The specific cases where an end must be replayed

Q: Who throws the jack for the replayed end?

📜 RÈGLEMENT FIPJP — QUI LANCE LE COCHONNET LORS DU REJEU "Quand une mène doit être rejouée, le cochonnet est lancé par l'équipe qui avait le droit de le lancer lors de la mène annulée. Si la mène est annulée parce que les deux équipes ont lancé un cochonnet nul (cas 4), c'est l'équipe qui avait le droit de lancer en premier qui lance à nouveau le cochonnet." Synthèse du règlement FIPJP. Se référer au texte officiel pour la formulation exacte. 📌 Le rejeu d'une mène ne remet pas les droits en jeu. L'équipe qui avait le droit de lancer le cochonnet (parce qu'elle avait gagné la mène précédente) garde ce droit pour le rejeu. Une mène annulée n'est pas une mène perdue — elle est comme si elle n'avait pas eu lieu. Les droits issus de la mène encore plus ancienne restent.

Q: Summary table — replay or not?

Situation Mène rejouée ? Condition Qui repose le cochonnet Cochonnet sort des limites en cours de mène Oui — toujours Dès que confirmé hors limites Équipe qui avait le droit initial Cochonnet non visible depuis le cercle Oui — sauf si toutes boules jouées Si impossible à rétablir ou rendre visible Équipe qui avait le droit initial Cochonnet lancé hors distance réglementaire Selon le moment Avant 1re boule → replacer ; après → généralement rejeu Équipe qui avait le droit initial Les deux équipes ont lancé le cochonnet nul Oui — toujours Dès que les deux lancers sont nuls Équipe qui avait le droit initial Perturbation extérieure irréparable Si positions non rétablissables Marquage préalable = pas de rejeu Équipe qui avait le droit initial Mène jouée depuis le mauvais cercle Oui — toujours Dès la découverte de l'erreur Équipe qui avait le droit initial Erreur arbitrale grave Selon gravité e

Une mène rejouée, c'est une mène qui n'a jamais eu lieu officiellement. Toutes les boules jouées, toutes les positions, tous les points éventuels — effacés. On repose le cochonnet au même endroit et on recommence. Cette décision est l'une des plus lourdes de conséquences dans un concours : elle peut changer le cours d'une partie entière. Le règlement FIPJP est précis sur les cas qui la justifient — et précis aussi sur les cas qui ne la justifient pas. Cet article couvre les deux. ≠ rejouer ≠ boule nulle annuler une mène entière ≠ annuler une seule boule — deux procédures différentes 8+ situations cas précis identifiés dans le règlement où la mène doit être annulée et rejouée Même point de départ la mène rejouée repart depuis le même cercle et avec le même cochonnet que la mène annulée ≠ qui repose le bouchon la question de qui pose le cochonnet pour la mène rejouée a sa propre réponse réglementaire

Replayed end vs dead bowl — the fundamental distinction

⚖️ KEY DISTINCTION Two levels of cancellation in the rulebook The FIPJP rulebook provides two distinct levels of cancellation, often confused:

The dead bowl — cancellation of a single throw. The bowl is removed from play or must be replayed individually. The other bowls already played remain in place. Play continues from the current situation.

The cancelled and replayed end — cancellation of the entire end from its beginning. All bowls played are removed, the jack is put back in the same place, and the end starts over completely as if it had never happened. No point is scored for the cancelled end.

