Photo by A. Tomasch
Source Yitah Wu
Here you can see a model rocket just after clearing the rod. If you look closely at the base of the pad you can see that the rod was originally pointed slightly to the right. The whipping motion of the rod has thrown the rocket back to the left.
Photo by Dale Emery
Here is an even more extreme example. The rod has bounced back beyond its starting point and the rocket has been thrown far from its original course.