*gorilla hyphenates himself onto the field, looking to see if anyone throws a can...*
http://www.forumsevens.com.au/team_bluebags2010.php
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I love a good pass
One of the great beauties of the rugby codes is something that is viewed by other codes as being geniused – the backwards pass.
Different codes have included a forward pass in their passing structure, whether it’s soccer football, Australian Rules, American football (Gridiron), or other ball sports such as water polo, basketball or netball. Even stick ball field codes such as hockey allow a forward pass.
These codes with a forward pass, in some instances, recognise that there can be some form of unacceptable benefit to forward passing, and “off-side” rules, for example in soccer or water polo reflect this recognition.
It is this perceived awkwardness of a rugby pass, being that it must not travel forward, that creates the beauty, in my opinion. It’s actually quite easy to just toss or kick the ball forward into the wide blue yonder and create some form of space and movement, whereas the intricacy of position and play are what are required in rugby.
Rugby league has some beautiful passing but before leaving rugby generally, I’m reminded of the greatest attitude in rugby: the belief that you should promote the position of the person to whom you are passing. It is this axiom that is central to the pass – in any code, but due to rugby’s peculiarities, it is fundamental to winning and the game’s beauty.
The passes I like are many and varied – they come from when I’ve played and when I’ve watched but one way or another, these passes have brought joy to my heart, although it sometimes took a the passage of time to appreciate them when I was on the (watching or playing) receiving end.
A short, sharp pass off the hip or shoulder to put a player into a gap .
A long torpedo pass out to the edges to set the centre or the winger running free.
A simple cut out pass in close play.
An across-the-face pass in wider play.
The run-around pass.
The modern run-around pass where the players go through two or three run-arounds, often bringing the full-back into the play on the second or third.
A scissors movement pass (gawd, where did a scissors movement go ?)
The out-the-back, prop forward flop pass – into the arms though, not sloppily onto the ground.
An absolute gem – the around-the-corner pass, even better when falling the tackle, rather
than just standing in traffic.
The hit-and-spin , bump ‘em off and then pass.
The stand and deliver – when the player takes the line on and stands, legs akimbo straddling the world and just one-arms it off.
An old fashioned, diving spiral torpedo out from the scrum base by the half to get the distance on the opposition five-eighth.
The inside ball, from anyone, but let’s say the five-eighth or half to the full-back steaming into a gap (I believe it is called the “Hello Billy !” in Queensland).
There’s the draw-the-fullback as the last line of defence pass.
The ‘Hail Mary’ pass, over the head into nowhere except where your team-mate might be following.
The outside centre’s inside-out backwards pass to the winger, a la Gidley or Gasnier.
The last-minute pass to the winger to dive over pass.
The ‘flat’ pass from the ruck that allows the forwards to drive over the advantage line.
The prop forwards’ (Beetson was pretty good at this) before-the-line pass to the second rower.
The simple (anyone can do it as long as the runner knows what they’re doing) into the gap pass.
The across the backline, hand-to-hand passing chain.
The forward rush passing chain.
The down-the-blindside pass to set the winger free and running.
The outside pass to the fullback or winger coming across to the other side, so they run into a gap.
The pass from any of the ‘back three’ across the field on their try line to make space for a long run.
A couple of extra passes really take my fancy but can't be considered as beautiful paasses in this context:
- the non-pass (when the hooker goes over from dummy half);
- The opposition’s pass into thin air and the winger’s grasping bumble is a great pass for my team and memories;
- the dummy pass – wherever it occurs in the field and whoever pulls it off; and
- lastly, the forward pass from my team, that leads to a try, that the referee misses and about which the other team and supporters “blow up deluxe” .
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740 scabby piss-weak words between the 'hatching' (at least that is good). 'Hash marks' being what Afghani's leave on their trousers after as long day rolling plants.
