I think the query was whether he knocked it on, and head doesn’t count as a knock on
How does that rule out the forward pass onto his head?
I have hardly watched any rugby these last few years due to work.
I can not understand how you can not understand how such laws would be confusing to old timers like me. Why is it being confusing be a problem to you?
I am sorry I quoted you it was a mistake, I wished to reply to @Limiescouse.
Jeez relax. I thought you were asking me to explain that rule. Certainly loads of the other rules are complicated, and refereeing is inconsistent
The player who was receiving Ford’s pass actually knocks it backwards onto Mahler’s head. The side angle shows it much more clearly but you can see from the shot below Mahler and his massive head are behind the player who touched it but failed to catch it.
One of those weird quirky rules and you can see pretty much everyone but Lawes assumed it was a knock-on too.
Total fluke, a bit like that side of the draw
So would deliberately heading the ball forward be legit? I bet not many players realised what the rule was. Maybe a good tactic in certain situations? Can’t actually think of one though 
Yes, you can kick, head, smack it with yer arse if you want. It’s only a knock on if it comes off hand or arm
Strictly speaking, you can knock it forward and be ok provided you catch your own knock on before it hits the ground.
Does that then mean you can lob it over someone’s head and catch it behind them? Maybe!
My problem is we were forced to play it.
It’s not a sport that’s pick up and play.
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Next Saturday is now huge.
I must remind myself how they judge the situation where you have teams on equal points.
That said bonus points might sort it.
Pretty sure there will be a lot of Fijian Wales fans next Saturday.
Pretty sure there’s a rule against that. Once you catch your own forward throw you’d be pinged. I remember BOD passing sideways to himself once though
what’s the difference between Rugby and Aussie Rules ?
Rugby is organised chaos. Aussie rules is chaotic chaos
He did you’re right but I think it went backwards. However, you are allowed to catch a ball you’ve knocked forward accidentally.
You’re probably right on the forward lob though.
I think the limitation of the theoretical forward lob is you are viewed as still having the ball in hand until it touches the floor or someone else so you can be tackled preventing you ever getting on the end of it.
I dont recall the details but there was a weird edge case involving this in a Wales game a few years ago. I seem to recall it being George North, but not sure. I think maybe the last world cup.
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There are massive differences. One of the most obvious is the sheer size of the pitch. Aussie Rules was designed to make a mess of cricket pitches, where rugby was designed to tear up association football pitches.
You are not allowed to throw the ball in any direction, but can handtap it or fist-bump it in any direction. That alone is a massive difference, rugby’s entire visual appearance is fundamentally because you must be holding or kicking the ball in order to advance it. It makes the flows in Aussie rules look much more like soccer, basketball, or hockey. Also, a player can only carry the ball for 15 steps (meters? yards? don’t know) before it must be bounced off the ground.
There are undoubtedly nuances, most of what I know of the game was from watching Saturday night broadcasts of Sunday matches on TSN in Canada in the late 80s. But overall, the game is a lot more like football than it is rugby. It clearly has a close evolutionary connection to Gaelic football.
I think it’s about the shorts.
In rugby shorts are normal. Aussie rules is played and watched by Australians who like really really tight and very short shorts.
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I dont recall that. I’m guessing there must be a rule against it or someone would have tried it, The likes of Campese, Cooper (to name two Australians who were a bit off piste) for example.