SIDELIGHTS ON RUGBY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Issue 12881, 30 April 1913, Page 3

SIDELIGHTS ON RUGBY.

(By " Vexato Qucestio.")

' It is a. surprising thing that Rugby, possessing so many supporters, is a game in which the rules are so littla .understood by the ordinary " barrticker," and even by-' the ordinary player. This may be due to the repeated alterations in the rules or it may also be due to the difficulty in understanding the Hand-Book of Rules which, for its size is one of the most complicated and difficult books to unflorstand. Then again many a- player and spectator never seen Hand-Book and pick up their .knowledge of tho p,ame in a most haphazard fashion. If it were not amusing it would be maddening to th© ordinary referee to hear thb criticism of th<» mail on the line who has yet to learn the A B C of the game. This is th© first of a. series of articles on the rules of the game, given in popular language, so "that he who runs may read ■and the ordinary "harracker" " though a fool (this is a Scriptural quotation, so forgive me) need not err therein," '- : At tho outset I wouldask the gentle( ?) roadt?r to remember that the members of the Referees' Association are men who give their energy and time gratis for the benefit of the game. They are not above making mistakes. Every refefee does that in almost every game. The referee system is not the ideal system,'but it is the best system that has yet'been evolved. I would therefore ask tho spectator, when inclined to speak harshly of the referee, to romember that it is no light task to keep one's eye on the ball, watch players behind as well as in iront and follow the movements of 30 heads, 60 arms and 60 legs. Let tho spectator console himself with the feet that if the referee does not come up to his expectations, yet he- has done a jolly side better than tho spectator would have done in. like circumstances. Jf we are to keep the pvofess'onal referee- out of. the game it behoves the crowd to loyally support the amateurs who for the good of the sport control tho game. Things may not be ideai now, but" once let the professional referee bo introduced and the last state will be infinitely worse than the first. Now to tho "■rules.. I will commence by referring to sonic of th<> decisions arrived at by the recent conference of referees in "Wellington. 1. The Rule Book fays: " A try is gained by the player who first puts his hand on the ball on the ground in his opponents' in-goal." Note that it is uot a try unless hand, ball, and ground are in contact with each other at the snmu time. , This contact need only be for a fraction of a second. Now, supposing a. scrum takes place on the goalline and one of the attacking players handles the ball in the fccrum by touching it down. Is it a try or should th© attacking sido have a'free kick given against them for a breach of the rules? t venture to say that many players* would dispute the granting of a. try under &uch conditions, and ..yet such a decision would be perfectly correct, foi a foot-note to the note reads: " When an attacking side jn-jij siprum, pushes the defending side q,v;er, .the goal-1in0..-ami touches»tlM> bolt down,; a tjy shall be., allowed, but if one of' the ,'defoiiders: touch-it down jt.shal]"-be"« forced' - Tlion;-again,' a try "is scored if the* "baHifc touched., down ON the-goal4ine - On or over the goal-live as n try. It Ihe ball rolls over the goal-line and , touches a spectator then it rests with tha referee to decide whether a try fehouhl bo granted or not. If he thinks the attacker has no chance of scoring n try he must award -a force down. If u'ecaorl chance of scoring has been spoiled, then a try must be 'awarded. If there is any doubt at all, the point luustbfi given against the side re&ponsible.Jor'tlie ground arrangements. If, on,neutral ground and there is any doubt in the referee's mind as to what would have been the result if the ball had not touched the spectator, then th<» five yards rule is the 'best way out of the difficulty. Hole is another nice point that might ]>q mentioned while wo are speaking of a try. Suppofedng the defenders havfc to take a fre"b kick behind their own goal-line and suppose that one of the. attackers intercepts the ball before it crosses the goal-line and ho touches it down, then the referee must award a try. This is not likely to happen, but it*is a possibility that must be reckoned with. Then, aga.in, if a player crosses his opponents' goal-Jin©, touches the ball down, and then picks it up again, it is still a try. The f.act of picking it tip does not nullify the score. • The off-side "rulo is the one that is most difficult to grasp.. Hero is a "point witlr regard to off-side that many have riot yet mastered. " r A player js only put off-side by one of his own side." The truth of this is shown in the following illustration. Last -year' Dunedin was playing University. A Duncdin player took the ball, down to 'Varsity's 25.* A 'Vasity player picked it up and ran back to half-way; then in kicking the ball he made a mistake and at went back into the hands of *i .Dunedin player who was running to get on-side>. The Dunedin player claimed « mark. Was it a mark? Yes! Why? Because he had mado a catch direct from one of his opponents. The fact of the 'Varsity player kicking the ball had put all tho Dunedin players on-cide and therefore there was nothing to prevent th<^ Duncdin player from claiming his mark. This is a poini somewhat hard to iindersfcand, but in it lies the secret of off-side play. The crowd roars or the decisions of many capable referees simply because of their failure to uu dei-stand this point. My space is ox hauoted, but later on I shall refer to this, point again and by uso of an Jlluf(ration or two endeavour to make it clearer. I slnll bo glad to answer any question addressed to me care of the I'ditor of the "Chronicle.-'