LAWS OF GAME

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 147, 23 June 1945, Page 9

LAWS OF GAME

SCRUMMAGE FORMATIONS P.A. WELLINGTON, FridayThe alterations to the laws which were recently received by the Inter-Services Rugby Committee in England were reported to the council Of New Zealand Rugby Union to-day bjr the chairman, Mr. S. S. Dean. He said that the executive of the union had recommended that consideration Of these should be deferred and that the Rugby Union (England) should be requested to convene a conference to consider the laws as soon as the war situation warranted. The conference should be held as soon, as possible, as it was important that the various countries should again take up the roster of international tours. ■

A motion was carried that while the New Zealand Rugby Union had no objection to the inter-Services Rugby Committee conferring with the Rugby Union (England) concerning proposed alterations to the laws of the game set out in the .committee's circular of March 21, 1945, all alterations come to must be submitted to all unions for their consideration before they came into force. It was decided to request the Rugby Union (England) to convene a conference to consider alterations-.to. the laws of the. game as soon as the war situation warranted.

"AH we have done is to bring o\xt a chart showing the correct method of forming the 3—^4—l scrum , ," said Mr. J. H. Parker. The trouble in recent years had been caused by forwards breaking from the scrum too soon and endeavouring to chase the opposing backs. The backs held that their trouble was the slowness With which the ball reached them from the scrum. None of the forwards seemed to know what was the standard pack. Mr. L. Carmine (Wanganui) said that the idea of bringing out a chart was that New Zealand players should forget all about the 2-— scrum and to let unions know the type of 3—4—l formation the executive desired should be played, It was decided to thank the committee, Messrs. Dean, Parker and Carmine, who had prepared the chart, and alaoto send a letter of thanks to Mr. J. T. Burrows for the interest he had taken in arriving at a better scrum formation. ■ After consideration in committee, the following resolution was passed:. U is the unanimous opinion of this council that the New Zealand Rugby Union should not affiliate with the Council of Sport and should request its affiliated unions to adopt the same attitude to provincial councils of snort. • • ■ ■