"HIKURANGI" RULES

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 232, 2 October 1933, Page 8

"HIKURANGI" RULES

FOOTBALL SPECIAL. NEAR-RUGBY CHARITY GAMEbut league scoring. Those concerned with the official side of Rugby Union football have been making inquiries about tlie football charity match played at Hikurangi on Saturday between the W liangarci Union's champion club, Hikurangi, and a League football team wljicli included the Northland League, chauipion team. According to the original report from Hikurangi the match was played under League rules, and 13 men a-sidc. This, if correct, would have entailed _ the disqualification of the Rugby Union players concerned. A statement has been issued from Whangarei that the original story of the match 0 was iraceurate in so far as it related to the rules under which the frame was played. According to this statement the game was played by 1.) men a-side, and under Rugby Union rules except for the abolition of kicking diiect to the touchline, and the substitution of scrums f' ' line-oiits. For' scoring the League code points —three for a try and 2 for a goal —were adopted. Thus it would appear that the match was not under either Rugby Union oi Rugby League rules, and the fact that it was a 15-a-sido match removes the chief gravamen of the code offence, if any, committed by the Rugby Union players taking part.