THE FOOTBALL WORLD

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 86, 6 July 1928, Page 3

THE FOOTBALL WORLD

TROUBLE !N SCRUMS, SOUTH AFRICAN OPINION. (From Johannesburg Sunday Times). Discussions on, Rugby rules :UQ \hound to take place .shortly between' the! All Blacks and the South African authorities (writes; "C.R.L.),_ and if only these lead to the i.ibolition of ; some of the atrocious scrummaging one see s So often nowadays, the exchange ofv iewi will have been, worth while. One refers particularly to the kick- ' ing of the ball out of the scrum. This | tends not only to spoil the game 'from. both the spectator's and the player's point of view, but is, a sheer waste or time. I noticed recently that reference was agiiii made to the "wrong foot hook." Personally, I don't know what the "wrong foot hook" means, for there certainly is no such, thing in ' Rugby football. A player can hook with either the risrht or the left foot, as long as the ball has passed one man on each. side. THE REAL TROUBLE;

; But the trouble to-day is tho manner in which most of these players deflect the ball. Invariably the hooker in question advances his foot diagonally toward? the mouth of the scrum so that, more often than not, the ball comes out the same way as it was put in. Unless the referee is able to detect the side that prevented the ball from going into the scrumr—and thi s is always difficult—another scrum is ordered.' :i "'«, -:

I contend'that when a side has the "overlap," arid the hooker hook s with the nearest 'foot to the hall and deflects it, the ball does not actually pass one man on each side. In order to' get this "overlap" there is too much battling among the front rankers. ' ' .

A few years ago it w-is permissible to follow the ball in with the outside foot, and naturally there was not the trouble of getting it in that is being experienced tq-day. Then, came that bugbear "the loose head," and 1 in order to secure possession a side would send another forward into the front rank. If the 'other side did the same, there would be a struggle for the .'Advantage until it would become almost farcical. I remember that in one representative final the respective packs i:t times had a s many as seven forwards in the front rank. , Obviously something had to I>9 done, and the rule making it imperative, for the ball to phss one man on each side was introduced. A few years ago, hrnvever, another rule, preventing more than players from forming the front rank, was put into operation. FOLLOWING THE BALL.

As extra players are now not allowed to form the front rank, the "loose head" difficulty has more or less'been overcome, and it Trrmld seem that to surmount the dhy trouble a reversion to the old rule allowing the outside man to fob low the ball in with his foot is a tea sible proposition. CENTRAL DIVISION JUNIORS. A DAY OF. FORFEITSFour first junior matches were set down for decision yesterday, but only one (Tariki v. Toko, tit Tariki), was played. Eltham' forfeited .to Stratford, Inglcwood to Pukengahu, and Cardiff to Midhirst.

Following are results of matches played:— FIRST JUNIOR. Toko 16 v. Tariki 7. THIRD GRADE. Cardiff 3 v.'Stratford 0. Midhirst 5 v. Inglewood 4. FOURTH GRADE. S.T.H.H.A- 38 v. Stratford 0. Eltham 30 v. S.T.H-S. 3. VICTORIA PARK TO-MORROW. STRATFORD y. STAR, Stratford and Star will try concisions at Victoria, Park to-morrow afternoon, and a good game may be looked for. Star will bo represented by the following: Morris, Moorhcad, Loveridge, H. Wolfe, H. Billing, McLean, Court, James, Thomas, Clarke, Ardern, Wolfe, Kendall, Phillips, Hoffman, Ford, Jenkins.