Grounding the ball for a try.

[platt-warrior]

I have just finished watching Broncos v Manley and our good friend Jamie Lyon scored a try by grounding the ball
with his HIP.Whilst I fully appreciate the ball can be grounded with any part of the torsoe it begs the question
where does the torsoe start and finish and as the commentator said why cant you knock-on using your chest?
comments anyone?

[yoda warrior]

thankfully this doesn't come up too often. i've always thought the rules required CONTROLLED downward pressure for a try to be scored(unless stevo's said that and i've just taken it as truth). don't think you can control a rugby ball with your hip. isn't there someone on here who's a qualified ref?. would be interesting to hear the actual rule regarding this.

[GeoffN]

thankfully this doesn't come up too often. i've always thought the rules required CONTROLLED downward pressure for a try to be scored(unless stevo's said that and i've just taken it as truth). don't think you can control a rugby ball with your hip. isn't there someone on here who's a qualified ref?. would be interesting to hear the actual rule regarding this.

Rob may be along to elaborate, but the rules are pretty clear:

GROUNDING THE BALL means
(a) placing the ball on the ground with hand or hands
or
(b) exerting a downward pressure on the ball with hand or arm, the ball itself being on the ground,
or
(c) dropping on the ball and covering it with the
part of the body above the waist and below
the neck, the ball itself being on the ground.

I didn't see the Lyon try you mention, but it seems clear from the rules that the hip doesn't count.

[OAMJSONA]

the aussies make there own rules up anyway

[pedro]

Wanst really the hip was higher than that but the same part of the body knocked it down and he fell on it. If he can ground it over the line surely he can knock on with it

[robjoenz]

As Lyon dived over the ball hit his hip, then the ground and then he grounded it with his abdomen.

The definition of a knock-on in the Glossary of the Laws of the Game is to knock the ball towards the opponents' dead ball line with hand or arm, while playing at the ball. He didn't use the hand or arm so it wasn't a knock on.

As Geoff wrote; a try can be scored by dropping on the ball and covering it with the part of the body above the waist and below the neck, the ball itself being on the ground. Lyon did this. Try.

Personally, I thought it was intelligent play by Lyon and he deserves credit for it. He lifted both of his arms clear of his torso (above his head) so there was never any chance of him knocking on.