Quins were penalised for a deliberate knock last year at Headingley - in about the 79th minute when they were getting pasted anyway - incredibly harsh by the ref to give it at any time but that was just rubbing salt into the wound.

The last deliberate forward pass I saw penalised was in the 1992 World Cup final (technically the receiver was in an offside position when the pass was given).

So both rules have existed but they are as rare as the legendary voluntary tackle!

Not even if we called it, say, "Ah Van to be alone" ?

Maybe a pecuniary one

When was the last post on that thread?

I don't know when the last post was, but it seemed to go on for years. But you may be missing the point: after the first week or two, the one subject that was NOT discussed on the JVT thread was Joyn'ts voluntary tackle.

The rules do state a penalty will be given for a deliberate knock-on

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

penalise is defined as

"is to award a penalty kick against an offending player"

Awarding a scrum is just a means of restarting play, if a player following the 6th PTB kicks the ball outide his 20m and the ball goes out of play on 30 metres from the opponents try-line, would that player be said to be penalised? Because the opposition would be given the feed at the scrum.


The situation is clear deliberate knock-on and deliberate forward pass rules should be wiped from the rule book. The former was first introduced over 100 years ago.

Not at all FA, was just wondering....

Twenty or thirty years ago aussie referees regularly awarded penalties for 'deliberate' forward passes.

I wouldn't mind it being used to stop this habit of the marker wildly slapping at the ball at the PTB which seems to be in vogue of late.

At Salford, I vaguely remember Steve Gibson being sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on.

Not quite the same, but what happens if an attacking player decides to throw the ball over the defensive line, and regain it himself on the other side, without it touching any defenders? Is that allowed?