Quote: Fantastic Mr Catpiss "Was that the milner length of the field 'knock on' ?
i watched the game on delay as i was at stalybridge and had heard about the contentious VR decisions and was looking out for these.
Immediately on the milner one, i called a knock on, it hit milner's hand, and then we have the replays that show it did hit milner's hand but he was in the process of tackling. Now this brings me to another bug bear of mine, THAT ruling, where its not a knock on if they haven't played at it/if its in the process of completing the tackle.
I don't think i've ever seen this given in favour of the attacking side, its a totally bull pointless rule, "oh he was playing at the ball as his arm was outstretched" thats the standard sky commentary when the ball hits a tacklers arm, when they are just coming to wrap someone up around the body.
Its a stupid rule that only works one way, the wrong way.
Personally i think there's too many ways to make decisions on loose balls/strips/offloads after held, it needs tidying up.'"
Yep agree with all that. Like you I thought it was a knock on in real time, which is why I don't blame Child or the touch judge for calling it as such. But the rule is daft. It's not a knock on either way in my opinion. The tackle knocked the ball out and so it should be play on.
They only changed the rule to make it easier to adjudicate on, if you remember back a few years there were a few incidents re this situation (of course the controversy was needlessly heightened and exacerbated by the Sky team) and shortly after they changed the rule to the current one. In the same way as they did with obstruction.