Brett Stewart Try

[willvillain]

"KNOCK-ON means to knock the ball towards the opponents' dead ball line with hand or arm, while playing at the ball."

"A player shall be penalised if he deliberately knocks on."

"If, after knocking-on accidentally, the player knocking-on regains or kicks the ball before it touches the ground, then play shall be allowed to proceed."

Would that make Greg Inglis's brilliant run in Origin two (one of many of course, but still) where he tapped the ball forward three or four times while attempting to regather it, illegal?

He was knocking the ball forward, and none of them were accidental, and then he regathered.

Now, clearly it isn't a play that deserves to be penalised, but by the letter of the law....should it have been? If yes, then it's a pretty absurd law and needs revising at the end of the season (or not, seeing as refs are ignoring it anyway...).

 

[Sea_Eagles_Rock]

Yeah, thats why we are the most penalised team in the comp.

Absolutely Dutchy. How can you call catching a high ball that frequently goes forward off players and regathering to score a knock on?

Holy cow. If the hand and the ball separate when putting the ball down for a try, it should be a knock based on some of the 'interpretations' being given here.

As long as the rules are consistent... It was a classy piece of work and it is impossible to say for sure he deliberately knocked the ball on.

 

[Sea_Eagles_Rock]

bit of a grey area i think..

i mean when players are going for an intercept by sticking their hand out at the ball the regathering, or trying to knock the ball down when the other team has an overlap are both fairly deliberate. Often a player will deliberately knock the ball forward as another set of six is a better result defensively then a winger on the outside and a possible try! what you think?

How about a charge down?

 

[*Paul*]

Who remembers Graeme O'Grady doing a blatant one of these for Wests v Parramatta, I think it was, in the late 70s - and getting away with it?

Stewart's one was deliberate too, IMO.

 

[Eagle_Rocker]

By the letter of the law I guess it is a no try, but how long has it been since someone was pulled up on something like this ? I can't remember ever seeing a player being penalised (or having a knock on called) for taping a ball forward and regathering before it hit another player or the ground, so as long as they are consistent with the rulings i don't mind. It's hardly an issue coming up every week causing much contention so I say if something like this occurs then allow it.

 

[Ewan McGrady's Lovechild]

I thought the rule said you can't throw it over a players head but you could tap it (as he hadn't gathered or re-gathered at that point) making it legal.

 

[Monk]

i thought it was a try as he was not in possesion of the ball, he tapped it, he did not grab it and throw it over.

he did the same thing to win the game against the tigers a few years ago.

 

[Ewan McGrady's Lovechild]

Exactly. If he had the ball in his hand and threw it over and ran past and caught it then fair enough. He never had control of the ball and it didn't hit the ground or a player so play on and trytime.

 

[redVpride]

i didnt think it should have been awarded second look at it but at first thou it did look ok he deliberately tapped it forward oh well it didnt change anything

 

[Garts]

Fair try for mine. The rule was put in place to stop people running with the ball in hand then throwing it over the defending players head to regather. This was clearly not the case last night.

 

[RL1908]

Fair try for mine. The rule was put in place to stop people running with the ball in hand then throwing it over the defending players head to regather. This was clearly not the case last night.

No - that is a myth. Messenger never threw the ball over the head of a defender.

The 2008 rules I've quoted here evolved from the original rules of the RFU in 1871 - they were to stop players deliberately knocking the ball forward as we see today in Aust rules - it also used to go on a lot in line-outs in RU.

The knock-forward rule was never meant to be applied to someone accidentially dropping the ball straight to the ground.

 

[RL1908]

bit of a grey area i think..

i mean when players are going for an intercept by sticking their hand out at the ball the regathering, or trying to knock the ball down when the other team has an overlap are both fairly deliberate. Often a player will deliberately knock the ball forward as another set of six is a better result defensively then a winger on the outside and a possible try! what you think?

A rebound is not a knock-forward. So, if you go for an intercept by just sticking your hand in the air it would be OK. But, if you stick your hand in the air AND deliberately knock it forward, in my view of the rules, that is a penalty. But, it won't be pulled up by any referee today.

The last time I can recall a player being penalised for deliberately knocking the ball forward in the act of taking an intercept was Michael O'Connor for Manly in the late 1980s.

Which is ironic, because if you attempt to do that in RU, you will be penalised EVERY time without any hesitation by the referee....which again reinforces the original intent of the rule in RL.

 

[RL1908]

Would that make Greg Inglis's brilliant run in Origin two (one of many of course, but still) where he tapped the ball forward three or four times while attempting to regather it, illegal?

He was knocking the ball forward, and none of them were accidental, and then he regathered.

Now, clearly it isn't a play that deserves to be penalised, but by the letter of the law....should it have been? If yes, then it's a pretty absurd law and needs revising at the end of the season (or not, seeing as refs are ignoring it anyway...).

"KNOCK-ON means to knock the ball towards the opponents' dead ball line with hand or arm, while playing at the ball."

"A player shall be penalised if he deliberately knocks on."

On those rules, Inglis should have been penalised.

 

[RL1908]

How about a charge down?

from pg 24 of http://www.arlra.org.au/pdf-files/International_Laws_2008.pdf

Charge-down 3. To charge-down a kick is permissible and is not a​

knock-on.

Would have probably originated in the rule that stated that a rebound is not a knock-on.

So, if you raise your hands in the air, and it rebounds, then it is not a knock-forward.

But, again, if stand/run with your arms extended, and then swing them downwards at the ball, then in a strict reading of the original intent of the laws, a chargedown too is a deliberate knock forward.....but we are long way beyond ever unwinding chargedowns being called knock-ons (thankfully!).

I think the rules should be amended so that a chargedown recovered by the kicking team is not "six again".