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Dan,
4-7-2 a-d is very relevant. Parts a-d give 4 examples of charging, each of which involve a player with the ball causing the illegal contact with the torso. This seems a compelling reason to believe that the defense pushes, the player with the ball charges. But there is more, as I stated in my first post. Please refer to my second reference, 10-6-1, on contact. This is the only other place in the rules where charging is mentioned (I have an electronic version of the rules and used the "find" feature, so trust me on this). In 10-6-1, charging is mentioned once. I will quote the last two sentences:
"It is a form of pushing when the player holding the ball is contacted by a defensive player who approaches from behind. Contact that is caused by the momentum of a player who has thrown for goal is a form of charging."
We have a definition followed by 4 examples involving a player with the ball that are charging (and no examples of charging without the ball). We have a statement that a defensive player running into the player with the ball commits a push (not a charge) and then a clarification that the term charging also extends to the player who released the ball on a try and subsequently made illegal contact due to momentum (giving a specific exception to the general rule that charging applies only to a player with the ball). How can you come up with a different interpretation of these sections? Where do you find any rule or case implying that a defensive player can charge, or an offensive player off the ball for that matter?
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