RUGBY

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 179, 17 April 1923, Page 9

RUGBY

REFEREES’ ASSOCIATION RULES DISCUSSED

The weekly meeting of the local Ileferees’ Association was held in the Y.M.C.A. rooms last evening, the president (Mr. A. E. Neilson) presiding over an attendance of about forty. Mr. G. Hoare was elected a member, and Messrs. W. McMahon and 1). Calcinai were proposed for membership. The following decisions of the recent conference were discussed-—-“That a scrummage be defined according to the latter reading of the definition, thus: ‘A scrummage, wincn can only take place in the held or play, is formed t>y players closing up in readiness to allow the bah to, be put on tlie ground between them. The meeting unanimously decided to oppose the proposed alteration, which would do away with the loose w-xuiu. “The advantage rule should be applied to every phase of the play, the referee should not whistle when the non-offending side gain an advantage? ” Adopted. “The essentials m scoring a try are hand, ball, and ground being in contact.” —Approved. . “A timekeeper should ring the bell for time when the ball is either held vr out of play.” , The referee is the only person who calls time, and the ringing of the hell does not conclude the game. r •*A player is on the ground when too is not’not wholly supported by his feet. A plaver who claims a marl, with one knee on the ground is penalised by a free-kick given against him. —Adopted. , “A kick is propelling the ball by tho leg from the knee downwards. ’—Approved. . “When a player is taking a free-Kiclc he must kick the ball at a spot oppo Bite the mark.” The ball must not necessarily cross the actnal mark, bur it must be kicked at- a spot opposite to the mark and in the direction 01 the opponents’ goal-lino. “In cases of players being ordered off the field, referees in general be instructed to be sure of their ground before ordering off a player for foul play or misconduct: that in. stating their case to the Rugby Union tl make their reports r.s short, pud concise as possible, and that without being at all disrespectful to Rugby unions, referees decline to be cros*--xamined at inquiries on the main facts of the incident that caused the ordering-off of the player.” This was adopted. This does prevent a referee answering questions <si minor points, but it objects io cross-examination on the part of the player ordered off. “A player cannot le penalised for waiting off-side if he is more than ten yards away from the player to whom the ball is travelling.”—Approved. “That in the case of heeling-back over the goal-line, deliberately throwing into touch, etc., the referee should b’ow his whistle and order the scrummage or free-kick respectively, without waiting for the appeal.” It was decided to refer this back to the executive of the N.Z.R.R.A., as it was an alteration to the rules, and was thus ultra vires. It was pointed out that the executive of the N.Z.R.R.A. had had very, little opportunity of perusing the order paper. “If the player' claiming the. mark ‘be injured in catching the ball, and have to leave the field, the question of who shall take the kick or tho ordering of the scrum (if. the marker cannot take tho kick but does not leave the field) in default of the kick being taken, bo left to the discretion of the referee.” It was .decided to refer the matter back to’ tho executive ot the N Z.R.R.A., suggesting that a scrum be ordered in every case. “The kicker and the placer for a kick at goal must be different persons, and if the kicker touches the ball when it is on the ground the kick is forfeited.”—Approved. “If time is up and the kicker kicks the ball out on the full from outside his twenty-five, play ceases.” —Approved.

"Teare is no option of a scrum instead of the line-out when the ball is kicked out on the full from outside the twenty-five.’’—Approved. '‘ln cases of free-kicks, the kicker’s a including the placer, must Ise bathe ball when it is kicked, except when the placer is lying on the ground to place the ball.”—Approved. When the placer has placed the ball he must retire behind the ball with the others on his side.

‘‘lf the player knocks the ball on «nu catches it again before it reaches the ground, play goes on.” —Approved. “If a side deliberately wastes time offer a try, or drop-out, the rcfeice •'hall add on the time wasted.” —Allproved, “If a player knocks the ball on a yarU from his opponents’ goal-line, and the ball goes into touch-in-goal, the drop-out is ordered, under the advantage rule.”—Approved. ’‘Any player can put the .ball in the scrum.”. This was a ruling of the International Board. It was pointed out that so long as the ball is fairly put in, there is nothing to be gained by the non-oilending side.

DENOMINATIONAL SCHOOL TEAMS EXCLUSION EROM CHRISTCHURCH COMPETITIONS. BY TELE3RAPII.— RBESS ASSOCIATION. _ Christchurch, April 16. The exclusion of church schools from the public Schools’ Association Rugby competitions was considered to-dav at a meeting of the council of that body. To-day, when an application was received from the Marist Brothers for permission to enter two teams in the competition, also a request from the Rugby Union to consider favourably the admission of teams for a further period of n vear in order to give the union sufficient time to organise a competition for the Marist and other denominational schools. A motion. “That the request of the Union be acceded to” was moved, and amendment, “That a I reply bo sent to the Marist Brothers that as the association has resolved that all competitions, be confined tn public schools their entries cannot be accepted,” was carried. FIXTURES FOR SATURDAY Fixtures for Saturday, April 21, are:— Senior. Athletic v. Berhampore, Athletic Park No. 1, 3 p.m.. G. Bradley. Marist v. ’Varsity, Athletic Park No. 2, 3 p.m., H. Leith. Petone v. Wellington, Petone Rec. No. 1, 3 p.m., A. Neilson. Poneko v. Selwyn, Duppa Street No. 1, 3 p.m., A Smart. Hutt v. z Old Boys, Hutt No. 1, 3 p.m., E. S. Hylton. Junior. Berhamporo v. Athletic, Prince of Wales Park, 3 p.m., W. Carson. Oriental v. Training College, Kelburn,

3 p.m., A. M. Flynn. ’Varsity v. Selwyn, Newtown, 3 p.m., R. McCulloch. Poneke v. Hutt, Hutt No. 2, 3 p.m., H. Pilcher. Porirua v. Wellington, Porrirua, 3 p.m., G. Katene, Marist v. Petone, Petone No. 2, 3 p.m., G. Perkinson. Johnsonville v. Old Boys, Johnsonville, 3 p..m., R. Wilkinson. Fifth Grade. Poneke v. Community, Duppa Street No. 3, 3 p.m., N. E. Souper. Petone v. Kaiwarra, Petone No. 3, 3 p.m., R. Herron. Athletic v. Selwyn, Athletic Park No. 2, 1.30 p.m., D. J. Guiney. Berhampore A v. Eastbourne, Eastbourne, 3 p.m., R. P. Smythe. Berhampore B v. Oriental, Duppa Street No. 2, 3 p.m.. J. O’Sullivan. Marist v. Hutt, Hutt No. 1, 1.30 p.m., A. Francis. Fifth (Colleges.) Technical v. St. Patrick’s A, Athletic Park No. 1, 1.30 p.m., C. N. Rabone. Wellington College Av. Scots, Scots College, 1.30 p.m., D. Maroney. Wellington College Bv. St. Patrick’s. Wellington College, 1.30 p.m., L. F. Linley.