The position or direction of travel of the ball in relation to fixed points on the itch is irrelevant

For probably the 20th time on these boards, there are some great videos on YouTube that explain, very clearly, why the position of the ball in relation to the pitch is irrelevant.



There's the old classic: "Rugby Union "Forward Pass" video"

...or an updated version: "Total Rugby - Forward Pass"

It doesn't have to hit the ground to be offside.

If youu catch the ball but drop it forward and I catch it in front of you, I'm off side.



That's effectively what they rules against Cas.

If we can't use video footage to determine a forward pass then how does a referee manage it (occasionally)? I understand they are taught to watch the passer's hands & initial trajectory of the ball. Is it not possible to look at this via video footage?

It's the modern-day equivalent of the Schleswig-Holstein Question. As Lord Palmerston said:







I*'ll leave you to work out which one of those is Stevo.

Of course it's possible to judge forward passes,referee's do this all the time?,isn't it better to ask the video ref to have a quick look to make sure?,if he can't decide the decision goes with the attacking side,any way it will come in the end.

That's how I see it. All the talk following Hull KR's dodgy try was of Ganson's position and an unsighted touch judge, so why not use the technology available?



It's still a judgement call, whether on the spot or via VR. And I'd suggest it's far easier to make that call with a few angles than at full speed when your angle and distance from the incident might not be the best.



People seem to have this strange opinion that multiple angles makes the judgement of forward passes more difficult. Completely disagree, used correctly it can make it far easier.



And there's always the option for a 'ref's call' decision if the VR doesn't feel he can call it.

Always amuses me when people say it's impossible to judge forward passes.



At times, it's blatantly obvious the movement of a player's hands when passing is forwards. A video ref should be allowed to rule out tries where there's obvious evidence of a forward pass. If there's any doubt it should simply stand. It's no more ridiculous than awarding tries with 'benefit of the doubt' for getting the ball down when not one single camera angle shows the ball touching the ground

I know this. Im sorry, i probably didnt make my point as clearly as i could have. My point being that if you are tracking both the players AND the ball you can indeed judge a forward pass accurately. im fully aware that they are not judged relative to the point on the pitch at which the ball is passed.

Like I said, if Sky can project computer graphics onto the pitch, live, which appear to remain static as the camera moves, then why can't the position of a player, and the relative motion of the ball be tracked in a similar way?

Exactly, accurate tracking technology is already used by many superleague teams, (showing not only distance covered but trajectory tracing also) all thats missing is another tracking device in the ball.

The Brent Webb is the best Quarter Back in the game.