FOOTBALL.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20177, 4 March 1931, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

RUGBY. REVERSION TO OLD RULES. 1 INSTRUCTION FROM ENGLISH UNION. A letter received by the New' Zealand Rugby Football Union from the Rugby Football Union of England, indicating the withdrawal forthwith of all dispensations regarding rales granted at different times to affiliated Unions and instructing that in future the English Union's rules must be strictly adhered to was discussed at a meeting of the Management Committee, of the Canterbury Eugby Football Union last even' ing.

As was explained during the discussion on the matter, the instruction if decided on by the New Zealand Union means a reversion to the English rules, under which the Dominion game was played some years ago. Dispensations were secured from the English Union fqr the introduction of new rules or the modification of existing rules, but in recent years there has been an increasing agitation, apparently fostered by the "Home Union, but also supported with increasing strength in the Dominion, that there should be uniformity of rules throughout the Empire, and that New Zealand should do its share towards attaining this by reverting to the rules of the English Union. Recently Scotland, Ireland, and Wales have signified their allegiance to the English rules and the rules of the International Board, to which the English Union is affiliated. This move 1 has strengthened the agitation for uniformity.

In New Zealand, however, there is a strong feeling—given expression to at last night's meeting by several members—that allegiance to the English Union and the International Board in the matter of rules should earn some guarantee .that the New Zealand Union would gain some representation "on the International Board, which controls overseas Rugby. It is now considered that this latest move on the part of the English Union is" tantamount to an offer of representation—or at least the preliminary move towards grafting it.

A Growing Embarrassment. The letter from the English Union stated- that after hearing from Mr Baxter in detail about the recent tour of the British team in New Zealand, members were strongly of the opinion that now the ) game was played throughout the Empire there should be no exceptions ih rules anywhere. ■ "We. have found the particular dispensations once granted to you of late a growing embarrassment in other Dominions, and are desirous of checking a growing tendency to take advantage of a special arrangement made with *vou, which has'shown itself elsewhere. It is obviously impbHant that, all who indulge in the game should be under one banner and that there should be' no need for any visiting team to cause a variation in the methods of play' with a-return to the old variation on J&eir, departure." , Jwter pointed out that fol;Jo, i tecent l declarations of al'legiaQce %trop\ the other Unions to VoMte .Mr /the laws , of the game as Jo™tilafifeOr_' ( v by ' the International .fn'onrdi it be totally inconsistent [for the parent Union to allow onothnr (Union having membership with it to iplayft- different code. ' -- "Therefore," the Union must now forthwith* withdraw any such dispensation, and the laws of the game must be strictly adhered to. In other words all , clubs, or combinations of clubs affiliated to - the Rugby Football Union niust play the game in strict accordance with its laws.'' , - - 7 1 A "covering letter from the New Zealand Union_ pointed ont that Bale 2 of ,the constitution of th 4 New Zetland jßugby Union mode It "necessary for to give .immediate effect to'the request contained L m the letter,"i and athnt, the matter would come np fsr disIfetiflsion a-j> the annual general meeting of, the Union ort' April 29th. Purely an Instruction. '/There'« no mention of representation on'the'lnternational Boatd in the,correspondence. It is; purely' au instruction," said, the chairman,. Mr VA.,E, ,JktcPhaiL for iihis unioa to sas whether its delegate will agree td thttjjptopoflftl without any represen- ,: j Mtiqnib«ini' granted;. .'' " '' ' ' "pntil' tfe nave sbm6 assurance of ; 'it seepak very foolish to .throw over all thqt \ye have done in' the ,way of modernising roles in the . past. At the soqip , time, , when Mr !, Cecil ,Wray> the Sew r&preon the English Union, was •kith tiSjj. he was.of the opinion that .we Siould tall into line with' England. 3 ' Some of the duties of the opal BOitrd Were outlined 1 Mr B. F. fjlson; ■ The ' Board comprised four ; ; lrewesentatives j andljwo each worn -Scotland;. • Ireland,. .-and . WalesJEbeycontrolled, the rales of the game countries, "oversea# tours,: Mid' gette'nrtly "Borne • -Country |bours: dtiifefs < were mainly ! concerned with international administration and ISngliih' :Rngby domestic matters. , to the letter, ,Mt Wilson -fitted that'the desire for uniformity 'ib'. rules "-came about partly through .the difference - in the code as played fey the different Home Unions, particuslarly in scriyn play;' Evidently they' ?had got together and agreed' On the J&eL set'of .rules,* The, New Zealand being affiliated to the English pftiiott. 1 should naturally be,-expected to pfflaytheir. rules. V ! s Mr W& son did not think that the I'PSnglish Union was holding a. pistol to the Reads 'of the New Zealand J body. England was in favour, he thought, of the' Dominion haying representation, not on the International 'Board—which ,;th& Dominion did, not' really need—vtra't on a< Board of' some description i which" would govern the laws of tne ,'gatne and international tours. ) . "Through the English. Union, we are 'indirectly represented on the International Board," said" Mr" Wilson. "If • we sav that .we .will not agree to the reversion, I think that it will be the . .finish of our chapces of the desired re- 1 .presentation.'* ; V-After further discussion it,was de-i cided to refer the matter to the i annual • meeting* of delegates to-. the i \Uiuon on March 18th. ' 'I , • Roles Affected. fcick-ihto-tquoh ruling will' be I tjhfe 1 main one affected if the reversion , to* the old rules is agreed to. There will probably be a change necessitated 1 in - ! tne replacement of players' rule, and also in the ono governing the practice of. leaving the playing field at> half-time. It will be remembered that these rules were Splayed under the, English interpretation during the visit Ifest season of the British *eam., EXPULSION OF FRANCE. LACK OP CONTROL OF THE \ GAME. - 1 1 , - • LONDON, March 2. The British Bogby officiala have decided or the of, France {fom international championships after the present season, •on i the 'grounds ' of, lack of control - of the gome ' apparent: is-the brutality of French - play. .The decision,,has created a sensation. ' .. JWII BB to fixtures against Eng- * lish, Scottish; Welsh, and Irish teams, and' >. also; ; • the clubs, governed ' by these joniona. i officiajs expected the baa, bnt the pub. fife and ?xe»s arQ preparing fox; an outburst. fc'.U f ->ar *'Whk,:'-. 1 • If'« \

