Imagine that a woefully overmatched Browns team is facing the mighty Patriots. When the Pats begin an offensive play, the Browns decline to approach the line of scrimmage and send a few players into the Patriots’ backfield before the snap, clearly offsides.

But because of an unnoticed loophole in the rules, the referee shrugs and says it’s perfectly legal.

That’s more or less what happened when England faced Italy in the Six Nations rugby tournament.

Rugby fans are buzzing about the game, but if you’re not an expert on scrums and mauls, an explanation may be in order.

Italy is always the biggest underdog in the Six Nations field, far behind teams like France and Ireland. So when it took on the tournament favorite, England, on the road on Sunday, it tried an unconventional strategy in a long-shot bid to win. It nearly worked.