Accidental Offside Frustration/Rule Change?

(i) Anyone get frustrated when a player gets pinged for what is a reflex reaction to catching the ball when it ricochets off his own player only to find that he and his team are then penalised for this. I would like to see a change here and some discretion applied. For me a penalty should be given for some kind of intentional act, it just doesn't seem appropriate for me. Something similar to intentional knock on as opposed to accidental would work for me. Any thoughts

Yea, Im happy enough for a referee to say:

Accidental reflex action, scrum
Playing ball from offside position, penalty

Its no different to what we do at truck and trailer v obstruction.

Now Ruby, you know the word (or words) ref discretion are only fuel to those who want to use an Uzi on refs they don't like.

Let the ref decide when to give and to take? A mountain of trouble for refs and disgruntled fans....plus of course the usual acres of footage and chitchat to prove the ref was wrong to think the player was innocent.

Don't get me going on Warburton again Fly I'm having a steady day

I'm pretty sure that's already the way it's applied. You could apply the same principle to deliberate knock ons. Ball is going past you instinctively lash out to stop it.

A prime moment to attack is following a knock on. Players should get out of the way. No sympathy

" He was trying his best to get back onside"

Yeah right ref


If you interfere with play whilst offside, you interfere with play...intent only comes into it when dishing cards. For many people its a gut instinct to punch dylan hartley when they see him, that doesnt mean it should go unpunished. The ref has some discretion to play advantage if the offside has no impact ( eg the player realised what hes done and dropped the ball, but noone ever does that)

Agree with Peter really except for one point.

Are you sure punching Dylan Hartley shouldn't go unpunished?................

A prime moment to attack is following a knock on. Players should get out of the way. No sympathy

+1. Otherwise players will do their best to make it look like and accident but it will still be killing play.