SCRUMMAGE LAW

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28553, 5 April 1958, Page 14

SCRUMMAGE LAW

Long Debate On Explanations Explanations given by Mr H. Simmonds, a member of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s laws committee, on the new scrummage laws, were adopted by delegates to the annual conference of the New Zealand Rugby Referees’ Association, as recommendations to the New Zealand union. They were not approved, however, until delegates had discussed them for some hours, and a motion that "as the notes on the law conflict with the law, that the notes be disregarded and the associations rule according to the law,” had been defeated. Explanations were given by Mr Simmonds as follows: A player lying on the ground, must now do his best to roll away from the ball, whereas formerly all he was required to do was not interfere with the ball. In the past a player •had made no effort to extricate him** self from between the feet of the players, usually with the express intention of holding up play, he said. It is now illegal for the third foot or nearer fourth foot of the front row to be placed or moved nearer to the mouth of the tunnel than the normal position until the ball has left the hands of the player putting the ball in. This means that a player in the front row can gain no advantage when the ball is entering the scrum by any action of crossing his feet or in any way placing his feet in other than the normal position. AU Must Bind All players in the scrum must bind with at least one arm and hand on another player of the same team. This has been carried out in New Zealand for some years. There is no intention that players other than those in the front row, should remain binding during the full period of the scrum. The last man down in the scrum need not now take a step back before picking up the ball from between his feet or immediately in front of him and clear of the feet in front. All this player need do now is to disengage himself from the scrum before he picks the ball up. When the call Is put into the scrum it must alight past the first player of the side putting the ball in. This applies to both loose and tight head sides. The new hooking law provides for the heeling to commence by the further third foot and/or either fourth foot. A player who found that by putting the ball in on his loose head he was allowing his opponents to heel first with the third foot and tried the tight head side, would find that he would have to put the ball further into the scrummage because it must now be past his front row first player, which would allow his opponents’ fourth foot a shorter strike to the ball, said Mr Simmonds;