ball knocked out of players hands... play on or knock on?

[WoodyOne]

My game today. Big high kick from Black giving onside attacker time to make progress up the pitch and contest the ball. Ball clears the Gold full back, so he has to turn and chase and is in a 1-1 footrace with Black.

Ball bounces about 7ft up as they are closing in. Black gets 2 hands to it above his head; Gold gets a single hand up between Black's two, and dislodges it from his grip a fraction of a second after I would deem Black to be in control of the ball.

They're running towards Gold's end of the pitch, and Gold has dislodged the ball back towards his own deadball.

Is this knock on by Black, or play on?

[may as well say now, I deemed play on. Gold's captain wasn't too happy]

 

[Rich_NL]

Play on. It's effectively a rip by gold, which goes back towards the player's own line. Put this way: if he'd smacked it forwards out of black's hand, it would have been a knock-on, right?

 

[Decorily]

Play on as I see it.

 

[Taff]

I would say "Play on".

As Phil E said years ago when I quereyd something similar, there a world of difference between losing possession and having possession taken from you.

- - - Updated - - -

I would say "Play on".

As Phil E said years ago when I quereyd something similar, there a world of difference between losing possession and having possession taken from you.

 

[beckett50]

IIRC there was a Law Clairification about this a few years back.

if the defender knocks the ball from the attacking players hands back toward the defending goal line then the result is "Play ON"

 

[WoodyOne]

Thanks guys. Good to see a unanimous set of responses that support my in-the-moment decision.

 

[crossref]

It's Law 11.5.b

[LAWS]The ball is not knocked-on, and play continues, if
b A player rips or knocks the ball from an opponent and the ball goes forward from the opponent’s hand or arm.[/LAWS]

 

[Jolly Roger]

Clarification 4 2011 ruling in Law by the Designated Members of the Rugby Committee Ruling 4-2011 Union / HP Ref Manager ARU Law Reference 12 Date 14 November 2011
Request for clarification from the ARU the correspondence is reproduced below.
“Law 12, Definitions state: “A knock-on occurs when a player loses possession of the ball and it goes forward, or when a player hits the ball forward with the hand or arm, or when the ball hits the hand or arm and goes forward, and the ball touches the ground or another player before the original player can catch it.” The Law does not explicitly cover scenarios where the ball is ripped out of the possession of a ball-carrier by an opponent. In these situations it is almost impossible for the referee to determine exactly who last touched or had physical contact with the ball. For the sake of improving consistency of ruling from referees worldwide, in the following scenarios, has a knock-on occurred? If so, who has knocked the ball on?

1. Ball-carrier A from the red team runs towards the blue team’s dead ball line. Opponent B approaches A from in front and rips the ball out of A’s hands such that neither player has possession of the ball and the ball travels towards the blue team’s goal line. (We often see this ruled a knock-on by A).
2. Ball-carrier A from the red team runs towards the blue team’s dead ball line. Opponent B approaches A from behind and rips the ball out of A’s hands such that neither player has possession of the ball and the ball travels towards the red team’s goal line. (We often see this either ruled play or a knock-on by B).”

Clarification in Law by the Designated Members of the Rugby Committee In each of the scenarios outlined the ball carrier is not responsible for losing possession.
In scenario 1 the ball has been ripped from the ball carrier by a player ripping the ball from the ball carrier’s hands and it goes towards that player’s goal line. There is no infringement in Law and play should continue.
In scenario 2 the player ripping the ball out of the ball carrier’s hands is effectively throwing the ball towards the opposition team’s goal line and this is an infringement which requires the referee to award a scrum with the non-offending team throwing in subject to advantage.