Reduce penalty count for jacklars

A lot has been made of the referee’s interpretations of what defenders are allowed to do to steal the ball. Whatever YOUR interpretation, the only interpretation of what’s legal is the referee’s. Make sure they are in no doubt that your ball poachers are within their rights.

Around the mid 2000s the term “jackler” was coined. It referred to a defender stealing the ball at the tackle situation. A “tackle turnover” has now become such a badge of honour that every player wants to have a go. The trouble is that, in attempting the steal, players go off their feet or fail to complete the action legally, leaving referees no alternative but to penalise them.

First, let’s set the record straight. Referees play by the same law book, whether they are from north or south of the equator. What they see as right or wrong depends on how they see it at that moment.

You know very well that the referee does not change their mind after they have blown the whistle. And, if they are consistent, then they will continue to interpret the tackle contest the same way throughout the match.

PLAYING THE REFEREE

Now we are clear on that, we have to make our players ready to play to how the referee views the breakdown, not what we believe is right. In fact, sometimes the coaches make sure their players have not “jackled” for the first 20 minutes of the match while they have assessed what the referee wants.

However, there are clear signals we can send to the referee to make sure they are completely happy with the way we play:

1. The “poacher” has to be on their feet.

2. There has to be clear daylight between themselves and the tackled player before they go for the ball. If they have been part of the contact, they should wave their arms in the air or clap to signal to the referee that they are not engaged.

3. They have to be able to retain their own weight. That means they can take their hands off the ground and not fall over. The key technique here is a wide base, bending at the knees with good flexibility around the hips and strong core.

Use the two activities on the next two pages to develop the right body shape to poach the ball and then to win the race for the ball.