American Football and Rugby share a common ancestry and the roots of gridiron forced their way out during an NFL game in Atlanta last night.
The local team the Falcons were leading the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-29 and under pressure as the Bucs had the football deep in their territory with just seconds left on the clock.
Jameis Winston had the ball on the Falcons 22 on 3rd and 10 and found himself in a bit of pressure in the pocket and was forced to step up and into traffic.
A tackle would have brought the game to a standstill and meant a loss but the visiting QB managed to get the ball free and release it sideways, rugby style, whereby his teammates took up the same idea.
The rugby-style sweeping move showed a good deal of ingenuity - the backwards pitch is not a common sight in the North American game - but the chance was eventually snuffed out as DeSean Jackson couldn’t get his hands on the ball out wide when he had the chance to finish and the move broke down.
A knock-on, as it were. He wouldn’t make much of a winger at that rate.
Maybe it was that thought that infuriated him so much, as he was irate on the field after the buzzer ticked down on their hopes of securing a last-gasp win.
There have been a few crossovers between the two codes over the years, including the former Saracens prop forward Hayden Smith, who played as a tight end for the New York Jets for a spell.
Have a look at the unusual sight below.
