“SHOOT THE BLIGHTER”

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17239, 21 April 1930, Page 6

“SHOOT THE BLIGHTER”

RUGBY WING FORWARDS REFEREES’ DISCUSSION ----- ‘ 1 a' *; (Special to the Herald.) CHRISTCHURCH, this day. “ Every referee should have a license to carry a gun and shoot the blighter.” That is what Air. ft. J. McKenzie, the well-known Wairarapa referee, thinks of the wing forward in Rugby football. Air. AlcKenzie’s remark was made in a discussion of the wing forward play at the New Zealand Rugby Referees Association’s annual conference. Piquancy was added to the remark by ,the-fact that the speaker is a brother of W. AlcKenzie, well known as ‘‘Offside Alack,” who was noted for his off-side and obstructionist play as a wing forward for the Wairarapa, Wellington, and New Zealand teams many years ago. Air. AlcKenzie also said that the wing forward always was a nuisance and always would be. Mr. D. AlcKenzie, Wellington, Chairman of the conference, who is not. related to the other McKenzies mentioned, replied to Air. 11. J. McKenzie: “We won’t shoot C. G. Porter when he is playing for New Zealand, but when he is playing for Wellington against Wairarapa we shall.” Air. Peter Mackie, Auckland, had

introduced the subject of the wing forward. He said that Auckland’s v adoption of an imaginary line through * the back of the scrum behind which, the wing forwards must keep had solved the question, but he invited the delegates to suggest a better means of dealing with the wing forward. However, the discussion followed rather stale and unprofitable lines, and collapsed soon after a delegate had questioned the right of referees to deal with the formation of a team, and another delegate had pointed out, not only that Canterbury referees had practically no trouble now with wing forwards, but. also that some of- the breakaway forwards of the New South. Wales teams had been greater obstructionists than the modern New Zealand wing forwards.