NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14392, 10 June 1910, Page 7

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY UNION.

MEETING IN WELLINGTON. [BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Thursday. The Management Committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union met this ~. evening. Messrs. E. Wyllie, V. Meredith, J. H. Lynskey, G. E. Fache, and'E. O. Hales were appointed an Appeal Committee to oecide cases of law. Mr. C. Wray Palliser, representative of the New Zealand Rugby Union in ! London, cabled that the English Rugby Union had granted permission for the New 'Zealand Union to make the following alterations in .the rules of the game:(l) Permitting four spells; (2) a fair catch to be claimed by making a mark, or calling out "Mark"; (3) that the ball be thrown out at right angles, at least syds from the touch-line.

Various unions are to be notified that the alterations must be brought into force upon receipt of advice from the Management Committee. The Hawke's Bay Union forwarded a copy of a resolution passed regretting the absence of Hawke's Bay representatives, in the New Zealand team for Australia. The team always appeared to be selected from players unaer the larger unions, and it ; considered an alteration should be made in the present system of selection., The Hawke's Bay Union notified that it intended to send a team to Auckland in August next, to play for the Ranfurly shield. ' ' : '' ' ' " v

The Southland Union again applied for a match against the American Universities' team. It was decided to adhere to the original decision, as time would not permit of the suggested match. .: .. The Canterbury Union asked that a ruling be obtained on the following question "In the event of a player being tackled by an opponent and the ball being put down between them and picked up by a player on either side, before ■:. being played with the foot, should the penalty be a scrum or a free kick ?"' The New Zealand Referees' Association; is to be requested to give a ruling on the subject. ■ ' Disqualifications notified by various unions were made general. A Hawke's Bay player who was disqualified for two years for using bad language and being guilty of contempt" by failing to appear before the union, had his sentence reduced by 12 'months. ■•

At the request of the Hawke's Bay Union the Auckland Union asked for advice concerning an application received by it from the Rotorua Union for affiliation. It was decided to intimate that as Rotorua was within the boundaries of the South Auckland Union, " the Rotorua Union must be attached to that body. The committee appointed to allocate the. grant for the encouragement of school football, recommended the following donations :—Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, Wanganui, and Southland, £9 each; Wairarapa, South Canterbury, and South Auckland, £8 each; Poverty Bay, Bush Districts, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Marlborough, Nelson, Buller, and Westport, £5 each.