FOOTBALL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2087, 22 February 1894, Page 31

FOOTBALL.

NOTES BY FORWARD.

The New Zealand Rugby Union have granted the Poueke Club permission to play East Christchurch at Easter at Christchurch.

The draw has been made for the first round of the Association Cup. Last year the luck ia the matter of choice of ground went all in favour of the Lancashire club. This season the advantage rests with the Midland clubs, eight of the ten Lancashire elcvouß having to play away from home. Tbe great match of the round will be that at Birmingham, between Wolvcrhampton Wandererd (last; yeai's winners) and Aston Villa, who are this sr&b on afc the head of the League competition, the probabilities being all in favour of the cup holders being knocked out in the first round. Other important tries will be those in which Stoke meet Everton, Notts County oppose Burnley, and West Bromwick Albion try conclusions with the Blackburn Rovers.

The following points of law have been decided by the Rugby Football Union Committee: — 1. A player crossing his opponent's goal line with the ball, and then touching tbe referee, should be allowed a try at the spot where he touched him. 2. A player running out from his own "in goal " touches the referee, the ball is dead at the spot where he touches him, and a " kick out" must be taken except in the case of a player having run back behind his own goal line. The ball must then be scrummaged afc the spot whence it was carried bark. Transfer regulations : Any club withholding its sanction vi der section 1, subsection (b) of the tranpfer rules, need only thow to the County Committee a bona fide reason for its objection without

proving illegal inducement, and the County Committee should then call upon the player aud the other club to satisfy the committee under subsection (c).