Can anyone answer the following (after a disagreement at an U16s game this morning).

Bomb goes up on last tackle - defender comes in and jumps to catch the ball.

His arms and hands miss it - but it bounces forward off his chest.

Is this a Knock-On ?

No, there was a championship game a season or two ago where the stand off passed the ball out wide, the player who should have caught the ball mis-timed his run and ran straight into the ball, chesting it forward. The ball bounced through the defensive line and the attacking player then grounded the ball. Given T R Y. Im guessing this is in the same category in regards to is it, isnt it a knock on.

Simple answer;


If the ref says its a knock on it is.

If he says its not one it isn't.


You cant have a game without the referee so you have to take the calls as they come.

Not a knock-on but will be given as one 99 times out of a 100

You can never be 100% sure it didn't brush the arms/hands - even it's just one hair or fibre

It's definitely not a knock on but you can't do that sort of thing deliberately since the header move by Jonathan Neill was outlawed.

Its a knock on.

If the ball is propelled forward off any part of the body below the neck and above the knee it is a knock on!!!!!

From the rules on the RFL website

As the chest is not the hand or arm then it is not a knock on. If it is one of the situations where the player went to catch the ball but missed and if came off his chest i would think most refs whether amateur or SL would probably judge it as a knock on.

Defo not a knock on.

it was John Harrison.

it was john Harrison but for a bonus point who scored the try?

ooh aah GEORGIE MANN

Sheffield. 11th November 1990, I believe.

Did a brawl break out from the argument ?

Just taking it a bit further whats the difference between a knock on and a charge down??

I've seen incidents given as both on different days so how is the ref supposed to differenciate between the two?