ColD wrote:
In your opinion, however the referees "leader" sees it different, who I would suggest is more "savvy" on this issue.
Although this is the same referee that allowed a goal that didn't go between the posts, and employs James Child every week!
He is the leader of the referees, yes. And that gives him a lot more credibility than you or I, I agree. But that doesn't mean he's 100% right. He didn't write all the rules, did he? And all leaders can be wrong from time to time. There are a lot of experienced referees that would completely disagree with him on this one (I haven't seen him quoted saying this yet anyway, by the way).
Guess it all comes down to that word "interpretation".
In my interpretation, he knocks the ball on, then kicks it. He hasn't gone for a drop kick (he didn't drop it to the floor intentionally, he mistimed his kick). Therefore knock on. It's the same as looking at the difference between someone knocking the ball down intentionally for a charge down (not a knock on) and someone sticking a hand out and the ball hitting it (a knock on). The latter could be claimed as a charge down "technically", but it isn't.