Rock bottom

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Part I, or an ridiculously long, obtuse and even unnecessary introduction

I was a click away from creating this very same thread this past weekend, but decided not to, as i ended up considering it a non-issue. The purpose was something long the lines of 'look at how wrong the ref got this one'. I thought it was SOOO bloody obvious, that i eventually thought it wasn't interesting enough to merit a thread.
However, the purpose changed. During the week i've seen, read, heard and watched so many people arguing about it, from both sides, that a call/result that is virtually uncontestable in my mind, apparently wasn't so. At first i thought "well, it's social media. Tons of half wits posting nonsense about things they cant even comprehend". I was wrong again. It wasn't just ignorant people who watch the game twice a year (three on world cup ones!). Pundits, refs, journalists, former players.
I've heard from people who officiate regularly that the play was discussed between refs at reasonably high levels and the consensus, if any, was absolutely not as clear as i hoped for.

Part II, or the events

So what the hell happened.
This happened

HSBC SVNS Perth 2025 | Day One Replay

Recap all the incredible action from day one in Perth!

rugbypass.tv

Go to the 9 hour and 5 minute mark and watch the play (1 min tops?). Behold.
Well, that, THAT was ruled a knock-on. And the ref's audacity to explain the ruling. Jesus wept. He cried unconsolably.


I believe this play illustrates a very important, relevant and tangible problem with the sport. The sport is hard to officiate as it is. You show ANYONE with two functioning brain cells the official meaning of a knock on and that play, and he will conclude that such a play does not meet the definition. It's is absolutely clear. Yet a lot of people (not a majority, but still) argued endlessly that not only was there an interpretation that could fit the definition of a knock on, but that such an interpretation should be the one applied. Teeth and nails.

It is unthinkable, literally impossible for a sport to grow if the people who've played the sport for decades and/or officiated it, the people who watch the sport every single weekend, cannot agree on something so basic, so rudimentary and so important.
This is NOT rocket science. A small part of me died this week. Lost a bit of faith in humanity and our ability to tackle the simplest of problems.

end rant/

 

[Rinkadink]

Do you have another source? Cannot watch the video.

Hard to comment without that context.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

oh boy. Apologies. Let me see if i can get one.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

here it is.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

Unless I'm missing something, he knocked it onto his foot then regathered it. If that's a knock on then surely every kick becomes a knock on as they will drop the ball forwards onto their foot...?

 

[Which Tyler]

IIRC to be a kick, not a knock-on, it has to be a deliberate action, not pure fluke

 

[pagliaccio_euforico]

it's a bad call followed by a compounding error. Should have given the scrum to Argentina after he realized he ****** it. Instead, the good guys get the scrum, the resultant free kick, and go on and win the game.

Not giving Argentina the scrum was worse than the knock on call even though that was pretty clearly not a knock on.

IIRC to be a kick, not a knock-on, it has to be a deliberate action, not pure fluke

you are allowed to regather before it hits ground or other player. From the broadcast cam I thought it may have hit someone but he was nowhere near. Even then, you have a TMO, let them call the ticky tacky **** that is hard to see with the naked eye.

 

[Which Tyler]

Yep, good point, it was a re-gather, not a kick, so as long as it doesn't hit the ground another player... or pretty much anything else, then it's fair game.