Rugby in Frisco.

NZ Truth, Issue 82, 12 January 1907, Page 2

Rugby m Frisco.

Seen Threugk a Novice's Spectacles.

The following is a brief synopsis of how the Rugby game, appeared to the football fan who looked upon for the first time m the American city:

The teams line up somewhat m the; same fashion as m the old game. The kick-off takes place, and a man grabs the ball and starts to run with it. When he sees he is m danger of being tackled .. he passes the ball backward to one of his teammates on the run. The backward pass continues until the man carrying the ball gets close enough to the ground to examine the geology of the football field. Then he stops running, a^d a few men from the other team pat him on the cheek to make sure that he has stopped running. The referee blows a whistle, says something .m broken Russian to- the players, and they proceed to tie themselves into a knot. They embrace each other with a half-Nelson and furnish a spectacle that resembles a centipede. You ask your neighbor what all the tangle is about. If he is Tuesday to the rules he replies that the men aire executing the "scrum" formation. For fear of suspecting him of calling, you names, you turn your attention once again to the players.

Somebody throws the, ball into .the mass of arms and legs that is tied up m the centre of the field, and you notice a motion like a ctab. Finally the ball rolls outside the human knot, the • men untie themselves and began to kick one another very diligently on the shins. D-nce m a while a foot comes m contact with' the ball and it bounds away for a distance of ten or twenty yards. Somebody grabs it and gives it a kick. It goes outside the lines, 'and an individual with kid gloves on waves a white flag.. You- again turn to your neighbor and .ask; him/if the waving of the white, flag of truce, is equivalent to throwing the. sponge into the ring m the boxing game.. Aeain, if he is Randsburg to the rules he informs you that you are wrong. He tells you, after the iteams had done a little dribbling, one of them has succeeded m connecting with the sphere for a punt. . You . look wise and watch the players again.

They tear off a few more scrums, do a little more dribbling, punt the ball back and forth for a while, the man with the kid gloves waves the Has; a,, few times, and then .the rer feree puts up his hand.

He calls the men about him and informs them that some one has committed an offence by neglecting to excuse himself after spoiling the shins of an opponent's right shoe. This offence .gives the other side a chance to try for a goal'; they try. If they make the goal& it counts three points. If they do not make the goal it does noit count three points.

If m the play a man is fortunate enough to carry the ball over the goal line he scores three points. If he does not carry the ball over the goal line during tdhe entire same the best he pete is three beers.

" The Rup;by game resembles the old style of football m that it is played With p. football., .. ;

r Thankih°;.you one .and all for your kind attention, I will, now retire to •the privacy of the liquid bazaar, where I will have the bartender mix me a Scrum cocktail.