RUGBY FOOTBALL

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 September 1945, Page 3

RUGBY FOOTBALL

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE R. R. King was appointed captain and M. Thomas vice-captain of the West Coast Seddon Shield team, at a meeting of the management committee of the West Coast Rugby Union last evening. . The Inangahua Sub-Union was granted permission to challenge for the Dittman Shield held by South Westland, with a stipulation that the tentative date be not before September 29. , , The Blaketown Club was granted permission for its third grade team to play at Reefton on September* 22. Fixtures for Saturday next were arranged as follow:— . Third Grade: Cobden v. Technical, at Cobden, 1.30 (N. Eggeltoiri; Blaketown v. Celtic at Park, No. 2, at 1.30 (C. Cockburn). Fourth Grade: Technical C v. Linwood, Technical ground, at 1.30 (A. King). ‘ WESTLAND SUB-UNION

The West Coast Rugby Union advised the Westland Sub-Union by letter at its weekly meeting that it would have to forward a statutory declaration by witnesses to substantiate the allegation that a League player had played for Celtic against KiwiExcelsior at Greymouth.—lt was decided to ask the Union to produce tno player named Gibbs who took part in the match, and to await the Unions reply before deciding on further dC The Union advised that R. King would be written to as a. result of his being ordered oft’ at Hokitika and that the Cobden Club would be asked for an explanation. It was pointed out by the Union that King had attended the meeting of his own accord and that the referee had failed in his duty in not notifying King that he should attend the meeting.—Members considered that the reference to the referee’s not notifying King to attend ;the meeting was unwarranted, as the President of the Union had told King he must attend the meeting; that was considered sufficient advice to the player. _ „ Appreciation was expressed of the action of the Celtic Club in making a donation to R. Bradley who was injured in a match with the Celtic team. , . St. Mary’s Club was granted permission to take a team on tour. It was decided to acknowledge with thanks the provision of a seat for one official in the bus gluing to Blenheim for the Seddon Shield match. N.Z. TEAM V. SERVICES WELLINGTON, September 11. The following Rugby team has been selected to represent New Zealand against the Services at Wellington on September 29: —Callanan (Canterbury); Sutherland (Southland), Morrison (Wellington), Dunn (Auckland); Elvidge (Otago). Grace (Southland); J. Haig (Otago); Barnes (Otago), Catley (Waikato), Mumm (Buller), McKenzie (Canterbury), Willocks (Otago), McHugh (Auckland), Bowman (Wellington), Christian (Auckland'? Emergencies: L. Haig (Otago), V. Calcinai (Wellington).

NEW ZEALAND TEAM’S TOUR (X.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent) LONDON, September 11. Wide interest is being taken by United Kingdom Rugby circles in the forthcoming tour of a New Zealand Services team from Italy, for it is hoped the visit will go a long way towards re-establishing the game after the long drag of the war years. It is also not overlooked that the tour will bring the name of New Zealand directly before the public in the same way as cricket tests have focussed attention in this country on Australia. The full list of the teams the New Zealanders will meet is not yet available, and a few days will elapse before details are known, since a rearrangement of the fixture lists is required. Of the 24 matches there will be 10 in England, six in Wales, two in Scotland, and two in Ireland. An international match will be played against each country and, in addition, the New* Zealanders will meet the Royal Navy, the Army, the Royal Air Force, and a combined Services team. . ~ Apart from this touring team, the Dominion will be represented here by New Zealanders serving in Britain in the same way as during the war, and it is expected that, as in the past this will also be a useful side. Last season some of its players were picked for English and Scottish international sides, so that there is a possibility, in the coming season, that the touring New Zealanders may be opposed to international sides which include their own countrymen. CHANGES IN RULES Changes in the laws of .Rugby announced lasi week are regarded by Sir Wavell Wakefield, a former English international, as not going far enough. “They only legalise what has been going on for years, and help very little towards ending the scrummaging trouble and constant holdups,” lie said. It is now permissible for the lai foot of the second players of each front row on the side on which the ball is being put in, and the feet oi the player beyond, to be raised, or advanced, as the ball leaves the hands of the half-back putting it in. Sir Wavell Wakefield said: What we want is a law to stop the ball coming out of the scrum. The outside forward should be allowed To follow the ball as it is put in, thus sealing it completely and ensuring that it goes back. As it is, the ball can still hit the hooker’s foot and rebound to the half-back. You know the result, it means more delay.” • i „ Sir Wavell Wakefield also thinks the decision to have a line-out, without the option of a set scrum, when the ball goes into touch, is a move m the wrong direction. “Too often the line-out ends in a scrum, anyhow, as a forward is grabbed by an opponent, or knocks on,” he said.