It's not where the passing player ends up relative to the catcher that is the issue. It's whether or not at exact point of release the ball is thrown towards (forward pass) or away from (legal pass) the opposition's tryline. This is why Cummings bangs on about refs "watching the direction of the hands". It can be thrown away from the tryline but still end up nearer when caught through momentum as you say which is a legal pass and Hall's pass was like that. It is often the case that the passer remains in front of the ball due to his velocity but that is not the exact measure. It's possible to pass the ball forward and then 'overtake' it as the passer and be in front of the catcher when it's caught. Long looping passes would be where that might happen. That is still a forward pass.

Its all to do with cost as well. Who's going to fund it ?



How come we can go to the video ref for on side off side when you've scored a try from a kick but not for a foreward pass ?

Because you dont need to factor in momentum when deciding if someone was offside or not.

You only have to look at Raynors reaction to the pass to see it was forward, he ran into the endzone, never put the ball down and then 'spiked' the ball, thus indicating even he thought it was a touchdown pass from the quarterback..

Seriously tho' it was a bit harsh and had the call gone the other way don't think there'd have been much in the way of arguements. Personally don't think the VR should call on forwards, far too vague and up for debate, as has been said a good pass can still travel forward. Don't think hawkeye would work with so many players on the field and would be ridiculously expensive.

Think we need to realise, some you get some you don't..

Gotta agree on that.

However, had there been no VR at Saturdays game there may well have been a different result, so the need now to have them at ALL SL games is of great importance imo and is something the RFL and clubs should be looking to implement at the start of next season.

I agree with that, think the whiting and balsawood tries would have stood if it was a regular non televised game.

Or in the real world, he heard the ref's whistle and call of forward and was frustrated because he knew he was behind Hall when the ball was passed

I agree that the VR can't be used for forward passes as the vasrying angles all seem to indicate different directions of passes.

I think that some techy wizard could come up with something that would work. Problem is that all Leeds games would last for at least three hours!

Yep, would also work and also only uses existing technology. It is a shame that, despite the usual innovative nature of the game, we've been left behind a bit when it comes to using more advanced technology. Especially when that technology could be used to help with the only area deemed too ambiguous for the VR to judge.

I thought it was just Rovers fans who didn't understand the momentum rule

Does anyone else think Whiting's dissallowed try would have been given without the video ref

would have been very hard for the ref to see him loosing the ball