CONTROL OF RUGBY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 2 August 1928, Page 6

CONTROL OF RUGBY.

UNIFORMITY IN RULES. DISCUSSION BY MANAGEMENT 1 COMMITTEE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) d WELLINGTON, Aug. 1. The New Zealand Rugby Union Management Committee to-night discussed the necessity for uniformity in the rules, it was. stated that the referee who declared “no side” when the bell rang for time as a player made a mark was quite correct. 1 In another case (presumably the Tuaapa v. Inglewood match at New Plymouth) a player caught the ball and immediately drop-kicked at goal. The referee heard “Mark!” called and blew the whistle, but afterwards heard that the call of “Mark!”, was made by a spectator. : . The union decided that when the whistle is blown the ball is “dead,” and tlie referee ought to have ordered a scrum in place of the goal which resulted.

Mr. S. S. Dean pointed out that whereas New Zealand referees gave a free kick for a pass forward taken offside, all other countries give a scrum for a pass forward. Concerning injured players, the rule provides that the game- shall be held up only three minutes for attention; ’ thereafter the injured player is to be carried to. the side line. That rule was frequently violated every Saturday. It was agree.d by members of the committee that Rugby was becoming increasingly rough in New Zealand, and that there was a tendency noticeable of being too lenient with offenders off the field. It was decided to ci tonkins© the unions requesting that all cases of players ordered off the field for rough or foul play should be strictly inquired into and stringently dealt with.