CANTERBURY UNION. FIFTY-SECOND ANNUAL REPORT. The activities of the Canterbury Hugby Football Union during the past season are reviewed at length in the fifty-second annual report of the Union, which will be presented at the annual general meeting of delegates on March 18th.

"In view of the visit of the British team, it was expected that the past season would be one of considerable. interest throughout the Dominion,, but few, if any, of those even actively connected with the game expected that the enthusiasm of the people of New Zealand would have attained such a height," the report reads. "The tour created what might be aptly described as a great tidal wave in Kugby in this country. Early in the se'ason it was apparent that the tour of the visitors would affect local Rugby, and this proved to be the case particularly after the two local matches were played, when interest in, our own fixtures began to wane. This condition of affairs was not peculiar to Canterbury, such being the experience of many other , unions.

"From the point of view of play in the various grades the past season compares very favourably with former yeafs. The standard of representative play Was fully maintained as was evidenced by the victory of Canterbury over the British team. In subsequent interprovincial fixtures, however, the results in some instances would seem to indicate that the standard set early in the season had not been maintained.

Grade Competitions. "In the various grade competitions a number of very fine matches were witnessed. On ; the other hand some matches were poorly contested, due, no doubt, to the fact that some teams enter in a grade beyond their standard, while in one or two cases the results seemed to indicate that teams could have competed fairly successfully in a higher grade. The committee realises the difficulty of clubs in gauging the standard of play in the respective grades when entering,. and will endeavour to bring about' thqj desired result by transferring teams in such cases, as warrant it. ? "It is expected that the coming season will be a very successful one in every way. The senior teams are likely to be much' more evenly matched than was the case last year, -

Finance. "A perusal of the accounts a loss of £B9 Oa lid on the year's working. A reduction of £350 in Club matches, a& compared with the previous season, the loss of two Saturdays on which the British team played here, without receiving any revenue whatever from the gate rceeipts of those matches, and the abandonment of the match against Wanganui were the main factors contributing to the adverse bal= ance.

