Rugby Union

Some exciting (though not particularly skillful) games last Saturday, but the Italy/Ireland game in particular highlighted the enormous number of forward passes which go unpunished these days. The problem is exacerbated by the relatively recent adoption by Union sides of the Rugby League use of the "crash ball" to try and break through the defensive line. I don't know what the answer is - the referee is invariably behind the play, which means that unless a pass is way forward he's not going to be able to tell, but the idea that we should ignore these infractions on the basis that the passes are only just forward reminds me of the old joke about the girl who maintained that she was "only a little bit pregnant". We either have to look at the rule, or the way it is policed, but I don't think we can do nothing - particularly when, as in the match mentioned, tries are scored as a result.