REFEREES GATHER

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 14, 22 May 1939, Page 8

REFEREES GATHER

PLAYING RULES CONSIDERED NEW INSTRUCTIONS ISSUED Mr A. S. Hylton, Tauranga, re- 1 ported as follows to the Bay oi' Plenty Rugby Referees Association on the proceedings at the annual conference of the New Zealand Referees Association which he attended as the Bay of Plentj* representative: Mr George Bradley, chairman of the > New Zealand Executive, presided over the afternoon session of the conference, and I Avas elected to preside over the evening session owing to Mr Bradley's indisposition. There was an excellent attendance, no fewer, than 28 associations sending delegates to the conference and this was very ijleasing to the executive and the local association. The first business of the conference concerned the issuing of the following instructions which had been received from the English Rugby Union:— LAW 10 E. If, while the referee is waiting for the hall to become dead to blow his whistle for half-.time or no-side, a player is tackled the whistle should at once be blown and half-time or no.side called, as the ball has bccomo dead by the tackle. LAW 11; FUNCTIONS OF TOUCH JUDGES. If, during play, it is noticed that a touch judge has his flag up and the referee is not aware of the reason, the game should continue until the ball' becomes dead when the referee' should inquire why he lias his flag up Unless it is for something for which lie is entitled to raise at the game should be restarted from where the ball became dead. The conference then proceeded to go through the whole of the laws of the game and the following decisions were arrived at as a, result of questions raised: LAW 2—FAIR CATCH. This rule should be administered most strictly: the player claiming a mark must bo stationary when, he takes the catch and must make a heel mark. LAW 2—TACKLE* If a player is tackled in the field of play and slides into in-goal where it is physically impossible for him to release the ball, the decision sha'i be that play be restarted by a scrum, mage at the spot where the tackle occurred. LAW 15—SCRUMMAGE (Paragraph 1) The New Zealand Rugby Union has ruled that a team is not entitled to gain ground until the ball is in t*ie scrummage. LAW 18 (b)—OFFSIDE. If, during a line-out, or scrummage, the referee notices more than one playet- in an offside position he shall award the penalty kick at the. spot which is more nearly opposite the goal posts so as to give the non* offending side the greatest advantage