaps – slow it down in young age groups.

Check backs are back 10m and players not involved in the lineout are in the correct positions.

Opposition thrower is in 2m x 2m position.

Make sure you can see players in the lineout & the throwers.

Lineout

Ball to be thrown in correctly. This varies in age groups. Check requirements for each age that you referee.

Watch for foul play – pushing, shoving, grabbing opponents arms etc.

Players back 10m (backs) not to move up until lineout is complete.

Players in lineout – offside, jumping (moving) across the line of touch etc.

As the ball moves away from the lineout, move with ball so that when it is passed by the half back you’re moving with it.

Lineout Set Up Checklist

1. a) Has a Lineout formed? A quick throw cannot be taken after this point.
2. b) Ensure the correct team throws in the ball.
3. c) The player at the front of each line can assist in getting the correct gap.
4. d) Is there a non-throwing hooker standing in the right place?
5. e) All players not in the lineout are 10 metres back.
6. f) The player throwing in is on the line-of-touch – no deviation to one side to advantage their team.

Referee’s Position

There are many things which can go wrong in a lineout for the referee to manage which are all more important than a crooked throw. Therefore your positioning must be such that you have the best view of all participants in the lineout and what they are doing, not the throw. So, do NOT stand next to the thrower at the front or in the middle of the lineout at the back. The closer to the line of touch, the less you see as bodies come together at the throw in. You should be positioned on the same side of the lineout as the team throwing in the ball, a few metres off the line of touch, at either the front or the back. The referee may need to take into account the position of the sun when deciding on the front or the back. A referee might referee from the back if they were concerned about defending players crossing the 15m line early, if they wanted to better manage the defensive backs, or if the lineout is in an attacking situation. Refereeing from the front gives you a better authority awareness with the players because you are in their faces. At the front, you should be roughly opposite the non-throwing hooker. At either the front or the back you should be roughly in line with the scrum-half of the team throwing in the ball. 

Lineout Play Checklist

1. a) No baulking by the thrower.
2. b) Players jumping early and/or across the line-of-touch.
3. c) The ball is not prevented from travelling 5-metres.
4. d) Correct support in the lineout (e.g. U13-U15 on the shorts only).
5. e) No interference with the jumper in the air. Sacking the jumper is OK if done immediately they land on the ground.
6. f) No sacking of lifters.
7. g) No obstruction by the lifters (i.e. blocking opponents from playing the jumper).
8. h) As a team forms a maul, no ‘long transfer’ by the jumper to the back.
9. i) All lineout players staying within the 15m line until the lineout is over.
10. j) Last feet of a maul crossing the line-of-touch before the backs advance across the 10-metre line.
11. k) Know when a lineout ends and when players not in the lineout can advance. 

Taken (in Part) from:
Refereeing in Practice 2020 pp: 22-23