IIRC, forward passes in rugby are determined moreso by the direction of the passing

player's hands rather than the direction that the ball travels in. That is to say that if the players hands would direct the ball backwards but it actually travels forward due to the player's forward momentum then it will nevertheless be a legal pass.

My understanding on this does go back a few years so may be out of date now, however it would explain some of the instances where it looks like the ball clearly travels forward

Posted By: NorthByNorthWalsham, Oct 20, 10:23:56