Help needed on this one!!

[irishref]

Watching a very enjoyable Ulster v Connacht game at the moment. 5 tries already in the first half and both teams playing lovely open, running rugby. Bonus point in the bag for Ulster too.

I have a question about the bonus-point winning try. I trust at some point video evidence will be there. It was scored at about 27 minutes on the game clock for those with iPlayer.

Scenario: Ulster kick long and the ball stays infield, forcing Connacht to bring the ball over the touchline. Lineout to Ulster thus. Winger takes the ball, stands on the mark, and is looking for the quick throw option. A little hesitation and then he gives the ball to a teammate standing free. He runs in from just outside the 22m to dot it down.

Now, the referee (who's been excellent IMO) refers to the TMO and asks to look at the lineout. To paraphrase what he asks of the TMO and also says to Connacht's captain when allowing the try:

"the ball went towards Connacht, I'm happy with that".

I am confused. My opinion is it was a regular lineout, not a QTI, but in both cases if the ball has gone towards Connacht's side (ie forward) we have a not straight lineout or incorrectly taken quickie?

 

[Rushforth]

You shouldn't be confused. Clearly the referee made a mistake, as we all do.

But let's face it, we can't expect wingers to understand that the momentum interpretation does not apply - cannot apply - when they are standing on the mark. (Tongue firmly in cheek, I am fully aware that there are SOME three quarters who have brains as well as looks).

 

[Dickie E]

You shouldn't be confused. Clearly the referee made a mistake, as we all do.

But let's face it, we can't expect wingers to understand that the momentum interpretation does not apply - cannot apply - when they are standing on the mark. (Tongue firmly in cheek, I am fully aware that there are SOME three quarters who have brains as well as looks).

Makes me wonder this:

At a QTI there is no requirement for the thrower to be stationary. If the thrower is behind the LoT but running quickly towards it, then passes to a team mate on the 5 metre line, how is the ball's momentum to be dealt with?

 

[Rushforth]

Like this, 19.2

 

[irishref]

Dickie, the thrower was stationary but... the referee judged the ball to have travelled forward from the place of the actual throw. Hmmm

 

[Dave Sherwin]

Wow. Just watched this here in Cayman. That's pretty extraordinary from a top flight ref. Not just a minor error but an out and out critical error of law despite having the time to think about it and access to a TMO who presumably was thinking the ref had gone to cloud cuckoo land but didn't quite know what to say. I know we all make mistakes, but that's pretty (a) basic and (b) critical.

btw. To my mind this was a QTI as a number of the requirements for a line out we're missing, but it doesn't affect the analysis.

 

[SimonSmith]

Yes.
My girlfriend was unimpressed with my involuntary "are you ****ing kidding me?"

Not just the decision, but his explicit reasoning about it

 

[Daftmedic]

Yes.
My girlfriend was unimpressed with my involuntary "are you ****ing kidding me?"

Not just the decision, but his explicit reasoning about it

Flipping?

 

[didds]

QTI definitely on - no lineout formed.

Marginally forward QTI. It would bhe called a forward pass in open play... no try for me.

didds