THE WORLD OF SPORT

Stratford Evening Post, Issue 41, 27 September 1928, Page 2

THE WORLD OF SPORT

FOOTBALL. VALUE OF PENALTY GOAL. Despite the fact that th e New South Wales Rugby Union fo&tballesr scored three tries to one in the ■first Test match against New Zealand they were beaten by 15 points to 12. The New Zealanders kicked four penalty goals, each of which was worth three points. Once again the absurdity of placing • the same value upon a penalty goal as on a try is forcibly brought home to Rugby Union authorities (states a Sydney writer). Had the game been played under League scoring rules it would have been a draw, foi New South Wales, with its three tries and a penalty goal, would have had 11 points, and New Zealand’s try and four goals would have reached the same total. The fact of a penalty goal being regarded as equal in scoring value to a try has long been a subject of contention among Rugby men. It really is ludicrous that because an over-eager player commits some trivial. breach the chance is given the opposition side of raising three points, whereas the most brilliant movement possible in the game, the' basis upon which it is built, culminating in a try, is worth only, the same number of points! Conservatism has always marked the British Rugby Union, and any suggestion of reform in scoring methods would be lo’oked upon as sacrilege. Whatever changes for the better have been made in the code in Australia and New Zealand have been carried out without the sanction of the Home authorities, so it is not likely that any move in the direction of reducing the value of penalty and field goals would be successful. All the same New South Wales Rugby Union followers can to-day reflect upon the wisdom of permitting a penalty goal to be of the same worth as a brilliantly-scored try.

SCRUM TACTICS. Mr J. G. Finlay, a well-known Rugby referee in South Africa, has pointed out an interesting sidelight on the All Blacks’ scrum tactics. It will be recalled that the New Zealanders secured the Icosehead as the result of one of their men moving into the front rank as the ball was being placed in the scrum. Apparently such a manoeuvre is not permitted in New Zealand, where it would be regarded as an infringement (states the Rand Daily Mail). However, it is perfectly legal m South Africa, where any man may move up, as long as no more than three forwards form the front rank. Nevertheless, one is safe in presum- ' ing that after the All Blacks’ visit, the South African authorities will try still further to eliminate the light for the loosehead, by making it: an infringement for any player to move up into the front row, once the scrum has been formed. At the present moment, the South African version reads: “In all cases where a scrummage is ordered or taken, no player shall, after the scrummage has been formed, wilfully add himself to the front row of the scrummage so as to form more than three in that ijv, until the ball has been put in.” On the other hand, the New Zealand rules do not make any qualification about three men in the front row, but states- “In all cases when a scrummage ’is ordered or taken, no player shall, after the scrummage has been formed, .join the front row ci his forwards before the ball has been put in.” , . , Dealing with the same subject, a Rugby writer, F. M. Howard, states that on quite a number of occasions Stewart undoubtedly followed the ’ball into the scrummage with his outside leg and actually hooked the ball. -And he was permitted to do so. To understand the position clearly, it should be pointed out that Stewart places himself alongside his hookers and so as to secure the locsehead at an angle of 45 degrees to his own front row. The ball passes him and then passes the outside man of the opposing front row. But by his half sideways position. Stewart can then by ' a leg-follow-through deviate Wi ball into his first hooker’s feet and thus in fact do the actual hooking. Those who uphold this manoeuvre, contend that the hall has hy then in fact passed a man in each iron row But it is a very line pomt. It must to a large extent remain a question of a hundredth part of a second of time, to be decided only by a very watchful referee. “And there is also th e fulthe point as .to whether Stewart’s manoeuvre does not in point of fact - legitimately obstruct the opposing hooker —i.e., the middle man of th opposing front row;” says the wntc . -‘The obvious counter to it would seem to be for the opposing scrum

half to put the ball in quickly with a snap and not merely to allow it to trickle in. As to the impossibility of wheeling a scrummage when Stewart has placed himself, as he does, to obtain the loosehead, I should have thought that it was, on the contrary, perfectly easy to wheel towards the side away from Stewart, helped indeed by his very presence there in that half-sideways position.” NOTES. After the second Test, won by the All Blacks by 7 points to 6, the; Natal Mercury, in a brief leading article, headed ‘‘Well played, New Zealand,” said; “The team rendered a magnificent service t f> 'South African Rugby on Saturday. 'The fact that victory for the All Blacks was generally unexpected makes the achievement sufficiently remarkable, but the real significance of the reversal of the first Test lies in the proof that the New Zealanders have played the Springboks at their own clone game and beaten them. We should feel a great deal more happy about the future of Rugger in this country, if in the course of one or other of the two remaining Test games, South Africa could show herself really capable of playing and beating the New Zealanders at their own fast, open game. A. Lomas (Thomas), who represented New Zealand in Australia in 1925, and in the only test match against New South Wales in the return .tour that year, is retiring. Hg first represented Thames-in 1913 at the age of 18. Last Saturday Lomas led the City Club to victory in the final of the Thames Rugby Union’s Stewart Cup competition.