2025 New CROC Roll Foul Play Referee PROCESS

Great Visual put together by Dr. Amelia Luciano on referee process for sanctioning a croc/gator roll (which is now an illegal form of removing a player from the ruck). Reminder:
A player must not clean out by:
-Wrapping/grabbing of the arm around the head or neck and twisting to the side.
-Using a choke hold with an arm wrapped around the throat area in a tight and forceful manner.
That type of removal of a player (croc roll or not) from the ruck that uses the head or neck area is liable to sanction and possibly a YC/RC depending on the severity. Further explanation below the graphic.

When is it NOT FOUL PLAY?

-A drive or pull to the side with no weight dropping near the jacklers lower limbs.

When is it FOUL PLAY?

Cleaner laterally rolls/twists or pulls the jackler past the initial point of contact forward, creating a risk of dropping weight on the lower limbs or a dangerous hyper extension.

a. Twisting action - Wraps and rolls/twists jackler, dropping weight onto/near lower limbs

b. Pulling action - Pulling jackler and dropping weight onto/near lower limbs

Roll/twist or pull with no contact to lower limbs = Penalty

Roll/twist or pull with contact to lower limbs, or knee twisted/jammed = Yellow (minimum)

To determine the level of danger for upgrade to 20min RC we need to assess:

Where the cleaner finishes the action (dropping on/through jacklers leg is often high danger)

Speed and force of the cleaner's action

Risk of hyper extension of leg

Other factors influencing/mitigating the situation (e.g. tacklers, 2nd cleaners)