The woeful forward pass rule

I think your explanation was clear enough for all to understand so there's no need to dumb it down any further for us. Thanks anyway.

Well Limp ... there is absolute no chance of getting the same velocity onto a rugby ball. The only time a rugby ball will travel forward is if it were passed forward.

Changing the laws to better the game is one thing but what you're suggesting eradicates the entire concept of what makes rugby unique, and that is the backward pass.

They've already destroyed the contest at the scrum by allowing the scrummie to put the ball under the locks feet. Passing the ball forward isn't only against the laws of the game but it also allows the receiver to be off side. In other words by simply allowing the deed to go unpunished we are in fact breaking two of the rules that make the game what it is.

What will we be changing next?

Will we even recognize the game as a rugby contest in years to come? Perhaps a name change is in order.

How many changes to the law has made the game a better spectacle?

I am of the opinion that the less we tamper with the game the better it is for us all. The various refs running the show all seem to have a different interpretation to each other. Some refs allow certain things while others are far stricter. There is no consistency. The game has become too complicated.

One has to study the ref before each match to see what he'll allow and what to avoid. This leaves one open to be exploited. I always thought it was suppose to be a contest between two teams but it's changed so much over the years that it now includes another skill set that one doesn't learn at school ... appeasing the ref.

Why not revert to the way it was played ages ago. Whoever gives the ref the bigger bag of biltong gets his favour.

@ Limp

Wait what!?

Here, go to 4:15

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pK0k5DxK_OE

That's a pretty good explanation of drift. No?

In a clockwise(right) rotation, the bullet/ball drifts to the right.

So an off spin ball in a right hand rotation should drift to the right. 

What am I missing ?

Limpwrister,

The angle of the flight of the ball in spin bowling is caused by the angle of the arm at the delivery. If the arm was incorrectly slanted at delivery the ball would follow the incorrect line to start off with and move further away from the stumps with the spin. Or you would need to start your delivery outside the limits of the bowling crease to be any threat to the stumps.

A much more accurate analogy would be explaining the spin on a tennis ball and the flight of ball. Top spin causes it to dip. Backspin causes lift and "float". When you serve you spin it in the direction you want the ball to curve to.

Also look at the banana kick in soccer, the curve ball in baseball and many other examples.

If we applied "your science" all submarines would fly and all aircraft would have excellent handling through the corners....

"Limp you are right about the off spin imparted to a torpedo punt."

That will depend on the angle of the ball at contact. The ball is not round and initially curves in the direction it is angled in (like the wing of an aircraft). When not as angled and over longer distances, the ball starts to curve in the direction of the spin.

@Moz

If the spin if the ball has an effect, it's minimal. As you pointed out.

OK, lets give this a final try:

A player runs with the ball say at 20kph and he decides to pass the ball. He has an option of 3 choices:

1. He passes the ball forward. He can only pass the ball forward if he increases the velocity of the ball and he can only does that buy swinging his arm in a forward motion .... and the ref should blows him up for a forward ball because in effect he was throwing the ball in the direction of the opposition's goal line.

2. He passes the ball sideways (ie. a line parallel to the opponents goal line) while running. He can do this only if he does not increase the velocity of the ball.

3. He passes the ball backwards. Can do this only by reducing the forward speed of the ball and this is done by swinging the hands in a backward direction.

The counter steer on a motorcycle is only to initiate the lean and does not physically steer the bike. Steering is done by camber thrust, due to the angle of the wheels to the ground.

Here, this video describes it quite nicely. It uses gridded lines to show how that ball has actually travelled forward while still being a legal pass. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=box08lq9ylg

Honestly didn't realise how far forward the ball is actually able to travel before being called a forward pass.

There is no way to properly police passes unless utilising technology tat tracks both player and ball it seems.

Already posted Plum...the problem is everybody yabber, yabbers away with senseless self opinions

and never listens and stubbornly stick to their own crazy theories that have very little substance at all.....

An y way, so what...much ado about nothing

Apr 02, 2018, 10:15

At Limpfischer....thank you for this and intelligent reply and yes indeed welcome to this forum and hope you post more.

I beg to differ though and believe the only sensible way to judge a forward pass is the direction of hands...take a look at this clip

https://youtu.be/box08lq9ylg

@ Seb

I do read posts before replying.

It's just not always possible to watch the videos since I'm on mobile.