RUGBY MATTERS.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 18, 26 February 1914, Page 9

RUGBY MATTERS.

COMPETITION RULES. SOME ALTERATIONS PROPOSED. Suggested alterations to the competition rules of the Canterbury Rugby Union were considered by the managing committee of the union last evening. They had been prepared by a sub-com-mittee which had been set up to deal with the matter, with a view to their being before the delegates at the annual meeting next month. The president (Mr G. H. Mason) explained that the proposals made by the sub-committee, were intended to obviate stoppages of play caused by slight breaches of Ihe- strict letter of certain rules. The first recommendation was that provision should be made that a player may recover the ball from a knoclc-on before it reaches the ground. With regard to penalties, it was recommended that a free kick should be awarded to the opposing side player "not in a scrummage, crosses an imaginary line drawn through the back rank of the scrummage and parrallel with the goalline while the ball is in the scrummage." Further, it was recommended that the advantage rule should be strictly enforced in line-out play, so that it would be applied to the throw-in as much as to knock-o.ns or anything else. The committee agreed to these proposals, which therefore will be placed before the annual meeting- of delegates. The chairman raised the question of altering the date —March 13—which had been fixed for the annual meeting. He pointed out that the union's financial year ended on February 28, and the time fixed was not sufficient to allow of the balance-sheet being drawn up and audited, and the report prepared and printed and circulated among' the clubs seven days before the meeting. The clubs should have an opportunity of discussing the report and balance-sheet before they elected their delegates. There was no reason why the financial year should not be" January 31; the present system was only a custom instituted by previous secretaries. The meeting agreed to alter the date of the annual meeting to Friday, March 20.