It's a daft rule in Union and one fortunately we've not enforced for a long time.

Is it not a negative play. A score from a scrum isn't guaranteed but a penalty would give at least two points. I've not made up my mind fully because some blame lies with the player who delivers the final pass. But a premeditated knock down, as most are, surely should be punished

When he said it, I was thinking that he was just stirring.

If you put a hand out then you are trying to get at the ball.

When Stevo said he has not seen anyone take those passes in, I was starting to wonder, was he not at Saints when Leeds scored their first try. Was he not there when Hull KR also scored in a similar fashion against erm Saints again.

Quite often sticking a hand out comes off better than you would expect.

Why should it be punished as a penalty?
The other team gets another set. That's reward enough.

If you don't want your pass to be knocked down then deliver a better pass.

In the split second that it happens, how does the defender know whether he's going to get his hand close enough to catch it or not without attempting it? And if the pass is blocked by the defender, the attacker most likely took the wrong option. Leave the interpretation as it is - it's fine.

I thought Steve meant he'd not seen anyone penalised for a deliberate knock on.

One of the most common training drills for backs is 3 attackers on 2 defenders. one of the defending options is to risk the knock on if it prevents a try. it doesn't need changing for me.

exactly. everyone loves it when its back to the line defending for youe life and then the winger pulls one of those in a runs length of the field.... its glorious to watch. but no, youre right. lets penalise it. cant have any free flowing rugby =/

Plus most of the time it will be natural instinct to go for it. As for tapping it up to give you a better chance of catching it, then you would need to get close enough to get under the ball, probably not the biggest priority at the time.

Different treatment in league and union but rules in both broadly appropriate. As said, scrum advantage sufficient, and perhaps attacker should have thrown a better pass. That said, I think the current tendency in union to show yellow cards is way too draconian, but that's another story.

It's good defence, a split second reaction and it would be a bit harsh to concede a penalty by trying to prevent the opposition from scoring.

No different to deliberately slapping a ball out of play the in goal area to me, sacrificing possession to save a try!

I don't get this.
Just because Union have a strange rule for a deliberate knock on, it doesn't mean that we should follow suit.
In league there is very little reason to knock the ball on deliberately.
Ok if you are a single defender with 2 attackers coming at you, it's better to knock the ball on rather than concede a try.
However, the resulting scrum is sufficient advantage and there is no need to increase the "penalty" for such an infringement.

Also, there is nothing better to see than a player intercepting and going the length of the field and a change to the rules may just
reduce these moments and nobody should want that to happen.

Wasn't it Leeds who wanted the deliberate knock on rule introduced as their style of play was so predicatable, all the defences knew how to defeat them ?

in that case my bad. And he's spot on.