ALL BLACKS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXI, 14 July 1928, Page 10

ALL BLACKS

INTERPRETATION OF THE RULES ;

j'P’E SIGNED AGREEMENT A REFEREE'S COMMENT (By Telegraph Bpcrinl to "Tim Muil 'I AUCKLAND, 12th .Lily- _ The pad. made between (ho South African Rugby Union and (ho New Zealand Rugby loam concerning (lie interpretation of the rule;, has been the subject of keen discussion among local Rugby culhusiasts during the past week. George Nicholson, ulm was among the 1905 All I (lacks in Britain, and A. (Snowy) Lucas a member ul the Army' Service team in Smith Africa in idl'd, arc ainung lhose overheard to express opinions that in this pad, with regard to Llio front row of the scrum, and the wing forward, New Zealand resigned the advantages of their own special formation and gave every advantage to the Africans.

The nature of these advantages were explained in sonic detail to a "Star representative by Mr Peter Maekic, an old referee of prominence, and ex-pre-sident of the Auckland Referees’ Association who holds that the All Blacks gave themselves into the bands of their opponents in everv respect. "GAVE UP ONLY WEAPON" 111 the first place lie pointed out that the All Blacks agreed to pack the scrum "alternately man for man," and not to "allow two or more players to park with their heads together,*’ llms the New Zealanders gave up the only weapons they possessed as a 2-3-2 scrum side for countering- the 3-2-3 scrum ot the Africans. They agreed (1) To balance tlie African scrum. ('2) To give the opposition the loosehead all the time. (3) To refrain front "splitting" the opposition or cutting out the middle ni-:iii ot the African front row by the New Zealand front rankers putting their heads together. This Mr Maekic pointed out put the All Blacks at a ' hopeless disadvantage in. frying to hook the ball against a team of equal weight and ability. Barring accident or weak scrumming ability the Africans must get the ball every time. In such circumstances the wing forward "retired,” then the actual forward value of the wing forward was cut out by the agreement to regard him as a scrum half. When ho put the ball in. the scrum lie was required to retire behind his own scrum, whereas by the rules of the game this was necessary only in the event of his own team hooking the ball. According to the rules a wing forward, if the opposition hooked the ball, could advance with the ball and so- long as !i<* kept one foot behind the line of the ball he was on side and in a position to pounce instantly’ on t-ho halfback when the. ball reached him. The wliole line of backs behind the wing forward (in a defensive position), also advanced, taking the wing forward ns a guide and were in a position to smother an opposition attack whether it were being attempted either by passing or kicking. NO ADVANTAGE RULE By the pact the wing forward was set back so as to give the half back and his supports a, sure four to six yards clearance every time the ball went to them from the scrum, a, tremendous advantage to a team in a- good attacking position and an equally great advantage for clearing one’s goal line from a scrum.

No advantage rule was added to these concessions. The All Blacks agreed that where a player took a pass off side the penalty should be a scrum instead of the advantage being given to the non offending side. That- is to say that when the All Blacks were the offenders the penalty was not a free kick but a scrum; in the circumstances -ajwiays ait advantage to South Africa. When South Africa .offended, they still got the advantage of a serum instead of a free kick against them.

CONTRACT OUTSIDE THE RULES

Mr Maekic raised a further point that the English Union last season bad passed a regulation that no union must eon Tract outside (he rules of the game. Tn this pact he said the two parties had contracted outside the rules in the packing of the serum, the retiring of the wing forward, the agreement to wait for the formation of a serum before putting the ball in, and permission to players to run into a gap in the line out.

Summing up, lie ddcl.-irod that by the pact the All Blacks hail put themselves entirely in the hands of South Africa. “Either they were so foolish, and swelled-headed,” lie commented, “as to think that they could give away a lot and still beat' the South Africans or else they had not the “nous” to understand what they were doing. It appears to me that Ule argument of an open game was used to prevail on them to agree to the interpretations put down and so they were ‘had’ for the South Africans have dearly used the interpretations to- enable'’them to get l.he hall and dose the game up. except when ill a position to kick goals.” Mr Mackic refereed (he Taranaki and Auckland games of the 1901 British lour and the Wairarapa match with the 190 U Anglo-Welshmen.