RUGBY FOOTBALL

Hokitika Guardian, 4 May 1931, Page 5

RUGBY FOOTBALL

TENDENCY TO UNDESIRABLE COMPETITION. WELLINGTON, April 30. “There appears to me no doubt that .we take our game too seriously, and that we are inclitisd to forget that Rugby football is but a healthy pastime for the hoys an<j young men of our Dominion,” said Dr G. J. Adams, in his presidential address at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

“Instead of our young men looking forward every Saturday afternoon to a pleasurable pastime, with manly exercise and a healthy competitive spirit, devising tactful and strategical move* on the ‘chess hoard’ of Rugby football, there is too serious an attitude taken; schemes step in to-control individual player s who. through their ability, may prove a source of danger in attack, and an inclination is being developed to regard a ‘win’ as the only matter of importance, The introduction of cups and trophies has played no little part in encouraging this attitude; and it has long since appeared to me, and 1 am sure also to many of you. that all unions would be wise to eliminate competitive cups, or havcj them rearranged for distribution to teams Or players that pl a y the most perfect football, tint show the greatest progress, or display any other feature which is going to improve out football

BREACHES OF LAWS.; “My observations have impressed me that many factors are progressively invading our play to the detriment of the game, and to the just resentment of the followers of the game. I refer to the immense amount of illegal obstruction in the line-outs through players deliberately handling and elbowing one another when the hall i,s nowhere near, early and late tackling, holding on to jerseys, irregularities in scrummage, unnecessary ‘dumping,’ etc. None of these are in the best interests of the game; they are all well defined breaches of -.the laws of the, game, and they- are not infrequently the source of irritation to players, and arc ample provocation for . acts which often bring those payers into disrepute not. only Nvith unions, but with the public and the Press. I have, therefore, no hesitation in saying that the time is nowdue when the control of the game both, on and off the field should be hardened up considerably, and it appears to ms that, whilst it may he necessary to instruct Referees’ Associations to harden up their rulings and apply’ obstruction rules ' very strictly, it is much more -necessary that Rugby Union should take a part of th-m responsibility ■of Hughv control in support of the referees, and, through their respective unions, ill* struct" teams that flagrant breaches of the rules which have been brought before their notice, and which will be found to present- themselves on innumerable occasions, will not be tolerated.

HELP FOR REFEREES. “It is surely wrong that Rugby Union officials should countenance, on the playing fields, flagrant breaches of th,? rules that they and they alone, control, without endeavouring to rectify matters. Good referees will p ee most breaches of the rules, but none will s ee all, and a. practised defaulter can often obscure bis acts from a referee whilst still well within the view of an onlooker. “The N.Z.R.F.IT., and aH of its afC,Rated unions, have as their objects the festering and control of Rugby football within their boundaries: t-b" word ‘control’ does not mean the more orovision of rules, but it mehns the enforcement of such application and in this respect every union should Help its Referees' Association, instead of reiving on that body and its members, and on them alone, for the control of the rules of Rugby football.