RUGBY BOARD CRITICISED

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31318, 14 March 1967, Page 19

RUGBY BOARD CRITICISED

(Special Correspondent N.Z.P.A.) LONDON. The English Rugby critic, Vivian Jenkins, has criticised the decision of the New Zealand Rugby Board to oppose any change in the laws of the game at the conference of the International Rugby Board this week.

Writing in the “Sunday Times”, Jenkins said that New Zealand, South Africa and Australia would be sending two representatives each to the conference. Representatives of the four Home unions would bring the number attending up to 14.

“ft all sounds highly important, but what, if anything, will be achieved? New Zealand has already announced that it will oppose any further changes in the laws, and it needs only one other country to be of the same mind and no legislation can go through. “Players and public alike are becoming extremely impatient at this, and I hear of one positive bid to break the deadlock. For years every-

body, from the top administrators down, has been saying that tries, not goals, ought to be the determining feature in the game. “Rugby is a handling game they say ad nauseum, but the board does nothing about it.” He questioned what the board was likely to do at its conference about promoting the “handling game.” “Will they, for instance, bring in the Australian dis-

pensation law, to reduce kicking to touch between the two 255? Is there, again, any prospect of the line-out chaos being cleared up, or the 10 yards back law being applied to the scrum as well, with only the offending side being made to stand back? I very much doubt it, in every case. “After all, New Zealand has already produced its niet. ft only needs one other country to join them. “The international board, set up as custodians of the game, sometimes behave more like its gaolers.”