RULES OF RUGBY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18399, 17 May 1934, Page 7

RULES OF RUGBY

POWERS OF THE REFEREE EXTENT OF HIS AUTHORITY ADVANTAGE RULE APPLICATION The second of a series of lectures on particular aspects of the rules of Rugby lootball was given at the weekly meeting of the Poverty Bay Rugby Referees’ Association this week, the speaker on this occasion being Mr. K. R. Waite, •who took for his subject tho application of rules 10 and 11, covering the powers and duties of the referee, and his relations with the line umpires.

Mr. Waite took occasion to refer to the readiness of many spectators, and also of some players, to conclude that the referee is wrong in his decisions on particular points, and he suggested that if doubtful points were submitted to the association, official replies could be given in the course of future lectures in order to remove the grounds of argument. By following the course he suggested, Mr. Waite added, spectators and players temporarily at odds with the referee would do much material good to the game of football. Sir. Waite’s address was as under:— “These two laws of our national game, whilst not dealing with actual play, are very important inasmuch as they deal with the control of the game. Many a match has been ruined by . an incompetent referee, whose failure is quickly noticed by the keen players and enthusiastic spectators; while at the same time a referee is seldom given credit for endeavoring to brighten or lift the game from a dnth display. By this 1 mean quick decision on frequent glaring breaches which, if allowed to continue, will soon end up ( in anything but a clean hard game of Rugger. STRICTLY BOUND “A referee must not contract out of the laws of the game even if both teams arc unanimous by agreeing to play with some particular alteration; but he is sole timekeeper and judge of fact, and is permitted to allow extra time for delays or stop a'match if he considers that full time cannot be played or if the game is not being played in the right spirit. “Once a referee has given his decision he cannot alter it, with one exception; viz., in the event of a try being allowed previous to which the ball having gone Into touch and the touch judge signifying that the ball, or the player carrying it, has gone into touch, the referee may disallow the try and bring the play back for a line-out, though on the other hand he may overrule the touch judge and allow the try. This is very important, as a cry will go up under the impression that the touch judges are equally in control of the game with the referee. This is not so, as both touch judges are under the control of the referee, and if he considers that a mistake has bc-cn made he can overrule them. USE OF THE WHISTLE “When a referee blows-his whistle it is only for some breach that has occurred, a fair catch, a try, goal, noside, or when a player is hurt (only after the play has become dead), or when play has become dangerous. “One may often hear, ‘Ref., there’s a man hurt,’ but the referee has no power to stop play unless the player injured is in the line of play. This one can understand, as ,un illustration, the attackers may be on the point of securing a try, and no breach having occurred, it would not be ‘cricket’ to penalise tho attackers for the mishap. If, on the other hand, the injury was caused through illegal play,* the penalty kick or penalty try would operate, and the referee would or should not hesitate to enforce that power lie has. THE ADVANTAGE RULE

“The referee should not blow his whistle because a player is tackled, unless, of course, a breach occurs following the tackle, or when an irregularity occurs from which the nonoffending side gains an advantage. This leads us to the advantage rule, 'which has to be defined with considerable care as an advantage must be gained, not an opportunity of gaining an advantage. This is where referees can easily err. The referee should be most careful, and be sure that an advantage has been gained before allowing play to eontinuo, particularly between the 25-yds line and the goalline. The advantage rule is one of the most if not the most important of the rules in Rugby, and, if I may say, the most difficult for the referee, as it calls for an immediate decision.

“It is hardly necessary to state that all referees should be distinctively dressed from both teams, to savo confusion to the players, whilst his knowledge and interpretation of the rules should be clear to the players. The referee should not hesitate to name the breach and the breaker of a particular law, for various obvious reasons. “In connection with the touch judges, they should bo prompt in raising their 'flags when the ball pitches into touch, and keep the flag up until the ball is thrown into play again, providing of course that the ball has been thrown in by a player of the side the throw-in has been awarded to, and that it has been thrown in at the correct place, otherwise his flag should remain raistkl.

"When a kick at the goal is about to bo taken, the touch judges should each talco up a position behind a goal post; even if they signal a goal, the referee may overrule them if he eon-