POPULARISING JUNIOR PLAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2805, 18 December 1907, Page 63

POPULARISING JUNIOR PLAT.

(Fsok On> Owir Cokbbsposdskt.) AUCKLAND, December 12. For some time the Management ■ Oommittee of the Auckland Rugby Union has had under consideration a scheme for the popularising of Rugby among junior player* and for the general improvement of thegame. The scheme has now been formulated, and will be submitted to a special meeting of delegates to the union on Friday, January 31. The rules have been carefully gone through and revised, and some of the alterations suggested are of a very important rsture. Chief of. these is the proposal to wipe out the district «y>'«r"*', except in so far a* it relates to senior clubs; and next in importance is the suggested inclusion of the University College as a district, tht» making seven teams in the senior competition, one fifteen having a bye each Saturday. Rule 3 reads: "That this union shall consist of the following senior district clubs: — City, Grafton. Newton, North Shore, Parneil, Poneonby, and the Auckland University College. The alteration to the district scheme is provided under rule 4, which. etatee : ' Junior clubs may be established in edch of- the districts mentioned in rule 3, and shall be affiliated to the district olub. The affiliation ot every such club shall be subject to the condition that a district cioib shall have the right up to Jiily 1 in each season to call upon any player of any olub affiliated who possesses the necessary residential qualification to play with such district olub, and to such othar. conditions as the committee of the district club, with the sanction of committee, may impose. The committee of the union may, on receipt of a notification from the district club, disqualify any player who refuses to play in a higher grade when called upon to do so. When any player of a junior clnb is called upon to play in a higher grade, he shall not be required to pay the annual subscription of such district club. "Thi» means that a player below the Senior Grade may play for whatever olub he choose. He may live in Parnell and play for a dub whose headquarters are in Fonsonby, but if called upon, he must play for the senior olub of the district in which he resides. All junior clubs wishing to play under the auspices of the union must affiliate with the senior club of the dirtriot in which its headquarters exist, but they will have a free hand in matters of internal management. The rtdea relating to officers and meetings remain unaltered, and in the qualification olaueo the only amendment is consequential on the admission of the University as a district. In the district competition, an important provision has been added to the rules relating to Cup matches. This Tule reads: " Clubs entering for more than one competition shall not be allowed to omit an entry or withdraw from or lose * match by default! in any but the lowest of suoh competitions. Team* defaulting or withdrawing shall be fined; 5s per match, and shell be disqualified until such fine be paid. Provided that under exceptional'- circumstance* the committee shall hare power to remit the- fine. Ebcoept under special circumstances, it shall be considered no match, unless two spells of not less than 40 minutes each be played-, and the side unwilling to proceed shall be held to have defaulted." This hitter provision was- inserted to do away witbTthe practice wbiob has crept in of recent years of junior teams going out info the field and playing until the side considered to be the stronger scored, then knodking off to watch an important senior match. The seniors on No. 2 ground have frequently, by mutual consent, limited their games to two half-hour spells ; but this will be put a stop to under the new rules. The fine for default is a new and necessary feature.