OLD BOYS OPEN ACCOUNT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19314, 3 May 1937, Page 7

OLD BOYS OPEN ACCOUNT

VICTORY AGAINST MARIST "BIitTES" RETURN PLAY Old Boys . . lOpts. Marist . . Gpts. Marist stood up well to Old Boys in the senior grade on Saturday on the Oval ninl were beaten by only two converted tries to an unconverted try and a ponaltv goal. Old Boys bid the advantage of weight in the scrummages, but. did not. seem to use this to advantage and us u result the .Marist backs bad their share of the ball from the set serums. The white forwards were inclined to lag belli ml Hip plav and the dogged work of I'.. C.uise, K. 'O'Halloran. and .1. Murphy continuallv hampered the Old Boys. The winners should have scored heavily over the white pack, but failed in this department. There is si ill too much being placed on individual play on both sides and more con cent rat ion could be made on the play of tiie packs as a component pari of the team. Marist Casualties The game was noted for the casualties anion-'the Marist. side. Guise, I'. llaisumn. and 1). Ileeney receiving attention from St.. John Ambulance men. Guise ricked a muscle and bad to retire from the game, his position being taken bv Murphy. Haismau's knee gave him trouble and. though he was on the sideline for about 10 minutes, lie returned to the field of play. Ileeney bad trouble with bis shoulder and was compelled to leave his position behind the serum. The injuries received bv these men all tended to weaken the Marist attack and defence. B. Wright was a safe fullback tor Marist. Marist opened the scoring when rieeney kicked a penalty goal and then Wright equalled for did Hoys with a Irv. for which there was a general -cYamble. A. Campbell, who was kicking will, finish, added the extra points and put Old liovs in the lead. Alter a forward attack B. Hods raised the Old Boys' .-core to eight points and Campbell again added his quota of points. I,'. Cardner scored an unconverted try for Marist to make the final points in' favour of Old Boys 10 points to six.

Mr. A. Wotthington was the referee

ENGLISH RUGBY BRIGHTENING OF PLAY At long last the Rugby Union is I* make a move towards brightening up the game, according to reports in English papers. They have decided to sanction experiments with law 17—the law .c,oveming forward play—in two club matches. A new ruling—"that no player shall advance beyond his own front-row forwards until'the ball is out of the scrummage"—is to be put to the test. This ruling was originally adopted by the Welsh clubs, anil sponsors of the brighter Rugby movement hope that its introduction will add to the attractiveness of the game. Hitherto the ruling] has been that— a player is off-side if.'while the ball is m the scrummage, lie remains with eithei foot in front of the ball." Leicestershire Rugby I'luon. it is stated, recently proposed to the. Rugby Union an alteration to law 17 which, it is claimed, will eliminate off-side and obstruction round the scrum.

Critics are of the opinion that, the move is nothing less (ban a. real effort to check extreme wing-lovwav.l play, which, it is claimed in some quarters, is slowly ruining Rugby football as a spectacle, and which was seen at iis worst in (lie England-Wales international at Twickenham.