MOVE FOR DELETION

Evening Post, Volume CXVII, Issue 75, 29 March 1934, Page 11

MOVE FOR DELETION

NEW ZEALAND ACTION

A move by the New Zealand Rugby Football Union to have expunged from the laws of the game one of the more recently adopted rules relating to the scrummage will be viewed in the Rugby world as one of considerable importance. The rule in question was introduced as a means of eliminating scrummage difliculties and troubles, but experience has shown that it has only ' served to aggravate the position. Generally it was iiot clearly understood, its application was a. problem, and it was branded, in some quarters at any rate, as an impossible rule. Its introduction; in England had results which appear to have been every bit as unsatisfactory as those in Now Zealand, where- it has undoubtedly had an adverse effect upon the game. Its elimination would be. hailed with much satisfaction not oniy in New Zealand but also in England and the other Bugbyplaying countries. The rule-^Law. 15 (h) in the laws of the game—-is as follows:—"No player in: a scrummage ■ shall .raise a foot off the,ground or advance either foot beyond the line of feet of his front tow forwards until tho ball is fairly in the scrummage,-and the first three feet of (he front-row, forwards of each team oil the side on which the baft is being put in shall not be so raised, or " advanced until the ball has passed them." The idea of the New Zealand Rugby Union, as given at last night's meeting, is to rely on-the- rule as stated in section (g) of the scrummage law, which states: "The ball is not fairly in a scrummage until it has been put in straight,' has touched the ground between the opposing players', and has passed both feet of a player of each team.". "We are only going back to' the old. rule," remarked the chairman (Mr. S. S. Dean) in stating the union's intention of requesting the Rugby Football Union .(England) to have section (h) of the scrummage law deleted. An alteration to the definition of the tackle is also to- be urged, the proposal being to insert the words '-"he is brought to the ground or" and make the definition read as follows:— ■•*' Tackle. A tackle occurs when the holder of the ball in the field-of-play is held by oue or more players of the opposing team, so that while he is so held-he is brought to the ground or there i 4 a. moment when he cannot pass or play the ball." . ■