A BETTER GAME.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17272, 10 October 1921, Page 4

A BETTER GAME.

AMENDED RUGBY RULES.

TO COMBAT RIVAL CODE.

ENGLISH UNION'S ACTION

Information of an important nature relating to the Rugby gamo in NewZealand, and Auckland in particular, wrs obtained on Saturday through the chairman of the New Zealand Ilugbv Unio-.i (.Air G.MV. Slade). It contains the announcement of the English Rugby Union's action in permitting Auckian-I to plav the unauthorised rules. 'The cablegram on the subject from -Mr C. TVray, the New Zealand representative on the English Rugby Union committee, reads as follows: "Dispensation sanctioned. Amendment question postponed. Australian representative elected to Laws Committee."

Hie details of-the proposed amendments have been given a good deal of publicity and are now well known, particularly the proposal regarding kicking into touch. Some important statements, however, tfre contained in a letter which was lorwarded to the English Union and has now been released tor publication. This was drawn up by Messrs J. MeLeod, E. "Wylie. and H. Frost, and was forwarded under the signatures or tho president and secretary of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Messrs MeLeod. and 11. E. Combs respectively. At the annual meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Rugby Union in March last, dispensation was granted to the Auckland Rugby Union to play certain unauthorised rules pending an application to tho English Rugby Union for endorsement of this action. Best Interests of Game.

Tho letter to the lingHsli Rugby Union stated: — , "In vew of tlie fact that the adoption of theso rules is desired by every union afliliated to us in the Dominion, and is also as keenly desired by the_JNew Soutlu Wales Rugby Union, we shall endeavour to place before your urnoii sound and logical reasons for including thoso proposed amendments in the a'ltnoriseJ rules of the game, while should wo unfortunately fail in making go theso propositions wo hope to obtain tour .permission for these rules to be plaved throughout -New Zealand and Australia for all homo; matches—the authorised rules only, of WUl '«®> t other played against visitmg teams floin °™ cr countries. Wo hope, however, to thoroughly convince you that our suggestions are based on a sound foundation, and are without doubt in tho very best interests of our Empire game. -\r.,v we before proceeding turtner, profoundly assure your Union that we are absolutely loyal, thaVwe nre in a strictly amateur spirit only in w.iat we are convinced is B "g of our fp-eat game. . Further, let lis add, we keenly appreciate those amendments your Union has recently Bauction"dUiiiite frankly, however, we do not think you have gone far enough to benefit the game to any great extent. Irregular Action- Explained' "To proceed, and in justification of our sqjnewhat irregular action in grantinjr tJfio Auckland Union dispensation to play certain amendments we would respectfully urge the following argumC(a)B A point that weighed lewjg with delegates was the established that all the primary and public M »odte and colleges in Auckland have played the amended rules for.iome six yews, ■with the obvious result tihat the -majority of the Rugby Union players unr der "the jurisdiction of- the Auckland Rugby Union know no other Sfl (bf'The -Auckland Union commenced playing these rules during the Great War, when eo' many of tneir playoj 8 were absent on active service, that tne game was practically confined to boys. The Northern Union game in Auckland lost fewer of its players, and apparently j grew stronger during the war, until practically the whole public support Or i football had been transferred to their code* , (o) The Auckland 1 Union introauced these amendments in good faith, believing that in-their local competitions ■£li6y nad power to introduce modifications of oertain rules with, tttie knowledge of the precedent of the five yards throw-in from touoh-line rule, which is- permitted and generally adopted in this Dominion and though not elsewhere adopted generally. This, together with t)ho urgency of the danger to local Rugby, they considered would justify their actioni Nothing •was further from tho minds of "the executive of the Auckland Union than to cut their Union adrift from the amateur game and from affiliation through, t'lie N.Z.R.U. to the English Rugby Union. To Oust League. • "The adoption of these amendments attracted back a fair arid increasing measure of public support, and tfe honestly believe that if those niodificar tions are allowed to continue in Auckland—and, we hope, be played elsewhere—the amateur Rugby game- jjii gradually completely oust the professional Northern Union code, wherever it .is played in Now Zealand. On the other hand, it is our firm belief that to insist that Auckland should-return to the old rules would deprive that union of .public support, and would relegate the union game to a very secondary - position in football in Jhat great football district. THia statement i 3 justified by reference to the interest of spectators in a college match under the modified rules in preference to an. interprovincial match tinder the authorised rules. Clubs in Auckland had been ■unanimously in favour of the adoption of the modified rules, as also had been a meeting of New Zealand chairmen of Rugby unions.

