Quote: trys'r'us "The simplest way of using the VR to 'judge' forward passes would be to have a basic 'Hawkeye'-style system that measured the velocity of the ball. If the speed of the ball's movement towards the opponents try-line increases after it's released, it's a forward pass. Still not a massively simple solution, but it does take all ambiguity/subjectivity out of it.'"
Whilst I agree that would be the [ipiece de resistance[/i and solve the problem for good even without that technology I still think that the VR should be consulted, at least as a trial. Passes such as the one against us in the CC tie against Salford (not televised I know) should not be allowed to stand.
As an alternative to your hawkeye approach the existing technology Andy Gray uses to measure the speed of shots in football could maybe be used (is that Hawkeye? - don't think it is). Surely it would be possible to adapt that technology to project the speed of the passing player. A line could be 'drawn' on screen exactly perpendicular to each touchline passing through the ball at point of release. This line could then be projected forward towards the tryline frame by frame at the speed of the passing player (that being calculated in the same way that the shot speed is calculated in football). Provided the ball never crossed in front of the projected line before being caught then the pass would be deemed legal. Would work better for longer passes and not so good for shorter perhaps.