The TJ saw the forward pass, it was a clear forward pass, not a line ball or a flat pass, it was obvious and that's why he saw it and reacted the way he did. He started to raise his arm to signal the ref just after the pass went forward, he was looking directly at the play, in line with it (just like I was) and he saw it go forward just like I did and all the others who were approximately in line with it. He started to raise his arm and then decided to pull it back abruptly, that he saw it I have no doubt about, he gave himself away on that one, but admittedly the ref may have made the decision to turn a blind eye.

Now, this brings me back to the issue of cheating, there is no discretion to turn a blind eye to a forward pass, it's not an optional law. If the TJ turned a bling eye he is cheating, if the ref knows the TJ saw it go forward and turns a blind eye he is cheating. I have some sympathy for TJ's where a ref's ego makes them over rule their TJs' even though they have the poorer view, and in this case the TJ had the clear view, being in line with the forward pass. The ref was 10 metres or so away, at an angle and obscured by defenders.

The genuinely odd calls are usually when the official(s) doesn't actually see something happen and just guess, which leads to an outcome that makes no sense.

Do TJs actually signal for forward passes ? I didn't think they did.

Yes. You can tell when they've called it as they stand still where it took place.

Or were you just being ironic? I've lived here far too long if you were.

OK the original poster seemed to think they should wave flag which I didn't think was right.

He didn't wave his flag, or unfurl it. He lifted his arm up (which was holding the flag) just after the clear forward pass, then he abruptly put it down.

But did he then stand still, as R*B* says he should if he's called a forward?

He was pretty much stood still when he started to raise his arm (he wasn't running to keep up with play, he was already in line with it, when he - and everyone else in line - saw the ball being passed forward. Now he didn't appear, to me, to complete that signal. But by starting to signal it he'd already acknowledged that he's seen it. The reason why it was so obviously a forward pass was because the progress of the player putting on the pass had already been stopped before he popped it forward to a player in front of him.

kelvin
Do you actually know what the TJ signal is for a fwd pass? Obviously not!

And it is actually an RFL edict that the TJ should NOT stop in field if he sees that type of an infringement but continue to follow the play down field.

If the Ref looks for an indication then he should give it, if not then he should continue to follow play, if a try is scored from that play then the TJ positions himself that indicates to the Ref he has seen an infringement.
The ref can still award the try even if the TJ indicates as such

Having watched the game again on TV last night, the penalty given on our try line for the apparent 2 on 1 steal, if you watch it think Tickle was actually tackled before he had the ball! the ball hit the back of the arm of the tackler, Tickle never got hold of it.
Have to say the ref made the right decision giving a penalty but the comm team had it for the wrong reason.
Tickle was tackled before he got the ball, not a steal

BUT!!! I dont care! we won, is that not all that matters

Hope we can back it up on Sat, shame am not going to be there.

As for the fwd pass, pah, again does it matter anymore?

According to the RFL's own published guidelines TJs' [url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/~therflc/clientdocs/Communication.pdfcan call a forward pass[/url, and they [url=http://www.therfl.co.uk/~therflc/clientdocs/Touch%20Judging%202007.ppt#309,24,Handcan signal for a forward pass[/url.

Now if the RFL aren't telling the truth and the TJ saw it, started to signal it, and then thought [i"oops I better pretend I haven't seen that because I'm not supposed to notice, so I'll put my arm back down and hope nobody notices that I noticed" [/ithen it's ridiculous, but not his fault. But the idea that he didn't see it doesn't make sense to me, if he didn't see it (and he'd have blind not to have), then why bother reacting to it (unless of course he did see it and forgot that he's not supposed to see it, which is even more stupid)?

He gave himself away with the way he acted, it was just fluke that he happened to be in line with me when he did it, usually I wouldn't have noticed, but once he did, then he couldn't undo it. There's very little point in arguing this further, I can't change what he did, anymore than I can pretend I didn't see him react to the clear forward pass.

I must have been sat near Kelvin. I didn't see what the TJ did but I did clearly see a forward pass. Just shows you Sky doesn't have all the angles! Even Stevo eventually came to the view it might have been forward.

At the top levels, where officials have comms, they just stand where it happened after telling the ref. Doesn't tend happen in SL or any rep aussie stuff with comms. Of course if the comms malfunction or there are no comms, then a signal may be used.

The ref can overrule the TJ. On doing video work, we hear the officials conversations. I've heard on may occasions a touchie calling "forward" or "4's offside". Only for a ref to say "It's fine. I'll take that one". When this happens the touchie catches up with play.

Maybe that's what happened in your game, and you're right in what you've said. And maybe your TJ was going to signal, but told the ref.