LAWS OF THE GAME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 158, 28 March 1908, Page 9

LAWS OF THE GAME.

PROPOSED ALTERATIONS. • Tho reportof the conference in August of delegates representing the Referees' Association of New-South Wales, Now Zealand, Queensland, aiid the Metropolitan Referees 1 Association of Sydney, was discussed at a meeting of tho Wellington Referees' Association on Monday night.Among tho proposed new laws are the'following :— If all opponent sccures tho ball from' a free-kick taken behind-their, goal lir.e by the defonding side, and puts its ckpvn in their ingoal, a try must be awarded;' "even though tho ball has not crossed tho goal lino." In tho event of a kicker kicking from his own in-goal and one of his sidfc being penalised' for offside, tho opposing sido electing to ' take a scrum, "such scrum shall take place five yards from the goal line, opposito to tho spot from which it was last played." | In tho ovent of a player marking in his own in-goal—say a yard from the . dead ball lino —and" his opponents line up to the mark and charge the kick down over tho dead ball line "the ball becomes dead." Tho'attention of referees is drawn to the fact that, before the 'bull is considered' fairly in the. scrumage, "it must be .placed on the. ground between tho players, so that each'side has an equaL chance of obtaining possession."- ' The attention of referees is drawn to the fact that players in a scruinmagp waiting for the ball to'bo-TJut in,; "must keep. their feet behind an imaginary lino drawn through tho cojitre of tho, scrummage at right angles to tho touch line 1 ." ... S ..

It was suggested at the Conference in question that the English Rugby Union be asked, that .law 3, sub-section E, be amended in the direction of giving tho'referee discretionary power re ordering a scnimmago when a player with the: ball touches him. It- was held /that under conditions hard-, ships .'frequently arise, as in-numerous cases the, touching of • the refereo has no material effect-upon- the'iplay. and in such cases it Would be fairer tto 1 allow the game to'pro 1 -' cce:l. ... , , ■ "'