RUGBY “EXPENSES”

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXVI, Issue 283, 13 November 1936, Page 12

RUGBY “EXPENSES”

Amateur Status in Britain

ROUGH PLAY EVIDENT

(Own Correspondent—By Air Mail.) Rugby football pavilion gossip and suburban tea-party talk have much in common. Subjects for smiles and headsbaking discussed at. both, says Leo Munro in the “Daily Express.’’ Pavilion topics thia season include amateur status, unsatisfactory arrangement of club fixtures, and—perhaps in rivalry with our Soccer friends —rough play. Mention of neat-professionalism is not a hardy annual, but getting on that way. Latest revival hints at official action being taken here and there ip the matter of expenses and so forth. Governing powers are well armed if necessary. Take, for instance, the booklet of by-laws issued with authority of the Rugby Union. Fourteen pages of “Rules as to Professionalism” included. Pretty comprehensive, too. The allegation about fixtures is that occasionally one club drops another, without much warning, in order to take on opponents deemed more attractive. ' Justifiable, of course. But everything should be done to avoid inconvenience for the club dropped. * As for rough play—well, use of thrust-out elbow or foot is not confined to Soccer. ,

Sometimes employed by winging forwards, beaten for the heel, to check breakaway by the opposing scrum-half. Early _ action was taken by the referee in one game < which I watched. Would-be stoppers penalised for obstruction. No further trouble.