The Kingspan Stadium on matchday is not renowned the world over for its splendid neutrality.
Back in the day, the famed Ravenhill Roar could inspire Ulster players to great deeds while reducing visiting players to shadows of their usual selves. The situation is still the same in the rebranded arena today, with a famously partisan crowd doing all they can to influence matters in favour of their side.
But even the most one-eyed among them might have been tempted to offer a quiet round of applause for a piece of skill from the opposition last Friday evening.
It happened at a lineout in the 41st minute of the game between the hosts and the Dragons.
Visiting scrum-half Rhodri Williams feigned to throw the ball in conventionally before opting for an improbable 35-metre pass over the top of the set-piece. The ball looped high over the heads of jumpers, lifters and the rest of the forwards on both sides and landed straight into the arms of Dragons centre Jared Rosser, who bashed strongly into contact.
It was different to the power of 50.
On social media, one supporter called it “a thing of absolute beauty”, while another asked “who needs hookers?”
Someone else predicted others would soon follow suit, with one settling for describing the move as "amazing".
And it was apparently legal, as well - something many fans did not realise.
Every connoisseur of sharp lineouts would have relished the ploy that had evidently been worked on in training many times beforehand.
Credit, then, to Dragons forwards coach Luke Narraway and all else who dreamed it up, with Williams’ execution of the pass text book, if indeed any such a book can be found with the aforementioned delivery in it.
For while results may have been disappointing for the east Wales team this season, those who work in the Rodney Parade Ideas Department are still very much putting in a shift.
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