Incoming forward pass technology could change the game of rugby league

Finally, it seems as though the forward pass debate could soon be coming to an end.

The NRL are set to trial two new technologies later this season to determine whether a pass is thrown forward or not.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported back in May that the NRL has received two approaches from different companies, whose inventors believe they can definitively determine whether a pass has been thrown forward or not.

One of those is Sportable who, based in London, uses the method of inserting a microchip into the ball to track whether the ball leaves a players’ hands forwards or backwards.

The other technology uses limb-tracking technology to determine whether the trajectory of the pass goes forward or back.

NRL head of football Graham Annesley confirmed both methods will be trialled this season to see how they fare out on the pitch.

“It’s very early stages,” Annesley said.

“All we have agreed to at this stage is a trial of the technology in training matches to determine whether the technology meets our needs. If we’re convinced it is accurate and suitable, we would need to build a business case to take to the commission.”

The developments have been ongoing for the past three months, with excitement growing all the time.