A Wrong Impression.

"We are aware, the letter continues, that considerable activity has been shown either by genuine or misinformed opponents, or perhaps by enemies of the Rugby Union game, and it is also very probable that Northern Union supporters are taking part in tho activity. Our reasons for making these statements are:— ''

(a) From perusal of the English press reports we find that not a few Rugby supporters in England axe under the impression that thp New Zealand Rugby Union is desirous of turning over to the professional Northern Union game, whertas our only justification for allowing the playing of unauthorised jrules is our firm belief that this action is necessary to the life of the Rugby Union game in certain parts of New Zealand. If we hare failed to make this point clear, our whole letter is worthless. (b) From private correspondence we learn that inforfoatiow> is sent to England to the effect that the proposed amendments are tho work of a few fanatics. In reply to this we wish to stress the very important and undeniable faCt that those who are responsible for the amendments are men of undoubted amateur 'principles, whose athletic life from schoolboy onward has been spent in following our game, and' whose knowledge is based on tbe solid foundar tion of having pa&jed through the playing, refereerag, and administrative stages, men who have had the honour of representing their province* in big fpTWfc« 3 and who have had the greater] bnour of playiftg for the Dominion. (c) We Know that those who are at the head of the other oode are leaving no stone unturned to throw dust in the eves of those who govern our game in England, And you will keenly realise that there are many methods of doing this without our relating any particular one, except to state that it ia calumny

to insinuate that that 1 fnr the covernment of Rugby in gomiSfonfbf in Austria are outtor anvthing but what 19 in the real 'nteiests of up-to-date bona fide amatour but we feel so strongly that the lite ot tho amateur game 111 the Dominion and in Australia is at pardon us for stressing tho th *J only offiml correspondence should M> taken heed of."'

'' Survival of the Fitttßt. The timi belief is expressed ttat tho adoption of the proposed was the surest war of over " coming the rival code. ';' AYe deem them to be thoroughly minion," tho letter adds, »a sons already stated, and we are m • happv position of Haying tried them.out and found them not wanting. What, we fear k that, as New Zealand carmot seriously support two Rugby footbaU codes, it will be the old cry of tho survival of the fittest, and wemako that remark it is not m a P h .> sl^ l( £ moral sense, but a survival m pubho ooinion . . . The menace has now been Coughly recognised, and we arc now foelins alive to the necessity of oombating it in the only, way viz.. an improvement in our method of P T%e claim of the Northern . Union officials in the Dominion that their Mayors are bona fide amateurs (i.e., that there are no actual paid l :participants in the game) and that their executive w quite as amateur as the bodv, is dealt with, and it » pointed out'that a considerable body of the public, attracted by a cod« which lias presented some change from the orthodox! (including payment on tour aa compensation for loss of wages), ia content to believe that the players are just aa really in spirit true amateurs as ara the Rugby Union men. Unless tho. Rugby Union could be assured of a full measure of public support, its financial position would beooni© precarious. In conclusion, the letter states "We would ask you to tmst our complete sincerity in desiring to retain the closest possible relation with, the English Rugby Union—it would be ai terrible calamity to do otherwise—and of our intention to remain strictly amateur " If unable to accept tho suggestions, the N.Z.R.U. requested the English Union to allow New Zealand ancT Australia to include them for play in their respective countries, at least until such time as the suggestions have been fully considered by a conference of representatives of all the Rugby players of the world. The desirability of sudli a conference at an e-trly date-is urged, in order to obtain unanimity of rule and ruling.