IT was a bizarre incident that left everyone at Marcellin Park including the referees scratching their heads.
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In the first half of Maitland's win over Hamilton, Blacks fly-half Hare Meihana launched a penalty attempt from 40 metre.
The kicked was pushed to the right of the posts but before it landed an over enthusiastic ball boy ran into the in goal and caught the ball which was still in play.
It was as though time stopped.
Referee Richard Parker blew his whistle, but neither he, the players or fans knew what to do next.
After consulting with his touch judges for about 30 seconds, Parker ruled a scrum with a Hamilton feed from where Meihana took the kick.
Was that the correct call? Should it have been a 22m drop kick, a goalline drop out, five metre scrum or kick retake.
Hunter referees boss Rob Delboux was at the ground and wasn't sure himself. He went to NSW Rugby and Australian Rugby to get the right ruling.
"No one had ever seen anything like that before," Delboux said. "I flicked it on to various people at Rugby Australia. Everyone was happy that the scrum went to Hamilton where the ball was last in play because it was a Maitland ballboy. The correct ruling is a 22m drop out by Hamilton. Richard had never seen anything like that in 200 first-grade games and neither had I."
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James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
