Re: forward passes
Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 6:10 pm
That pass on Saturday that led to a Leeds try did land forward of where the player released the ball, but that is irrelevant; if you look at the players hand when he flicks the ball you'll see that he flicks it backwards (level at worst).
The reason so many passes are deemed forwards by spectators is because they generally don't (and can't) see the direction in which the player has released the ball. Teams like Saints and Leeds appear to make at least one forward pass in each set, purely because they play so fast that a flat pass travels forward. It's legal though.
Referee's and touch judges undoubtably miss things in matches from time to time but with the speed of play as it is will miss forward passes.
What should the officials do though? Should they:
1) Give everything that looks like it might be forward (i.e. how the spectator in the crowd sees it).
OR
2) Just give the ones that they definately know, without any shadow of a doubt, was forward?
In my opinion, and I suspect this is how it is being applied, it should be the second option.
The reason so many passes are deemed forwards by spectators is because they generally don't (and can't) see the direction in which the player has released the ball. Teams like Saints and Leeds appear to make at least one forward pass in each set, purely because they play so fast that a flat pass travels forward. It's legal though.
Referee's and touch judges undoubtably miss things in matches from time to time but with the speed of play as it is will miss forward passes.
What should the officials do though? Should they:
1) Give everything that looks like it might be forward (i.e. how the spectator in the crowd sees it).
OR
2) Just give the ones that they definately know, without any shadow of a doubt, was forward?
In my opinion, and I suspect this is how it is being applied, it should be the second option.