RULES OF RUGBY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 86, 11 April 1922, Page 7

RULES OF RUGBY.

THE AUCKLAND AMENDMENTS. SHOULD BE BANNED, SAYS WELLINGTON UNION. The delegates of the Wellington Rugby Union a-t the annual meeting became" involved in a discussion of the modified rules played by the Auckland union. Mr. J. Heenan moved on behalf of the Athletic Club:—"That it be a recommendation to the New Zealand Rugby Football Union that permission to play under the modified rules be not granted to any union." In the lace at* what amounted at one stage to a prohibition. Auckland had gone ahead aud played the modified rules, said Mr. Heenan. The question arose how the English union, having once allowed Auckland to play tile rules, could prevent other unions from following suit. While Auckland was playing the modified rules with a sword suspended over its head, there was little danger of those rules spreading throughout New Zealand. He saw grave danger, however, that they would spread now that the English union, under pressure, and under what he considered false views of the peril in which Rugby football sitood in Auckland, had agreed to the playing of them. If the modified "kick into touch"' rule spread through Xew Zealand, his club feared it would lower the standard of New Zealand play generally. New Zealand Rugby players had found out last year, if they had not known it before, that this country was not the only pebble on the Rugby beach. It it came to a question of losing Auckland from Rumby football, it would be better to lose Auckland than to lose the Rugby name. Mr. Heenan appealed to the meeting to carry the motion even if ft meant a ricpture with Auckland. Mr. K. A. Little thought tnat cue meeting, if it passed the motion: would be doing a good thing for Rugby in NewZealand. The time had come to take a stand. In view of the proposal that the new rules should either be. made of general application throughout New South Wales and Xew Zealand, or entirely discarded. Mr. S. ci. Deans thought that the Wellington union's delegates should be allowed to go to the New Zealand RugLiy L'nion without having their hands tied. J-'or many years, lie said, it had been tiard to get the English union to move in matters making -lor the progress of the game. He was confident that Wellington would never have the League game and that New Zealand would not have it much longer, either. "Let your delegates go with an open mind," lie said. Mr. W. ,1. liaruhau> said that conscrvatisn> was ihe only thing that would keep the rules right and enable any team, wherever it cam.- from, to play the same rules as it had been accustomed to. Mr. N". 'Millard thought that Auckland was changing its attitude. If the matter was handled carcfullyriie suggested, Auckland might be brought back to the Rugby told. The motion looked rather like an attempt to dictate to Auckland. He believed it would be better not to tic the hands of the delegates, _u» to pass a resolution to the effect that Wellington did not desire the kick into touch amendment. He moved as an amendment to the motion: "That this meeting of delegates does not approve of the proposed rule regarding the kick into touch." Mr. Millard's amendment was lost and the motion moved by 'Mr. Heenan was carried.