Kick into Touch

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 111, 23 April 1936, Page 6

Kick into Touch

NEW RULE ADOPTED Opinions of Delegates Differ Widely RUGBY CONFERENCE (B; Telegraph-Press Association.) WELLINGTON, April 22. Considerable divergence of opinion over the amended kick-into-touch rule was shown by members at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union to-day. Mr. H. Frost (Auckland) moved the adoption of the rule for the present season onwards. The motion was seconded by Mr. A. E. McPhail, who said that the rule was favoured by Canterbury.

Tho West Ccast delegate, Mr A. Adams, said that adoption of the rule would make for more attractive footbail. He opposed recommendations that players should not be allowed io use the grubber kick or step back into their twenty-five before kicking into touch.

Mr M. F. Nicholls (Wellington) asked that his union be allowed to play the old rule. The amended rule, he said, would ruin forward play in New Zealand.

Mr N. A. McKenzie (Hawke’s Bay) disagreed with this view, but Mr H. Harris (Otago) assured the meeting that the amended rule would not be played in Otago. The chairman, the Hon. J. McLeod, said that it was Otago’s duty to conform with the rules. This afternoon the meeting discussed whether all New Zealand unions should be bound by the decision to readopt the amended rule. The chairman's motion that any dispensation to be taken advantage of would apply to the whole Dominion was carried. The motion to adopt the amended kick-into-touch rule was carried by 5-1 votes to 28. THREE MEN IN FRONT ROW. In view of the visit of the South African team to the Dominion next year, the delegates decided that three men should be retained in the iront row of the scrum in New Zealand this year. Mr. S. F. Wilson (Canterbury) made a plea for more matches for smaller unions. Tours made in tno past were too late in the season. He considered that smaller unions should ba grouped and treated as a minor union. Matches should be played in July, and minor South Island unions could play minor unions in the North Island. Such a scheme would cost, over a four-year period, a little over £lOOO

The delegates considered that the scheme would not meet the situation and Mr Wilson's motion to recommend the scheme to the management committee was defeated.

It was decided to again make a grant of £750 toward the furtherance of school football. A recommendation to the management committee, that three selectors for the teams to meet Australia be appointed for each island, and that the committee hold office for two years in view of the visit of the South African team, was adopted.