Rugby Minor Changes Made To Laws Of Game

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28988, 1 September 1959, Page 23

Rugby Minor Changes Made To Laws Of Game

(Aew Zeaiana Press Association)

WELLINGTON, August 31. Considerably more emphasis is placed on the penalty try’m a set of minor alterations to the laws of the game made by the International Rugbv Board at its recently concluded conference and released today.

The alterations are to come into effect at the start of the respective Northern and Southern Hemisphere seasons in 1960. This means the All Blacks will play under them in South Africa next year.

The alterations are mainly changes in the wording of the laws to clear up small points that juve arisen since the introduction of the amendments brought into force at the start of the present jeason. In Law 26, under the general heading of functions of the referee. there is a change under the jub-heading of “penalty try.” Under the present wording the referee can award a penalty try If he is satisfied that a try would undoubtedly have been scored in 8 certain set of circumstances. The new phrasing is that he should award a try if he was satisfied one would probably have eventuated. Although it had undoubtedly been previously raised, this question was probably accentuated by an incident in the second test between the British Isles and New Zealand at Wellington where some thought that A. J. F. O’Reilly should have been awarded a penaltry try after he had been obstructed. In two subsequent matches the Lions were awarded penalty tries because of obstruction by the opposition. Penalty Provisions

Under Law 34, the law dealing with foul play, two of the penalty provisions (A) and (B) have been rewritten.

The new’ wording is: “Penalty.—The referee shall either order the offending player off the playing enclosure or else eaution him and, in addition, shall either award a penalty kick at the place of infringement or, if the foul play or misconduct prevents a try. which in the opinion

of the referee would probably have been scored, shall award a penalty try between the posts. For a second offence the referee must order the player off and shall in addition award a penalty kick or a penalty try as the circumstances require.”

A new definition of a kick is given to remove the possibility of the ball being played with the heel.

“A kick is made by propelling the ball with any part of the leg or foot, except the heel, from knee to the toe inclusive,” it states.

Half-backs will be interested in the new rule concerning the putting of the ball into the scrum. Instead of putting it in at a moderate speed as he is told to do,' in future he must put it in at “the speed neither more nor less than is necessary to give it enough impetus to reach the place at which it must touch the ground.” A new sub-section is added to the law governing the scrum to make it illegal for any player who is not in either front row to play the ball with his foot while it is in the tunnel.