I don't think anybody is claiming it did effect the result, but forward passes have been an issue throughout the season. This was a shocker, but i for one have come to expect them. But i suppose thats the nature of sport.

To sum it up we bottled it. That's why we were making mistakes. As the game had got to us. Similar to Leeds in the CC semi and arguably the playoff game with Saints last season.

My Plan B would be to tell Wane to shut the hell up and stop piling so much pressure on the players throughout the season.

i think we looked below par fitness wise even before we take into account the amount of defence we had to put in. for me when it comes to the really big games that we regards as "must win", whether in knockout rugby or in the league, we just dont have the bottle and desire to go through and execute because Wane treats every game like a final.

the season, both physically and mentally is now catching up on us and is definitely taking its toll. it has shown ever since the Leeds CC Semi Final, if not before. also, why keep jack on the bench until the 70th minute?? its like Madge all over again!

i do think we will finish top but unless we can get some inspiration from a returning (AND FIT!) richards and tommy then i'd bank on another loss to saints or catalans in the playoffs as per usual.

From the RFL, pretty clear to me.

[iDirection of Pass 1. The direction of a pass is relative to the player making it and not to the actual path relative to the ground. A player running towards his opponents’ goal line may throw the ball towards a colleague who is behind him but because of the thrower’s own momentum the ball travels forward relative to the ground. This is not a forward pass as the thrower has not
passed the ball forward in relation to himself. This is particularly noticeable when a running player makes a high, lobbed pass.[/i

Gubbed by a far better team ...........END OFF

Thank you, I understand that, but I don’t think this is what some people mean (Stevo} by the momentum rule, if this was the case there would be no ambiguity. To me, if the ball when released is at an angle which forward of the hands, then that’s it, it’s a forward pass; and it shouldn’t matter where the receiver is when he catches it, in front of the passer (if the passer stops his run) or behind him, if they both run on, or in the South stand, it’s a forward pass! Thanks again.

I'm not sure what you mean by this. As it stands there's no ambiguity; a pass is forward relative to the player making it. It doesn't matter whether the passer overruns it, whether the receiver appears to catch it 5 yards forward, how far it appears to travel in relation to the ground or anything else.

The rule as it is makes it pretty clear that if it's released forward then it is forward.

Correct it's to do with the player who makes the pass not the receiver.

The "momentum rule" doesn't exist, except in Stevo's mind.

That and the text above from the Laws of Rugby League which explains the role of momentum in the pass and why the ball travelling forward over the round is not necessarily a forward pass. I believe that this law is exactly what Stevo talks about.

However, technically there isn't any "rule" as Rugby League is governed by Laws rather than rules.

The momentum 'rule' doesn't exist but momentum is mentioned within the laws of the game regarding forward passes.

While it's one of Stevo's many annoying phrases, he's copped a lot of unfair stick for actually making the point that the momentum of the passing player can make judging whether a pass if fair or forward very difficult. He may make the point badly, but it's still a fair point.

Travel on a train doing 100mph, walk from the front to the back.

In your environment you're travelling backwards but in truth unless you're walking faster than 100mph, you're travelling forwards.

The ball in a pass in real terms travels forwards but due to the ball being passed at pace it's slower than the player passing thus travelling 'backwards' in relation to the player.

This is the 'momentum rule', not an actual rule of the game but it is a rule of physics.

It is a law of physics, but I'm not sure I would use the example you gave!

The short version is that you have to look at the direction of the ball in relation to his body when he RELEASES the ball.

If the ball is going backwards relative to the velocity of the body (whether or not the body actually continues on it's course), then the pass is ok.

The key point to appreciate is that the relative position of the ball to the ground is not relevant to the rule.

Therefore in theory, it's quite possible for me to make the pass on the half way line and for the receiver to catch the ball 10 yards further up the pitch, and the pass would still not be forward.

In theory it's even possible for the receiver to catch the ball under the opposition posts and it would still not be forward.

You are Usain Bolt and I claim my £10.

Actually, any competent 100m sprinter could do it. The ball would only have to stay in the air for 5 seconds or so (ignoring air resistance, as physics problems typically do)...