RUGBY FOOTBALL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23859, 13 July 1939, Page 4

RUGBY FOOTBALL

By Full-back OTAGO’S FIXTURES July 29.—v. Southland, at Invercargill (Ranfurly Shield challenge). August 2.—v. Bush Union, at Dunedin August s.—v. Southland, at Dunedin. August 16.—v Manawatu, at Dunedin August 19—v Wellington, at Wellington, August 23,—v. North Auckland at Whangarei. August 26.—v, Auckland at Auckland August 30—v. Wanganui, at Wanganui September 2.—v Taranaki at Taranaki. September 6.—v Canterbury at Christchurch. September 9.—v. South Canterbury, ai Timaru. OTHER FIXTURES August 29 and 31—Kohn Shield Competition (New Zealand tramways tournament), at Dunedin. September 23.—North Island v. South Island, at Wellington. COUNTRY MATCHES July 15.—North v. South Sub-unions trial match, at Palmerston. July 19.—Country Team .v. Metropolitan Team, at Dunedin. July. 22.—Otagc Country Team v. Southland Country Team. ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS “M.G. H. M.,” East Taieri.—So many selections are being made by various correspondents that jit would be impossible to publish them. • CLOSE SCORING The stormy weather last week caused the grounds to become water-logged, and no matches were played. Only two more Saturdays are left for play In the senior competition, and the positions of the four leading teams are as follows:—Southern, 18 points; Kaikorai, 18 points; Pirates, 16 points; and Union, 16 points. The two leading teams meet on Saturday, and finality, as between them, will be reached, assuming, of course, that one secures a straight-out win. If both Pirates (against Alhambra) and Union (against University A) win their games it will mean that three teams will be equal

with 18 points, and with one Saturday, under present arrangements, for play. It may be added that Union has beaten Kaikorai and Pirates in the second round, but the north-end club has not yet met Southern. If there is a difficulty in finding the winners of ■ the .competition, there appeal’s to be no reason why it should not be continued after the Otago team returns from its tour north. There appears to be no reason, however, why the competition should not be continued after the Otago team returns from its tour north. SCORING RECORDS Athletic Park rang with welldeserved applause on Saturday afteA W. E. H. Auld, the Athletic full-back, kicked a penalty goal against Petone to take his tally of. points past the century in club games (says a northern exchange). Congratulations were also extended freely by his team mates. Auld scored nine points during the, game. His total for the season is now 105 for 11 games, two of which were in the senior second division, an average of approximately 9.5 a game. All of Auld’s points have come from his-boot, and consist of 18 goals from tries and 23 penalty goals—a performance that must rank as a’really brilliant one for a player in his first season in senior football. On Saturday he had four shots at goal, and all were successful. Considering the difficult wind, they were all splendid efforts. Two were from the sideline after tries. One has to go back to the days of F. Fuller, Eastbourne and Wellington representative and also a Wairarapa representative, to recall such brilliant kicking. Fuller also topped the century in Wellington Rugby, but included in his tally were a number of tries, his opportunities as a winger being more numerous than those of Auld. Auld’s performance may be rated as even more meritorious than that of Trevathan, the Otago goal-kicking wizard, who, as a flve-eight)is, is in a much superior strategic position for scoring. Trevathan topped the century In Dunedin club Rugby last Saturday week. Included in his tally wen* tries and potted goals, as well as penalty goals and conversions of tries. SOUTHLAND TOWN v. COUNTRY The Southland Town v. Country trial game is to be played next Saturday C. Saxton is chosen as half-back for the Town team, with J. Purdue reserve, but it is the intention of the selectors to play the reserves on both sides in the second half of the game J. W. Fleming, the ex-Dunedin Union and Wellington back, is placed at full-back in the Town team, but it is considered that J. Egan, the exDunedin Club’s full-back, who is chosen as the country team’s full-back will secure the honour in the shield game. ; , • , • . Looking through the players in the Town, and Country teams, it can be realised that Southland will place a strong 15 in the field to meet Otago m the shield game. FREE AND PENALTY KICKS A free kick is a kick allowed for a fair catch, or what is commonly known as a mark. It may be taken by a place kick, .drop kick or punt. The kick must be taken by the player making the fair-catch. A free kick must be taken at or behind the mark on a line through the mark parallel to the touch lines. The opposing side may come up to. but not beyond, a line through the mark parallel to the goal lines, ana they may charge, in the case of a place kick, as soon as the ball has been olaced on the ground; and in the case of a drop kick or punt as soon as the kicker begins his run or offers to kick orovided that if he then draws back with the ball still in his hands, they retire to the line of the mark. Should the player who has made a fair catch be injured in so doing, and is unable ‘o take the kick within three minutes, 'he kick is void, and a scrummage shall be formed at the mark. In every case, 'he kicker’s team, other than the placer for a place kick, must be behind the hall when the kick is taken.

A penalty kick is a kick awarded to the non-offending team by reason of an infringement of the laws by their opponents. It may be taken by a placekick. drop-kick, or punt. The conditions as to the place from where it has to be kicked are the same as for a free-kick, but in this case all players of the opposing team must retire to or behind a line parallel to the goal lines and ten yards from the mark, or to their goal line, whichever is nearer to the mark, and the ball must reach this line unless first played by an opponent. This prevents the kicker from taking a little kick, catching the ball and going on with the play. In the case of a penalty kick the opposing team are not allowed to charge and they must remain motionless with their hands at their sides until the ball has been kicked. The kick may be taken by any player of the team, and for a place-kick. the kicker may place the ball. There is no penalty for touching the ball after it has been placed on the ground. SCRUMMAGE LAW ENGLISH UNION’S DISCUSSION (From Our Own Correspondent) LONDON, June 26. ' An alteration to law 15 regarding scrummage was discussed at the annual general meeting of the Rugby Union last week. New Zealand was represented by Mr C. J. Wray. The Harlequin Football Club put forward a proposal concerning this law which provided that “no player shall advance a foot beyond the line of his forwards until the ball has left the thrower’s hands; or shall any other player touch the ball before it has been played by the further foot of either of the middle players in the front row, or by the foot of a player beyond.” This involved the deletion of the clause—" It is illegal for any player in either front row of the scrummage to raise or advance his foot until the ball is fairly in.”

