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[GeoffN]

"Rule of the week!"

http://www.superleague.co.uk/news/1144

This week - forward passes...including this quote:-

"Touch judges will offer advice to the referee when ruling on forward passes but it is the referee who decides if the pass was forward"

Why? Surely the TJ is (or should be) in a better position to judge.

[heydude]

surely then the question to ask is why do we need touch judges.

[robjoenz]

Is it not just so no-one complains that there are three men in charge of the game, so that the referee still has full control of the match?

[x Wigan Warrior x]

I’ve always said that the touch judges are a week element in our game. They never see offsides, forward passes, or swinging arms (good thing for Newton). What is it exactly are they there to see? Is it just to check the players are in touch (cant even do that right) ?

[robjoenz]

I read a bit about Club Touch judges in a Wath Brow Hornets program. The line they take on forward passes:

A touch judge adjudicates on forward passes - a rarity - as most calls will be made by the referee who in an extreme or isolated case ONLY, may seek the advice of a competent and reliant club touch judge.

Now I know this is so that the touch judge can't be biased but perhaps it's the same line all touch judges take?

[Doveoverdave]

Talking of forward passes in general, the rules are a mess at the moment and the touchies should have more influence IMO.

Not sure on the EXACT ruling is now, but years ago you had to pass the ball BACKWARDS!

Now with "the flat pass", "momentum rule" and the ref being 10m away (thats along way off to adjudicate a FP) loads of FP are not called by the officials and the ever more professional players and coaches are taking full advatage.

[MrsLam]

They are taking advantage of a rule that doesn't exist. When asked (I can't remember who it was) said that this rule DOES NOT exist, and it is merely a rule made up by somebody on the SkySports channel. Ie Stevo. I don't know whether they have taken his comments seriously and now made it into a rule but it wasn't last season, and I am sick of hearing him talkinga bout it. If it's back its back, level its level and forward is forward.

[Doveoverdave]

Level used to be deemed forward the ball HAD to go back

[MrsLam]

Well it is forward really isn't it, unless like our team you are actually standing still.

If you're running at speed with a ball and someone is next to you and you pass what looks to be a level pass (in movement), it's not going to be is it!

[MrsLam]

To be quite honest though, I don't think any of our passes have been forward recently, we tend to go backwards a lot...

I'd like it to go back to the rule you're talking of, might see what other teams can actually do with the ball in their hand rather than passing it out forward so they're ALWAYS making yards.