What happens if a Super Rugby Semi ends in draw?

What happens if one of the Super Rugby semifinals this week ends in a draw? With two tight contests between the Crusaders and Blues in Christchurch on Friday and then Chiefs-Brumbies in Hamilton the following night you wouldn’t rule it out.

The match goes to extra time.

But what happens if the match is drawn at the end of extra time?

The match goes to a 10 minute 'sudden death' period.

But what happens if the scores are level at the end of the 10 minute sudden death period?

I'm glad you asked. Then, we enter into the mythical realm of the 'kicking competition'. If you're a neutral rugby fan, this is the result you want.

Sanzaar's playoff rules state a place-kick competition using five kickers from each team will be the vehicle to determine the winner of the match.

Such a scenario has only unfolded twice in first class rugby history, in, you guessed it, the northern hemisphere. The first occasion was in the 2009 Heineken Open semifinal between Cardiff and Leicester, which remained level at 26-26 following 80 minutes and the conclusion of extra time.

Four of Cardiff's kickers successful in their shots at goal, before Leicester's fourth attempt was missed by Johne Murphy.

Tom James then stepped up for the chance to win the game for Cardiff but sent his attempt wide, with the shoot-out continuing before Cardiff's Martyn Williams missed, allowing Leicester No8 Jordan Crane to bang over the winner.

The latest kicking competition occurred just last season when Toulouse beat Munster 4-2 in the European Cup quarter-final after the sides were tied at 24-24 after extra-time. Munster missed three of their five attempts with Ben Healy responsible for two of the failed kicks.

Despite the incredibly slim chance of a kicking competition taking place in a Super Rugby playoff match the rules are incredibly detailed.

But, should Friday or Saturday produce the closest Super Rugby playoff match in history, here are the rules in full:

c) Kicking Competition – if the match is still tied at the end of sudden death, the Referee will conduct a place kicking competition to determine the winner of the match, according to the following procedures:

i) All Players and Match officials will remain on the Playing Area. The Referee will call the captains of the two teams together and will conduct

a coin toss. The winner of the coin toss then may either choose which Team kicks first (in which case the loser chooses the end at which all place kicks will be taken) or choose the end at which all place kicks will be taken (in which case the loser chooses which Team kicks first).

ii) Each Team must nominate five Players to take part in the competition. Only Players on the Playing Area at the final whistle of Sudden Death may be nominated. No substituted Players, injury-replaced Players or Players who have been shown a red card may take part at any time. For clarification purposes, any Player who has received a yellow card and who remains in the sin bin at the time of the final whistle of Sudden Death may not take part in the place kick competition. The order in which the nominated Players will kick does not have to be predetermined.

iii) The Match Officials and the ten nominated Players (five from each team) will assemble on the halfway line. Team management and Players not nominated must remain behind the halfway line in the side of the Playing Area not used. No one other than the Match Officials, the Match Manager, two Ball persons and the participating Players are allowed in the part of the Playing Area being used for the competition (including around the Playing Area, behind the posts, etc).

iv) The five Players from each Team will place kick from three different points, all on the 22-metre line, as follows:

First point: directly in front of the posts

Second point: on the 15-metre line on the left hand side facing the posts

Third point: on the 15 metre line on the right hand side facing the posts

v) The Referee will start the competition by calling the first Player selected from the Team kicking first to the first kicking point. Once the Player has taken the place kick, the Referee calls a Player from the opposing Team to take his place kick from the same point.

vi) The next two Players (one from each Team) will place kick from the second point in turn. This will continue until all five Players from each Team have place kicked (the next players place kicking respectively from the third point, the first point and finally the second point), or until one Team is unable to equal the score of the other Team within the remaining number of kicks (at which time the Referee will declare the winner).

vii) If there are an equal number of successful kicks once each Team has completed its five place kicks, the competition continues on a ‘sudden death’ basis, following the same order of kickers used in the first five kicks.

viii) The competition will continue two kickers at a time (one from each Team), going progressively through the three kicking points as stated above (and repeating the process if necessary) until one player succeeds with a place kick and the player from the other Team taking the same place kick misses it. Once this occurs, the Team of the player who succeeded with the place kick will be declared the winner. Each of these additional kicks shall be taken by the same 5 players in rotation.

ix) Throughout the place-kicking competition:

a) Once a Player has positioned the ball on the kicking tee, he must take the kick within one minute. Should he take longer, the Referee shall declare the kick unsuccessful.

(b) After each kick, the Referee records the number of the Player and whether or not the attempt was successful. The Sideline Manager / Substitution Recorder will record the same details on the official Match report.

(c) Whether or not the kick is successful in each case is the sole decision of the Referee, who may at his sole discretion rely on the assistance of his assistant Referees. The Referee’s decision shall be final and binding.

(d) Once a Player has completed their place kick, they shall return to stand with their Team behind the halfway line in the side of the playing area not used.

And now you know.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission