Shenton would have still been penalised and the game cannot finish without the penalty been taken. Therefore Sinfield kicks the penalty and we lose by two.

Penalised for tackling McGuire? Really, is that the rule?



Then he should of backed up a step or two (behind where Sherwin lost contact with the ball) and played himself onside before making the tackle. Leaving Leeds one play to win the match.

Except he wouldn't.



Once McGuire retrieves the ball, the relative position of any Cas player tackling him to where Sherwin last touched it is irrelevant. It wasn't from a kick, he doesn't have to give the Leeds player 10 metres if he's in front of the last of his team to touch the ball.



Course there was always the chance that he could have either timed it wrong and taken McGuire early (which risked giving away a penalty try) or missed the tackle and McGuire scores making the kick irrelevant.



While none of that would have most likely gone through his mind, the snap judgement he made to play the ball was entirely the right one in the circumstances.

I thought it was as Sherwin was on the floor and Shenton was in front of him nearer the ball.

I thought Shenton would have been offside no matter what. Oh well it's all history now.

Yup.

Stop laughing.

According to my Cas supporting colleague who is also a referee, he'd have still been offside if he'd not have retreated behind where Sherwin knocked on.

Well whaddya know, having just looked it up he's right - section 14 of the laws says a player is offside if the ball touches, is touched, held or kicked by a team-mate behind him.



I thought that only applied to kicks, but apparently not. He'd have had to give McGuire ten metres unless he had retired behind Sherwin first.

There didn't seem to be 10 metres behind Sherwin for Shenton to have gone unless he fancied standing with us and then going back in to the field of play.

You can't be offside in your own in-goal, so presumably had he stood on the goal-line he would not have been treated as being inside the ten.

McGuire must have known this, so drifted the ball stopping just short of the in goal area