NOTES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 9 June 1923, Page 3

NOTES.

■' Hickey, the ex-Clifton and ex-iara-naki representative, who secured a place in the New Zealand team which went to New South Wales last season, is playing for Zingari in Dunedm, but on form to date his chances of a place m the Otago representative team are not bright. The following representative fixtures hake been arranged to he played by Auckland during the season: Against Southland. August 4; Taranaki August 11- Wanganui, August 18; North Auckland, at Whangarei, August 25; Otago, September Is New 'South Wales, September 8; Wellington, September 22. A request has: been made that Wellington should arrange to play on another date, as there is a > xace meeting on September 22. A ■change is not suitable to Wellington, but there is a possibility of altering' the date, as other unions also desire to change dates of matches with Wellington. Writing of a match at Wellington, the Post critic questions the worm oi ; n potted goal as against a try. He says: "The Marists lost by a pomt — the estra point that is given for a ■p°tted goal as against the value of a try or a goal other than a goal from c a try. And that was the pill. It has been* Served np to other teams, and it will" still bo unless Rugby" legislators -decide that a successful "pot" is not worth four points. Athletic, it will be remembered" benefited easier in the -season, by the- value given to i>otted goals. There is no need to go into i'ur■i'ther details, other than to ask: Is a--goal from the field- a "pof—wortu i four points?" "Should team coaches be allowe"d to ; advise from the line?" The question was raised at the weekly meeting of the "Wellington Referees' Association, when <i member reported that in a lower, grade match of which he had control a «coach had persistently thrown out advice to the players, and had gone so Yar as to tell them to point out various >.matters to the referee.- The result of the coach's advice to his team in the nrst spell was, the referee stated, that the boys playfed like clockwork in the - second spell. "I did not like to say fnuch about the matter," the referee •added, whereupon the president of the .-^association (Mr A. E. Neilson) stated that he was afraid that t&ere was not much, that could be done. The referee mentioned that on one occasion, when a kick-off was in the nature of^crosskiek. the coach in question' made the remark to his players: "Tell the referee he has got to get the men back ten yards before the kick-off. 1' "In that iase," said* the president, "you certain- \ ly could take action." It is, of course, necessary for players to be at least, ter yards over the half-way mark when the ■opposing!- side is kicking off. —It is tc be regretted that there should be case: where referees apparently are not con versant with the rules as to leave open ings for such criticism and advice But the sideline generally^ coach oi --other spectator, should tempe,r its at titude to. one who lias what is at iti test sot an enviable position. Th( -sideline can do a great deal toward; improving the style and standard o .play, and should use a wise healthy in fluence in that direction. Anything de i-ogatory to the game should be frown >ed down severely by all who have tin -game at heart. This influence is pro /fcablv not siifficiently realised. An ardent supporter of Paigby n Hawkes Bay has informed the. Rugb; Union that"he was willing to pay a] •expenses if" the union would con sen to his taking children from the Hawke Bay Children's Home to the Eanfurl Shield match, provided they were give front seats. The union decided to a low the children in free and to see tha they had "good positions to see th match. A keen observer of local football £ the present time is E. E. Booth. H has made the following comment nr t£ Dunedin Star:—"Ever since the N.> R.F.XJ.'s meeting here in Welhngto there have been many animated, if n( heatea, discussions about the efficacy < •lite new rules and the possibility of n

verting to the old ag.un. The lotfa club form is admittedly weak/ and th< • want of the kick into touch is held uj 1 as partly it not wholly to blame; YVek • 'iiigton backs wer"o always supposed t< ; have a decided proclivity for line-idck ■ ing; their knowledge of the windage : eccentricities at Athletic J^ark serving them in good stead against a visiting n team. One thing that might hurt th-e l' Wellington susceptibilities is that the s new rule had its birth in Auckland in y the far north. Some fertile brains in c. that uniori^get the credit of the concep- * tion. Anyway, anything coming here c fi-om Auckland has to stand scrutiny • along Willis Street and Lambton Quay. 1 . . , . The public interest in the garao B in Wellington is wonderful and the s crowds very critical. Visiting teams 5 usually get the best hearing. Club " partisanship runs very high sometimes, "- and the space devoted by the press w ■ the gome is surprising and most en- - couraging to the players." j The fault, the deterioration (if such > exists) of play, is to ray mind mostly attributable to the want of under- '■> standing what the new rules demand. ' They require more study than the ayerJ age player ever gives to them. They ; show great possibilities, especially for ' backs. I have not seen any teams yet ' that have demonstrated that they knew ■ much about the many and manifold ■ new situations now created. The "re- •• verse" passing is an absolute necessity ■ now. '"In-passing" of all kinds is es- ■ senfcial. The best attack is through the centre field. The goal is not the corner nag, as so many think. —An expression of opinion lay E. E. Booth. j ; It is illegal to return the ball to the scrum, either by hand or foot. The {act is evidently not known to all players, says a. Wellington scribe. After a senior match recently there was a good deal of argument about a decision given by the referee, from which one side obtained a penalty goal. The others were penalised for pulling the bail back into the scrum, and at the end of the game they were apparently ■ informed by a person, who was said to 1 be a referee, that the decision was in- ' correct and that the, action was allowable. JMr L-eith brought the matter under the notice of the referees at the weekly meeting in order to emphasise the necessity for loyalty among referees, i , A senior player in a recent match considered that he knew more than the referee about the ruling regarding the placing of the ball for r. kick at goal. j He wa,s firmly of the opinion that he, j as the kickerj had every right to placei the ball, and did not like being told ; by the referee that such, action was not iin orde>r. This was another matter j brought up at the referees' meeting, , and some of those present remarked ; that in such a case they would he mii clrhed to allow the player to exercise i "his right" and discover by the subsequent decision that he was wrong. "We are willing to help them to know the j rules." said Mr Neilson, '"'but it is not j_our duty to teach them during tho | progress" of the games."'' , Here is a par many of our readers might well .take to heart. A Welling- , ton critic says, and the lesson is plain: "While two teams were waiting in the dressing shed last Saturday, just'prior to commencing their game, I heard a remark tliEre* could well be' taken to heart by many teams. He said: 'He,re! . look at you boys sail sitting round smoking cigarettes! The other team ' are not doing that, they are getting \ rubbed down, massaged, etc., etc. .!" j Nol The cigarette smokers d:d not win! If they had done I should probably , have not written the above. It stands to common-sense, though, that eigarj ettes, especially just before a match, j will not helr> a team." ; j *. ... , '■, . ,•> ,