A "Garryowen" is very high, but not that long, kick. It's a kick where the intent is to have your own team catch it. Let's say you are the fullback and you are

A "Garryowen" is very high, but not that long, kick. It's a kick where the intent is to have your own team catch it. Let's say you are the fullback and you are facing a wall of approaching opposition, charging at you. All of your team are ahead of you, too, so they are of no use. Blocking is illegal. The opposition are not allowed to tackle you if you don't have the ball, so you kick it up high, over their heads, and run past them, catch it, and carry on running. The opposition's inertia will keep them going past the ball (and you) so when you regain the ball, you'll have a clear field ahead of you. That's the dream. The reality is you now have a field of fast, heavy, people running toward the same spot on the field, all looking straight-up at the ball that is now 50ft in the air, unaware they are about to collide in a wind-taking, bone-crunching crash.