I'm sure it can only be deemed a play if kicked at or striked at. If it hit the body and does forward it's play on with a completed set of 6.

But as you are running towards the player, and so the ball, I think you would be deemed to be making a play at the ball, as you are trying to close the play down.

Either way our focus needs to be on the kicker rather than the ball itself, that way the player will be put under pressure (which is the bit about our attempted charge downs I like) but its less likely to result in another set of six.

Think it was last year but i remember something from the RFL considering that charge downs would not result in a reset. I think they were going to trial it but nothing came of it.

Quote: rubber duckie "I'm sure it can only be deemed a play if kicked at or striked at. If it hit the body and does forward it's play on with a completed set of 6.'" Charging Down is blocking the path of the ball with hands, arm or body as it rises from an opponent's kick. www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/rules/o ... 2_glossary

Quote: rubber duckie "I'm sure it can only be deemed a play if kicked at or striked at. If it hit the body and does forward it's play on with a completed set of 6.'" Charging Down is blocking the path of the ball with hands, arm or body as it rises from an opponent's kick. www.therfl.co.uk/the-rfl/rules/o ... 2_glossary

Thanks BBW
There we have it. The whole body or does that exclude the head?

on the last tackle nobody make a bee line for the player with the ball all stay in a defensive line that would confuse the hell outta the opposition

I think its a good tactic in the opponents half especially in their 25 but not in our half. The pressure and doubt it must put on the kicker is great but we seem to do it in and around our half which is wrong.

I personally think charge downs should not mean a restart to the tackle count like it doesn't constitute a knock-on. It rewards slow passing and slow kick attack and punishes expressive and right defence when the set count is re-set when the ball is charged down...bit I suppose that's another argument.

As for us doing them, it puts us in a far worse position about 7 times out of 20; often the opposition score or almost score a try on the back of it.

Under the current rules we should reserve charge-downs only for a drastic attempt to change the course of the game when we're chasing with minutes to go.

However, I think the RFL need to look at rewarding kick pressure and penalising slow/poor play from the kicking team. Best way to do this would be play on (without a reset) from the charge-down and tie in with that much stricter rules regarding contact with the kicker.

We should have a set plan not to attempt them within 40m of our try line.

I like it.

High risk play that has put us under pressure and cost us games imo many times. On friday we're about to get the ball back, bang chargedown, try to leeds (although that didn't cost us the game), at wigan, just about to get the ball back. bang ormsby chargedown, scrum to wigan and they score in the next set of six (when the scores were tight). Castleford at home early in the season, two chargedowns, two tries to cas. The grand final against wigan, early 2nd half, we'd lost our winger and we need to play percentage football, 16-6 up, bang chargedown by monoghan, another set of 6 to wigan, penalty try and they're back in it. i reckon we get the rub of the green about 20% of the time.
Just leave it alone! only use if we are well ahead or times ticking on in a game we are behind in.
Good ideas get copied, what other team has followed our lead on this?

Hi Tony

Charge-down 3. To charge-down a kick is permissible and is not a knock-on.

And that sums it up in a nutshell.