On the proposal of Mr W. W. Wakefield, it was decided that the motion be withdrawn, and that a recommendation be made that the principles con. tained in the proposal be ■ followed by the Rugby Union in future ana forwarded to the International Board. Admiral Sir P. Royds promised that, at the meeting of representatives of the four Home unions in July, he would put forward the meeting’s views, and endeavour to get them put into law by the International Board next

March. Any change in the law could not, in any event, become operative before season 1940-41 Mr A. D. Stoop, in moving the resolution, said that film tests had been made, and one of the great difficulties encountered regarding hooking had been that of timing. He considered the present rule was impossible for referees. They wanted to make things easier both for players and referees. Mr H. B. Toft seconded the motion on behalf of the Waterloo Club. ■ He said he' considered the present rule, both ambiguous and' Contradictory on many points. In the three England trials Igst season, said Mr Toft, three distinct and different scrummage rules were in operation. In the first they hooked with.’the near foot. In the second they used “ a hybrid of both.” and in the third they used the far, foot. • •. Admiral Sir P. Royds said the Rugby Union committee was in favour of the now rule in principle, but he pointed out that they had to. please the players of fdur unions. A QUESTION OF SELECTION Dear Full-back, The selectors have no doubt done their best In the picking of the players to go into training as a preliminary to the choosing of the Otago team, but can they, you. or anyone else tell me why Black, the Dunedin full-back, is not among the chosen 34? This player, in my opinion is by far and away the best full-back playing in the senior competition and while the. claims of Wilkin and Silver to consideration cannot be disputed, the selectors, without committing themselves to anything, might at least have given Black his chance. This player has all the qualifications that a first class full-back should have. He is a deadly tackier, a good kick with either foot, and his fielding, in the air or off the ground, is clean and accurate. He can, moreover, be played at any position in the backs and make a job of it. A man should be judged on his whole season’s play, and not on one bad showing. I am not going to attempt to pick the Otago team for you. If I were to tell you the combination that I think would beat Southland, you would be surprised, and I should probably be classed as an amiable lunatic by the many good judges who on the terrace of Carisbrook and in the seclusion of their own particular haunts, give so much time and thought to the game. Suffice it to say that my selection would not include several players who have flashed into prominence during this and last season. —I am, etc., Wakari. July 14. Onlooker. THIRD AUSTRALIAN TOUR COMING VISIT TO ENGLAND The 1939 tour will mark the third occasion on which an Australian Rugby side has made the journey to England (says an exchange). The first pilgrimage to the Homeland was that of the Wallabies in 1908-09. when 31 games were played, the Australians winning 25. losing 5, and drawing 1. Honours in the tests were divided, the Australians winning against England by nine points to three, but losing to Wales, as the original All Blacks had done three years before Wales won by nine to three. After this inauguraj lour Australian Rugby teams, though they made periodical transtasman journeys to New Zealand, did not revisit England for 20 years. In 1927-28 the second team left Australian shores for England. This combination was one, of the teams which have been written into Australian Rugby annals as “great.” Including such famous internationals as Dr A. W. Ross, one of the most brilliant full-backs the game has seen, and the flying three-quarter, T. S. Lawlon, whose speed and elusiveness many New Zealand markers knew only too well, this team was widely acclaimed in Great Britain. It played five tests, winning three—against Ireland (5—3), Wales (18—8) and France (11—8) and losing two—against Scotland <B— and England (11—18). If this present combination can play the delightfully enterprising football of its predecessor in 1927 it will win the approval of English crowds. That does not, however, complete the record of clashings between British and Australian fifteens. Three times teams from the British Isles Ir ve met Australian combinations on their own soil. Even with the advantage of their own crowds and their own grounds.

the Australians have been unable to equal the record of their opponents. In Australia, eight games have been played— four in 1899, three in 1904, one in 1930—and Australia has won only two—one in 1899 and one in 1930. NOTES This is what an exchange says about two All Black players:—“ Tori Reid and Everard Jackson, the All Black forwards, and Newton, the half-back, are three outstanding players in the M.A.C. team. Newton (in a recent match) gave the nearest approach to a Jimmy Mill game seen in vears. His two tries were typical of the great All Black half-back. Reid is maintaining the best form of his whole career, and the great pity of it is that he will not get the opportunity of selection in the New Zealand team for South Africa. Jackson played a great game." Wellington is making no particular effort to lift the Ranfurly . Shield this season (says the Wellington Sports Post). But then Wellington rarely ever does make a special challenge. There will be no match with Southland for the Shield. If Wellington does play for the trophy, it will be on its northern tour, and then, of course, only in the event of one of its opponents being in possession of it at the time. With four scheduled rounds to go in the Christchurch Senior Rugby Championship, the position of the six leading teams is:—University 9, Old Boys 8, Sunnyside 7J Athletic 7, Southern 7. Merivale 5. The issue is still open and if University are defeated during the present month the Rugby Union may have to extend the competition over part of the representative season. Town will play Country, and a Canterbury side will play Ashburton, at Ashburton, on August 5. Bush Union will play Canterbury at Lancaster Park on August 7 a Monday. Later, Canterbury will go on tour of the North Island.