UNIFYING RUGBY CODE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18396, 11 May 1923, Page 4

UNIFYING RUGBY CODE.

IMPERIAL CONFERENCE,

UNANIMOUS SUPPORT GIVEN.

(DECISION OF MANAGEMENT.

[BY . TELEGRAPH.—OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

WELLINGTON. Thursday.

To judge by:' speeches which members of the- newly elected management committee of-the New. Zealand Rugby' Union made to-night at the- first meeting, there is a . strong feeling -: in ■ ■-. the committee against tinkering with = the, laws of. Rugby and in favour of having world-wide uniformity iin any process of change. .' Mr. E. A. Little, who topped the poll at the election for the management committee at the annual meeting last week, said: "I think that there is a strong feeling among the delegates to the annual! meeting that we have had too much strife in the past and that 'there has been too much. tinkering with the rules. The time has arrived when we must get down to bedrock and do the best we can for the* game. As far as I am concerned the great question of the re-adoption of the amended rule has been definitely settled and I am now prepared to abide by the, declaration of the majority of the unions ; affiliated. There are quite a' lot of hapeiunga which older members of the committee- will agree should not:recur in the future. There is no need to labour the question. Members will all: understand what I mean. We/are. going to have a strenuous year 1 in the administration ■;■ of ; Rugby'. We : should ■-. not continue to ' rely S on certain individual members of the committee for certain propositions that may i crop up. ;,.'., ' ' I "With regard to the expressed desire of j the delegates at the annual meeting that an Imperial conference should be held, 1 consider it is very necessary and we should not hesitate to go outside the personnel .of the committee to secure the I best men to represent New Zealand on ■ I that conference. (Hear, hear.) I : sincerely hope that there will be no more j tinkering with the laws of the game." Kick-into-Touch Rule. ' Mr. W. S. Glenn, M.P., said ho 1 was in accord . with everything that Mr. Little ] had said in regard to the tendency to get j away from'-. the code of the English: Rugby | Union. He confessed to being grievously I disappointed" at the decision of the annual! meeting to retain the New Zealand j amendment to the kick-into-touch rule. From an old footballer's point of view, it' i was only educating the '.' vamping" for-1 ward to neglect his work in the scrummage and become an open sprinter. :.:■• : j "I , am prepared to bury, the hatchet as far as the rule goes, and to abide by j the majority decision," said Mr. Glenn. j "I hope we will be a happy family ini our work " , < , - Mr. G. Wylie (treasurer) said that ' he was r the oldest member of the new- j committee. "I might," he said, '. ""be classed as an ultra-conservative. I believe in no, change being made in the Rugby code Unless it is world-wide." I (Hear, hear) 1 " I was the first to advo-j cate the : international conference, : and I have continued to advocate it for some j years. lam pleased to hear from the remarks of new members that they are not rabid in their desire for a change. The game of Rugby has stood the test | of time,, and what, we want to"'aim at is [ to maintain the spirit of the game apart from the principle of merely playing to win. We will find that the' rules of. the English Rugby Union are quite sufficient and good enough for us." (Hear, hear.). Several Rugby Nations. The necessity for a conference was becoming more imperative, said Mr. Wylie, as , there were now several nations playing Rugby. Although he had . always opposed: the now- rules, he would be the last to support i any piebald" game in New Zealand. Efforts should be made to prevent ,the possibility of having a different, set of rules for different ; provinces. "We are far too. small to - break away from the Rugby of other countries." said Mr. Wylie Sin> s conclusion. : \ " Let any change come from the parent body in England, and let it be world-wide. ■■'■'.] s£ Mr. T. '.' R. o Fletcher ;; said " that ':■ he was, like others, ; imbued with the idea of pushing the game forward. The ; : suggestion for an Imperial conference had his heartiest support. ,\ • . •. The following resolution was unanimously adopted on the motion of Mr. Wylie i—" That our representative on the English Rugby Union . be written to advising him of :. the desire of the New Zealand Union that an imperial conference should be held, and asking that the English Rugby Union take up the matter; that. New South Wales and . South Africa be asked to support us in the matter, and that the conference be held in South Africa during 1924 when an English team will be touring that Dominion." ,-: "