The key to the distinction : la boule nulle s'applique quand l'incident n'affecte qu'un lancer spécifique. La mène annulée s'applique quand l'incident affecte la mène dans son intégralité — soit parce que son fondement (le cochonnet) est invalide ou a disparu, soit parce que le terrain a été perturbé de façon irréparable au point qu'il est impossible de déterminer un résultat équitable. 🎙️ Paquita sur les mènes rejouées "La mène rejouée est la décision la plus frustrante du règlement — notamment pour l'équipe qui était en train de gagner cette mène. J'ai vu des joueurs absolument furieux quand une mène avec cinq bonnes boules proches du cochonnet est annulée parce que le cochonnet a roulé hors des limites. Légalement c'est correct — mais humainement c'est difficile. Ce qui m'a aidée à l'accepter : comprendre que la mène rejouée protège l'équité. Si le fondement de la mène (le cochonnet à une distance valable, visible, en jeu) est compromis, le résultat de cette mène n'est pas fiable. L'annulation, aussi frustrante soit-elle, est la seule décision juste." — Paquita

The 8+ cases that require an end to be replayed

1 🟡 Le cochonnet sort des limites du terrain en cours de mène MÈNE REJOUÉE

During the end, a shot or a powerful drive sends the jack beyond the boundaries of the terrain. The jack is no longer in play — it is outside the regulatory limits. The end cannot finish normally without a jack in play.

APPLICABLE RULE When the jack goes out of bounds during the end, the end is cancelled. The jack is put back in its original position (or at the throwing position of the initial jack if the spot is disputed), and the end starts over completely. SUBTLETY Si les deux équipes s'accordent (ou si le règlement particulier du concours le prévoit) pour qu'un joueur ayant "poussé" le cochonnet hors des limites perde automatiquement la mène — cette règle alternative peut s'appliquer dans certains concours locaux. Mais dans le règlement FIPJP standard : annulation et rejeu. 2 🔍 Le cochonnet devient non visible depuis le cercle de lancer MÈNE REJOUÉE

During the end, the jack is buried in the sand or mud, hidden behind a bump, fallen into a hollow or pushed into an area from which it is no longer visible from the throwing circle. The rulebook requires the jack to be visible from the circle for the throw to be possible.

APPLICABLE RULE If the jack is no longer visible from the throwing circle and its position cannot be restored, the end is cancelled. Exception: if all the bowls have already been played and the result can be determined despite the invisibility (all the bowls are counted), the end may stand at the umpire's discretion. COMMON CASE Terrain sableux après forte pluie — le cochonnet s'enfonce progressivement. Ou terrain avec végétation dense où le cochonnet disparaît dans l'herbe après un tir. Dans ces cas, l'arbitre peut décider d'arrêter la mène immédiatement pour éviter de jouer dans des conditions non conformes. 3 📏 Le cochonnet a été lancé hors des distances réglementaires — découvert tard SELON LE MOMENT DE LA DÉCOUVERTE

The jack was thrown less than 6 metres or more than 10 metres from the circle (standard regulatory distances). This was not challenged immediately. It is noticed after several bowls have been played.

APPLICABLE RULE DEPENDING ON TIMING If the non-compliance is challenged before any bowls are played → the jack is put back at a compliant distance. If the non-compliance is discovered after bowls have been played → the rule varies according to interpretations and umpires, but in most cases: cancellation and replay of the end from the start. PRACTICAL LESSON Vérifier la distance du cochonnet AVANT de jouer la première boule. Une fois la première boule jouée sans contestation, les équipes ont souvent implicitement accepté la validité du lancer du cochonnet. Mais ce n'est pas une règle absolue — un arbitre rigoureux peut annuler même après plusieurs boules si la non-conformité est prouvée. 4 🚫 Le cochonnet est lancé nul par le joueur qui avait le droit de lancer REJOUER LE COCHONNET / MÈNE REJOUÉE

The team with the right to throw the jack (winner of the previous end) throws the jack but the throw is dead — too short, too long, out of bounds, not visible. The team that had the right to throw has missed its valid jack. What happens?

APPLICABLE RULE Under the FIPJP rulebook: if the team throwing the jack makes a dead throw, the opposing team has the right to throw it instead, within the regulatory zone. If the opposing team also throws dead, the end is replayed from the same circle, but it is the team that originally had the right to throw that throws the jack again. IMPORTANT POINT La mène "rejouée" dans ce cas garde le même joueur pour lancer le cochonnet — celui qui avait ce droit initialement. Le droit de lancer le cochonnet ne change pas parce que la mène est rejouée pour cause de cochonnet nul des deux équipes. 5 🐕 Le terrain et les boules sont perturbés par un tiers (animal, personne extérieure) MÈNE REJOUÉE

A dog runs onto the terrain and moves several bowls and the jack. A child comes onto the terrain. A bowl from an adjacent terrain arrives and moves several bowls at once. The original situation cannot be faithfully restored.

