RUGBY RULES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 6, 6 July 1935, Page 15

RUGBY RULES

SOUTH AFRICAN IDEA

DUTIES OF REFEREES

In a recent address to a large gathering of Rugby football referees in South Africa, Mr. A. W. van der Horst, chairman of the Western Province Rugby Referees' Association, said that if he, could possibly arrange it, South Africa would move, at the forthcoming Rugby conference in England, during December; that no forward shall break from the scrum until the ball is out of the scrum. Mr. van der Horst explained that he had' experimented in this connection with Craven and Mac Donald. Craven had^got the ball away easily to his fly-half, but, despite Mac Donald's speed, the forward was unable to tackle the fly-half in possession. He felt that the adoption of this rule would open a new era for three-quarter play. . Dealing with the recent "incidents" in Rugby, Mr. van der Horst said that a referee had to develop many qualities. "You must do your duty impartially," he said. "You must know the rules and enforce them, but you need not be very officious. And I think that probably the two greatest attributes of a referee are these: Firstly, a knowledge of men; and, secondly, the ability to give a decision in a split second. You must react immediately; it is no use being able to argue on the rules afterwards. '.'.'.. "UNPLEASANT INCIDENTS:" "Players very frequently lose their tempers and unpleasant incidents occur. A man is hit, and the referee thinks that his assailant must receive his marching orders. "I want to put another aspect to you, however. There are certain players who hit because they are born that way; but there are others who would not'do so except under extreme provocation; and before you send a man off just think for one moment — you'll get the proper reaction; why did that man hit his opponent? "There is a certain type of 'dirty' play that is creeping .into our Rugby —holding on to a jersey, kicking. Remember this: before you give a man his marching orders. Sometimes ,a good purpose is served by talking to the fellows. I was subjected to much criticism for my action in a match between Province and a visiting team. A visitor was laid out; then a Province man went out like a rocket. I called the captain of each side and said to them: 'This is either a game of Rugby or an all-in wrestling match. If it is to be an all-in display then, believe me, the man who starts it is going off, and every man after him even if I have to order a whole side, one by one, off the field. Make up your minds which it is to be.' Within half a minute the captains had settled things, and the game proceeded without further incident. REPRIMAND INSTEAD. "Do not shirk your duty, but think what led to that incident. Give the man' a reprimand instead of taking drastic steps." Mr. van der Horst said that referees could help in keeping tempers cool by stopping loose mauls as soon as they developed. Tempers became most frayed during mauls. He also pleaded for a better fellowship and esprit de corps among referees. • "I think that more old Rugby players should take up refereeing," he said. "After all, when a man has played Rugby he has got something out of the game, and it is up to him to put,something back instead of taking up golf and bowls when his Rugby days are over."