There are plenty of Ok passes which will travel 2 metres 'forward' in relation to the ground though. That's why the rule says it has to be not forward in relation to the man passing the ball. It would be quite impossible to play a game of rugby as we currently do, if the ball wasn't allowed to travel forward in relation to the ground. This is due to the forward momentum built up by a fast running player when he passes the ball; he may pass the ball behind himself but it will still go forwards in relation to the ground because it was travelling forwards in his hands when he passed it.

Even allowing for that I thought Webb's pass was forward though.

So the ball has forward momentum when it is being carried? So it a player drops the ball straight down when running then the ball will continue moving forwards at the same pace as the player?
I'm sorry, but I think that's rubbish. The ball has no momentum of its own until it is given some.

If you drop something out of the window of a moving car, the object will continue to move forwards in relation to the point as which it was released, as it was originally moving at the same speed (with its own momentum) of the car.
If you hit the brakes hard and are not wearing a seatbelt, you'll go through the windscreen because everything in the car has the same momentum.

Momentum = Mass x Velocity (speed in a given direction)

he's my fav member of the sky sports comm team.

You've still got your Cullen ears on. Cullen very articulately and passionately says nothing at all. Clarke has exactly the same trick, except Clarke has learned to make the ends of his sentences have some connection to their beginning.

Not this one again.....

I was taught the principles of this when I was 12, were you asleep, or didn't you bother with school?

Presumably & hopefully you do not teach physics?

He does - it's just that it's feminist physics.

yes, you've got it.


Indeed it will, though it will start to slow down due to air resistance and will start to accelerate towards the ground due to gravity. But those are external forces operating on the ball, in a vacuum and with no gravity the momentum of the ball would keep it going straight on at the same speed forward relative to the ground as it was when the player let go.


What it is, is pretty basic 1st week physics.


Everything has momentum. The important thing in this context is the change of momentum relative to the ground. The player has changed the momentum of the ball by accelerating it forward (relative to the ground) so yes, it has been given some additional momentum by the player.

Quote: debaser "So the ball has forward momentum when it is being carried? So it a player drops the ball straight down when running then the ball will continue moving forwards at the same pace as the player? I'm sorry, but I think that's rubbish. The ball has no momentum of its own until it is given some.'" Watch this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgMlDy2jP9s Then let us know if you understand it or not. (and yes it's a Rah Rah video, but the same principles apply unless RL has mastered the ability to defy the laws of physics).

Quote: debaser "So the ball has forward momentum when it is being carried? So it a player drops the ball straight down when running then the ball will continue moving forwards at the same pace as the player? I'm sorry, but I think that's rubbish. The ball has no momentum of its own until it is given some.'" Watch this: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgMlDy2jP9s Then let us know if you understand it or not. (and yes it's a Rah Rah video, but the same principles apply unless RL has mastered the ability to defy the laws of physics).

And yes, despite the video evidence, they still have some as thick as some of ours, who still, unbelievably, don't get it

I thought the purpose of that video was top remind yawnionites what passing actually is.

Mind you, looking at the passer's hands, there's a few on that vid that I'd give as "forward" mesen