APPLICABLE RULE If the positions of the bowls and the jack cannot be restored to their exact positions before the incident (because they were not marked, or because the movement was too great), the end is cancelled and replayed. If the positions can be faithfully restored (everything was marked), put them back and continue the end. THE KEY: marking Si les boules et le cochonnet avaient été marqués avant l'incident, la remise en place est possible et la mène continue. Sans marquage, la situation initiale est irrécupérable → mène rejouée. Une fois de plus, le marquage évite le rejeu non voulu. 6 ⭕ La mène entière a été jouée depuis le mauvais cercle MÈNE REJOUÉE

The players got the wrong terrain or played from a circle that was not the one for the end in progress — for example the circle of a previous end still visible on the ground, or on an adjacent terrain. All the bowls were thrown from the wrong spot.

APPLICABLE RULE An end played from a non-compliant circle (wrong location) is dead in its entirety. It must be replayed from the correct circle. The discovery may be made during or after the end — in both cases cancellation applies. PREVENTION Ce cas arrive surtout sur les boulodromès avec plusieurs terrains contigus et des délimitations peu claires. Vérifier systématiquement au début de chaque mène que le cercle utilisé correspond bien au bon terrain et à la bonne mène. 7 🧑‍⚖️ L'arbitre ou l'organisation a commis une erreur pendant la mène SELON LA GRAVITÉ

The umpire made an incorrect announcement that led a player to change their behaviour (for example falsely announcing that a bowl was dead when it was valid). The organisation incorrectly placed the jack or created an invalid playing condition through its action.

APPLICABLE RULE The umpire has the power to have an end replayed if their error compromised the fairness of the result. This decision is a matter of their judgement. If the error significantly influenced the players' behaviour during the end (a player did not play a bowl because they thought their previous bowl was dead), a replay may be justified. SENSITIVE CASE Les erreurs arbitrales ne conduisent pas systématiquement au rejeu — seulement si l'erreur a matériellement affecté la mène de façon irréparable. L'arbitre a la responsabilité de prendre cette décision avec discernement. 8 ⛈️ Interruption météo avec perte des positions en cours de mène SELON LA POSSIBILITÉ DE RÉTABLISSEMENT

A storm forces the end to be interrupted. During the interruption, the bowls and the jack are moved by the rain, picked up by the players, or their positions can no longer be identified with certainty when play resumes.

APPLICABLE RULE If the positions can be faithfully restored (marked before the interruption, photos taken), the end resumes from the state of interruption. If the positions cannot be restored, the end is cancelled and replayed in full from the start. In official competition, the umpire decides case by case. GOOD PRACTICE En cas de nuages menaçants ou d'instabilité météo, prendre une photo de la configuration en cours de mène est une précaution qui peut éviter une annulation. 9 🔄 Situation de "mène blanche" — les deux équipes ont toutes leurs boules en jeu avec égalité parfaite MÈNE REJOUÉE

The end finishes and it is impossible to designate a winning bowl — either because two bowls from the two teams are exactly the same distance from the jack (strictly equal measurement, confirmed by the umpire), or because a situation creates a technical deadlock on awarding the point.

APPLICABLE RULE In the event of a perfectly equal distance confirmed by the umpire (the measuring instruments cannot decide), the end is dead — it does not count and is replayed. No point is awarded for this end. A very rare case but documented in top-level competitions. RARE IN PRACTICE La mesure au millimètre permet généralement de trancher les situations proches. La mène blanche par équidistance parfaite est exceptionnelle mais possible — notamment sur terrain parfait entre joueurs de très haut niveau avec des boules identiques.

