Demonstration of new scrum being organised

Press, 9 May 1984, Page 8

Demonstration of new scrum being organised

The Canterbury Rugby Union is moving quickly to see that all involved will be ready for the switch to two-stage scrums in its grades from under 19 down at the start of next month. The union made the decision last week to have the frontrows in these grades go down first and for the other forwards to then pack in as a way of avoiding neck and spinal injuries. At its meeting last evening, the union decided to hire a large Christchurch stadium so that a demonstration evening can be held. It is. planning on an attendance in excess of 500, with invitations going to coaches in all clubs and in all schools, from primary through to secondary. Referees, parents and the general public will' also be welcome. The demonstration will be under the direction of Mr Tane Norton, who ran a similar evening in Ashburton this week and drew a crowd of more than 300. The chairman of the coaching committee, Mr P. Robin-, son, said that there had been tremendous interest in the new scrum at the Cantabrians coaching week at Rugby Park this week, and the comments had been favourable. “What we want now is for more people to see how it works and the best way to do this is to hire a large stadium,” he said. The chairman, Mr M. R. Barnett, said that he thought the idea an excellent one. It was important that the event be well planned, but still be held as soon as possible. It was left to the chairmen of two or three sub-commit-tees which will be involved to hire a stadium and set a date in the next week or so. The referees’ delegate, Mr A. H. Erdman, said that there were more than 200 at a referees’ function last evening to explain the new scrum and that the referees were most enthusiastic about it. He successfully applied for permission for the scrum to be used this Saturday, if the referee and the two coaches were in agreement. Also on the injury front, the union decided to pay the $lO fee for a representative from all the town clubs to attend a three evening course on first aid being run by the St John Ambulance Association. “From what I hear the

course is an excellent one, and I think it is most important that we get someone, preferably, the coaching convener, from every club to attend. He can then take what he learns back to his club,” said Mr Barnett Mr Erdman said that many referees had already done the course, and more were likely to do so. “It is very good, both in the treatment and prevention of injuries,” he said. Mr Barnett made a public apology to season and longterm ticket holders who were not able to sit in their seats at Lancaster Park last Sunday. “We endeavoured to make admission easier for the public by not making it (Canterbury v. Queensland) a ticketed game, and it rebounded rather badly on us. “We thought that by now the public .would have known that the special coloured seats were set aside for ticket holders, and even if inadvertently in them would have given them to the people to whom they belonged. “The Victory Park Board felt it had enough staff to handle the situation, but there were still some problems. We have learnt a lesson; in future such a game will have to be ticketed,” said Mr Barnett. Later in the meeting two letters of complaint were received from season ticketholders. Gordon Gossett, the Hornby senior captain who was ordered off last Saturday for back-chatting the referee, was given a severe caution. The union was told that Gossett had been sent to the sin bin after he had queried a decision. And when ne came back on to the field he continued to question the referee, who had no alternative but to order him off for the second offence. No foul language was used. Another senior player, Grant James (Albion), who was ordered off last Saturday for a late tackle, was suspended for one Saturday and M. Boland (University, third grade) was stood down for two Saturdays for what was described as “taking the law into his own hands’ r after a team-mate had been roughly treated. A seventeenth referee has been added to the senior panel. He is Graham Collins, who since last winter has moved to Christchurch from Hawke’s Bay.