Law may foil Bosch

Press, 19 July 1976, Page 6

Law may foil Bosch

(From T. P. McLean) Cape Town If the laws of rugby are applied firmly when the All Blacks play their first test at Durban on Saturday, the teeth of the Springboks may be drawn. The teeth are the fabulous Transvaal goal-kicker. Gerald Bosch, who last Saturday scored all of his side’s points when Transvaal struggled to beat Eastern Province 16-13. The notes to law 13 as published in a handbook of the South African Rugby

Board state that the law does i not allow the use of sand or > sawdust for placing the ball I on hard playing fields when : taking a place-kick at goal, ■ but in exceptional local con- ' ditions. such variation from normal practice may be per-i ; mitted. I Not in any of the matches 1 of the tour so far have the ; All Blacks played on fields i where it was impossible for . a goal-kicker to place the > ball by making a mark on ’ the ground. ’ Yet in all these games

[South African kickers have teed up the ball on the sand provided by ballboys. Sometimes the teeing up has been an inch or more above the ground. Bosch habitually uses this method for his brilliant instep style of kicking. Kings Park, where the test will be played, lies at sea level, and all the times the All Blacks have used it, the surface has been yielding — certainly enough to allow a ball to be placed for a kick at goal.