Who throws the jack for the replayed end?

📜 FIPJP RULEBOOK — WHO THROWS THE JACK ON THE REPLAY "When an end must be replayed, the jack is thrown by the team that had the right to throw it during the cancelled end. If the end is cancelled because both teams threw a dead jack (case 4), it is the team that had the right to throw first that throws the jack again." Summary of the FIPJP rulebook. Refer to the official text for the exact wording. 📌

Replaying an end does not put the rights back into play. The team that had the right to throw the jack (because it won the previous end) keeps that right for the replay. A cancelled end is not a lost end — it is as if it had not taken place. The rights arising from the even earlier end remain.

What does NOT justify replaying an end

As important as knowing the cases for a replay: knowing the situations that do not entitle you to one. Many players invoke a replay in situations where the rulebook does not provide for it.

❌ A bowl deflects off a stone or a natural irregularity A stone deflects a bowl in a totally unexpected way and changes the result of the end. The bowl that could have been close to the jack ends up far away. ✓ What really happens: the result stands. Natural irregularities of the terrain are part of the game. They justify neither a dead bowl nor a replay of the end. ❌ A player missed their decisive shot at the end of the end "I wouldn't have missed if I'd known the end was this important." Or "I wasn't focused." The result of a miss never justifies a replay. ✓ What really happens: the end counts. Players' technical errors are part of the game — no individual error justifies cancelling an end. ❌ An opposing bowl that looked dead was actually in play A bowl everyone believed was out of bounds was actually inside. It influenced the end's strategy. Discovered after the fact. ✓ What really happens: if the bowl is confirmed in play, it counts at its position. Game decisions made on wrong information from the opponent belong to the opponent — they should have challenged at the right time. ❌ The opponent played making noise or putting the player off An opponent talks, moves or makes noise during a player's throw. The throw is missed. Request to replay the end for "outside noise". ✓ What really happens: the individual bowl may possibly be replayed if the disturbance was deliberate and noted by an umpire. But not the whole end. Deliberate disturbance is sanctioned differently (warning, point awarded). ❌ The jack changed position between two throws with no identifiable cause Nobody saw anything but the jack seems slightly different from its previous position. Suspicion but no proof of movement. ✓ What really happens: without proof or witnesses of a movement, the jack is at its current position. Mere suspicion does not justify cancelling an end. Prevention is systematically marking the jack. ❌ The counting of the bowls seems wrong but no one can prove which Disagreement over the end's score — one says 2 points, the other says 3 points. Without agreement, one asks for the end to be replayed. ✓ What really happens: the umpire decides the score. If the bowls are still in place, they measure and count them. If they have been picked up without agreement, the lower score is kept (benefit-of-the-doubt principle according to local regulations). The end is not replayed over a counting disagreement. ⚠️ ABUSE OF THE REQUEST TO REPLAY

Requesting the replay of an end without solid regulatory grounds is a waste of time and a source of unnecessary tension. In tournaments with umpires, an unfounded request for a replay can lead to a warning for obstructing the smooth running of play. Knowing the legitimate cases avoids abusive requests — and allows you to vigorously defend legitimate requests when they genuinely arise.

Summary table — replay or not?

Situation	End replayed?	Condition	Who replaces the jack
Jack goes out of bounds during the end	Yes — always	As soon as confirmed out of bounds	Team that had the initial right
Jack not visible from the circle	Yes — unless all bowls played	If impossible to restore or make visible	Team that had the initial right
Jack thrown outside the regulatory distance	Depends on timing	Before 1st bowl → replace; after → generally replay	Team that had the initial right
Both teams threw a dead jack	Yes — always	As soon as both throws are dead	Team that had the initial right
Irreparable outside disruption	If positions cannot be restored	Prior marking = no replay	Team that had the initial right
End played from the wrong circle	Yes — always	As soon as the error is discovered	Team that had the initial right
Serious umpiring error	Depends on severity and impact	Umpire's decision	Depending on the umpire's decision
Blank end (perfect tie on measurement)	Yes — always	After confirmation by the umpire	Team that had the initial right
Natural irregularity of the terrain	No	Natural terrain = normal playing conditions	—
A player's individual miss	No	Individual errors = part of the game	—
Score disagreement after the bowls are picked up	No	Umpire decides — minimum score kept	—

The tactical impact of a replayed end

A replayed end is not tactically neutral. It creates a new situation that can advantage or disadvantage teams depending on their profile.

