RUGBY SCRIMMAGES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19497, 4 June 1925, Page 4

RUGBY SCRIMMAGES.

BOUNCING THE BABB IN. EXPERIMENTS IN, ENGLAND. (From Ou.r Own Correspondent.) BONDON, April 21. The small committee of experts set up by the Rugby Union to endeavour to devise some means of improving the method of getting the ball into the scrummage has quickly got to work. Two matches — between Birkenhead Park and Leicester, and P.ristol and Bath—were made the subject of an interesting experiment last Saturday. Ti e halfbacks in these games were, instructed to put the ball in the scrummages with a double hand movement, so that it fell just outside the entrance and bounded in. The result was that when the experiment was properly executed the ball bounded over the out-stretched lees of the two nearest forwards. Under the old system the tendency Is for the ball to strike their logs and to rebound to the halfback. Result: Another attempt—sometimes half a dozen other attempts and general exasperation. The somewhat unaccustomed propelling, rather than throwing, movement baffle! the halfbacks at the Birkenhead Pane match on several occasions (writes the Athletic News), but in the opinion of experts who watched the innovation, prac-i tico will soon remedy that failing. MR FREETHY’S APPROVAL. There was one spell when the halfbacks could not master the new throw, so Mr Free.thv, the international referee, had a (ry. He, too, failed. After the match, Mr Frcetliy was invited to express his opinion on the experiment. Ho replied that ho considered it hJid been a decided success. If persevered with, he thought it won!I go a long way towards removing a great source of trouble. ‘•I believe it will show forwards that hiß only way to get the bail in future will be by honest shoving.” he added. “In that sense there will bo a return to the days when genuine scrummaging was a decided asset.” “AVhat effect will that have upon the modern winging forward?” Mr Frnothy was asked. “ills days arc numbered,** was the reply.