THE CROSS-BAR.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 29 December 1923, Page 4

THE CROSS-BAR.

WHERE SHOULD IT BE?

An Endish writer, Mercian, has t raised rather an interesting question in "The Athletic News, .when he questioned the exact position of the - cross-bar as part'of the goal-posts. In z a recent article he has the following r i remarks: — . , ~ J "One would have thought that nil " the possible difficulties that are likely J to arise in a game of Rugby had. already been discussed, but one matter was brought to my notice a few days 1 ago that, so far as some very well- : known figures in the Rugby world were "- aware, had never previously been de- : bated. 1 Birkenhead Park have recently gone in for new goal posts; incidentally, it > would take a very high kick, indee«, to raise any doubt as to whether the ball had gone inside or outside the posts. But- the height or otherwise of the posts had nothing to do with tne subject. The question is: "Which side of the posts ought the bar to be? All that the rules tell us is this: "On each goal-line . . . shall be two upright posts called goal-posts, exceeding lift, in height and placed 18ft 6m. apart and joined by a cross-bar 10ft from the ground." What is actually meant by the word "joined"? Is the'bar supposed to be in front of the posts, behind them, or exactly between them ? Clubs apparently can take their choice, but it does not need much imagination to realise that the choice may make all the difference , between winning and losing an important game. We have ail seen drop kicks, place kicks and penalty kicks dro? within an inch or two of the crossbar; we have seen a ball hit the crossbar and some- j times ufi on, but mo-re often fall back; { we have all seen a b?.il actually land . on the crossbar and then bounce over. | Now, when the margin is so fine as _ that it can readily be gathered that ! nine inches one way or the other is j going to make all the -difference to a, j score. I mention nine inches as being roughly the thickness of a goal-post, I and therefore representing the differ- j ence there would be between a bar j placed in front and a bar placed be- ; hind the posts. '. j Now the point has been raised, 1 ex- . pect that the first thing we shall notice when we get on our favourite* ground next Saturday-will be to see where the bar (I mean, of course, the cross-bar) is. I have been on scores of Rugby j grounds, and 1 frankly confess that I i could not say, with one or two excep- I tions. where the .crossbar is, whether it j is in front, whether it is behind the posts, or whether it is between. j But now that attention lias been called ! to the importance of the placing we j ni;iy soe the Rngby "Union a little more j exnlk-it in the voiding of the rule." I it is quite- plain, nrr.v that the- ques- ! tio'i has been brought forward, that j the cross-bar shrink! he in front, not I hehirul t>'-o ruriglits. The uprights are ■ p!a:.-i:'J di-ivtlv on tl:e 'joal line: and -\ ', try c;i;i lv> scored on the goal line. Jt j is reysnifhle to sn^pose- that a bol! I that crests the bar, when the latter i is placed on the inside of the uprights is r.s fa" forward as a ball that hns hern nhi cod on the line for a. try. it is a qrestimi that, with Mercian, i ■everyone will aijree has never been i considered by the authorities. !