RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 28, 3 February 1899, Page 2

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

RUGBY FOOTBALL

PROPOSED NEW RULES,

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, this day

A committee of football enthusiasts here who have, like many other people, long felt, that the present rules of Rugby football are yearly becoming more cumbersome, confused, and opposed to good play, have taken tlie bull by the horns, and. after inviting opinion from authorities on the game in various parts of the. colony, framed a series of drastic amendments, which will be submitted <o the local unions, and finally to the Now Zealand Union. The latter will send the draft adopted to the English Union, and invite the hitter's earnest, consideration of the improvements proposed, and it is pretty well understood that if the English Union show their usual obstinacy in refusing to accept alterations which experience has shown to be clearly advisable the New Zealand Union will then consider the propriety of adopting them on its own account.

The principal alterations suggested are:—Points as follow: —

A goal from a try, 5 points. A try, 4 points. Penalty goal, 2 points. Any other goal, 3 points.

Force-down, half a point

The last is an innovation, and will only count if no major points are scored. A goal from a punt is to be allowed. Charging at kick-off is abolished. The game will not be stopped if the ball touches the referee.

Four spells may be played instead of two, to prevent, undue, advantage being obtained from wind, and after a try the ball will be kicked off again from half-distance.

Wing-play is abolished, and knock-ing-on cannot be penalised unless it is wilful.

In order to avoid incessant scrambling on the touch-lines when the ball goes out it must be thrown in at least five yards.

The last two are alterations which will make enormous difference in the incessant stoppages that now occur in every game.

There are a number of minor alterations in the direction of simplifying ttie rules.