♟️ TACTICS Who is advantaged by the replay? The team that was losing the end is mechanically advantaged by the replay — it gets back an end that was going against it. This is not a bias of the rulebook, it is simply the nature of cancellation: an end in progress is more often in a state favourable to one team than the other.

The psychological reaction to a replay is a real factor. The team that "loses" its good bowls on a replay decision may be destabilised and perform less well on the replay. The team that benefits from the replay gets an extra boost of motivation. These psychological factors are real but unpredictable.

Strategy on a replayed end : the team that had the right to throw the jack throws it again — and may choose a slightly different placement from the first to change the conditions in its favour for the replay. Within the regulatory limits, choosing your jack wisely takes on its full meaning on a replay. 🧘 Managing the frustration of a replay

Your team was leading 5 bowls to 0 in the end and a replay decision wipes it all out. How to react? The mental rule I apply: the replayed end is a new end — not the lost end. Fighting the replay decision (which is regulatory) in your head during the replay means playing with a mental disadvantage. Accept the decision, breathe, and approach the replay as a new end with the same calm as any other. Teams that have mentally trained for this win replayed ends more often than those that stay stuck on the cancelled end.

📖 LE LIVRE DE PAQUITA Le règlement maîtrisé — de A à Z

Replayed ends, dead bowls, measuring disputes, the one-minute rule, players' rights... Paquita's book covers every regulatory situation with practical exercises to apply them without hesitation.

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FAQ — Your frequent questions

This is one of the most complex and most debated situations. If all the bowls have been played before the jack goes out — for example, the last shot sends the jack out of bounds after all the bowls of both teams have been thrown — the strict application of the rulebook generally provides for the end to be cancelled because the jack is no longer in play. However, some umpires and some local regulations allow the end to be considered finished at the moment of the last throw, with the positions noted at that moment. This is a case where immediately calling the umpire is the best decision — do not try to sort it out between players. Yes — replaying an end affects only that particular end. All the previous ends that were played normally and whose points were counted and validated remain on the scoreboard. The replay erases only the end in progress, not the history of the game. If the score was 7-5 and the end in progress is cancelled, we go back to 7-5 and replay the end in progress. In informal games and tournaments without an umpire: yes, the agreement of both teams can validate a result even in the conditions that would theoretically have required a replay. Pétanque is a game of convention and players may agree to adaptations by mutual consent. In official tournaments with umpires: no — the umpire applies the rulebook regardless of the players' wishes. If the rule requires a replay, the umpire may order it even if both teams agree to validate the result. The rulebook takes precedence over players' conventions in official tournaments. Le règlement FIPJP ne fixe pas de limite au nombre de fois qu'une mène peut être rejouée. Théoriquement, si chaque rejeu produit lui-même une situation d'annulation (deux cochonnets nuls successifs, par exemple), la mène peut être rejouée plusieurs fois. En pratique, dans les cas de cochonnet nul des deux équipes, après le deuxième rejeu la mène doit généralement être terminée avec un cochonnet posé à la distance minimale réglementaire. L'arbitre a souvent la latitude de trouver une solution pragmatique pour éviter une boucle infinie de rejeux. 📎 Articles liés Rules Complete FFPJP rulebook 2026 Rules The little-known rules of pétanque Rules The one-minute rule Rules Ground marks — what is allowed Rules Smartphone video umpiring Tools Free PetanqueLand tools

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The regulatory summaries in this article are practical syntheses. For any official competition, refer to the official text of the FIPJP rulebook in force and the specific regulations of the tournament.