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First arriving player from defending team vs ruck formed

Umaga's Witness

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Do I have the rules wrong? I vaguely remember in the past they changed somethubg in the rules but I can't find it now, it seems to be straightforward that a ruck is formed when a player from each team are in contact over the ball.

Refs often will say someone has rights because they are the first arriving player, even if they are only the first from the defending team but there is a player from the attacking team over the ball and in contact with the arriving defending player.

For example itoje getting the turnover when Russell was bound to him. Is that not a ruck? Often you can forgive a ref because it isn't clear, but in many cases like this there were seconds between the ruck forming and the defending player getting their hands on the ball. Or is there some special rule I am missing? Edit: this may not be a good example, because after seeing a video on reddit the ball may have been out of the ruck. Also wasn't really seconds, I think I was missing my memories here (have illness excuse). Yet this sort of thing happens all the time when the ball is definitely not out of the ruck.

Can we make the rules clearer because refs are constantly ruling that the first arriving defending player can go for the ball no matter what, and it's confusing and I think not the rules intent. Or do we just need the refs to be better?

Also the second player sometimes is allowed to come in, ignore that there are players from both teams bound, and win the ball.

On a completely different matter, what's the point in having the rule that the tackled player needs to roll away if it is literally never officaited?
 
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I'm no ref, but my understanding is the the first defender in is allowed to challenge for the ball.
If they're the first defender in, then by definition there isn't already a ruck formed. Bear in mind that players off their feet are out of the game, and don't count.

The tackled player doesn't need to roll away, the tackler does, and it's only ever not enforced if it's because attacking players are preventing them from rolling away.
 

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