photo by Ian Lovell

Wales and Scotland have agreed to make an amendment to the rule book to ensure that this Sunday’s World Cup Qualifying decider has the fairest possible outcome if the sides are deadlocked on aggregate after 80 minutes.

The match, which kicks off at 2pm, can be seen live on Sky Sports.

The Scots lead 21-14 after the first leg in Bridgend last year going into the return clash in Glasgow and, if the Welsh turn the tables by an identical score line, and with the same record of tries, goals and penalties, the overall winners would have been determined by the toss of a coin.

Now, in such an eventuality, for one of the sides to book their place to Australia in 2008 they are going to have to score a ‘golden point’.

The re-written bye-law now states, “The Referee will coordinate a coin toss, with the winner electing either a preferred choice of end or the right to kick off.  The first period of extra time will be 5 minutes maximum after which time the teams will change ends and the receiving team from the first period will kick off the next period. Play will continue until a point or points are scored. The Referee will blow full time immediately any point is scored.  If the Golden Point is a try, there will be no conversion attempt.”

Commenting on the agreement, RLWC Qualifying (Europe) Tournament Director Graeme Thompson noted, “There is a huge will between these fierce Celtic rivals that honour should only be fully satisfied on the field of play. Obviously, both sides are mindful that, with so much at stake, that in case of this scenario this is the best and most noble way to decide who gets the automatic spot.”

The Welsh squad are currently in their training camp in Port Talbot following their 50-10 win over Papua New Guinea last Sunday, and fly up to Scotland on Friday.

article by Ian Golden
30 October 2007