"In addition to our own financial op* erations the sum' of £7860 13b 7d was handled on behalf of the New Zealand Bugby Union, this amount representing the proceeds of 1 New Zealand Bugby; Union matches controlled by this Union. Competitions. ' "Showing an increase of 34 teams over the previous season's figures, a total of 264 teams took part in the organised competitions "under the Union's jurisdiction. The following statement shows the entries-for the various competitions:— i ' ' Teams. Club competitions .. ... 121 Secondary Schools 60 Primary Schools .. 69 Schools Junior Competitions 8 264

- "Tho committee has given a deal of time and thought to the question of the constitution of the competitions, and has arrived at the conclusion that at present, owing to the r number.of. grades, the competitions, iave become rather unwieldy, and that difficulty which clubs .have-had in gauging the standard of play in the various grades is still apparent. It is proposed that the number of competitions be Teduced by two, and that the names ' of the •grades be altered to the, following:—: Senior- A, Senior B, Junior 1, Juiiior % Junior 8, and Junior 4/ together with the two age-limit, grades "Under 17" and "Under 1 16" respectively,' but with no weight limit restrictions applying to the age limit. ' . ' , "In order that the work of the club officials should be reduced to a jpini'mum, the committee has' brought for* ward proposals embodied in .the recoup struction of the competition and permit rules. The aim of the committee; is to jrely upon the honour of clubs in carrying out theif obligations rather than burden them rules and regulations.' ■ i' "The providing "of Eiigby football -for boys attendibg' Church and private schools not catered. *R r byi competi- | tions of the Primary or, Secondary-, Schools'-Associations was .considered, by the Union at tlie beginning of last > season, and as a result of conferences' with representatives of certain schools,, an. organised,series of games was in,' augurated, and termed the schools' junior competition, consisting of . two grimes—under 14 years and under 7st—four, teams entering in each grade. ' s "The 1930 season "found, the'-boys of the OhristchUTch primary ■ schools as keen as ever on the Bugby game. The introduction of new weight limits increased . the . number of . competitions, find made it possible fair a greater number of light-weight players to partici- , pate. The result was that the number of teams increased from's2 to 69." - Mention is als6 made,of ,the record of Mr S. Hollander (a member of the Canterbury' Refer.ees»■ Association) diir- ! ing the British team's tour. In addition to the British team's match against Otago, Mr r Hollander aeted as referee' ■ in the first three .Tdsts against the visitors, and was also chosen to control the fourth,' but owing to an injury was unable to accept. <• Reference is made to the services of | referees during the season, and an appeal is addressed to enthusiasts to offer their services to^the Referees' Associa tion. I Mention of the death pf Mr W. Gar-, raTd, a former representative player and a selector for Canterbury, iB also made. Thanks for services are extended to selectors and club coaches, -masters of Primary and Secondary schools and members of the Primary -v Schools' TScferees' Association, the St. John Ambulanc. Brigade, honorary, doctors, employers who granted .leave of absence to representative players, and those who assisted in entertaining the British, visitors. '

MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE. } ' f v „ v ' j GENERAL BUSINESS. , The final meeting of the present Manage* ment Committee -of - the Canterbury Bugby Football Union was held last evening. TheVe were present—Mesßrs .A, E. Mfc* ?hail (president), S. F. Wilson, R, W'. Britten, if. K. C. S. McCttlly, L. Thomson,- A, Thompson, A. E. "FloWer, St. 3. 3. Dunne, V. li. Jenßen, W. Maxwell, W. Britten,- A. Dugjjan, Wi B. Fuller, A". Barrett, B. ■TT. Phillips, and Dr. W.-.S. Seed. , Tho Maxor Of Hastmgs< Mr 6. F. Eoich,' and the Mayor el Kapier, Mr Vigor Brown, "V' '' - - !

wrote- thanking the Union for expressions -ofsympathy - in the earthquake' disaster .and for the Union's ;of, £IOO towards're. lief, ■ Acknowledgment of - the donation - was recelyed from the . Mayor ' of Christehureh, Mr J. K. Archer. Messrs McPhall, Britten, and Wil|on were, appointed a' sub-committee to discuss the question of the grading- of 'referees- with the exeoutive of the Referees' Association. ' The application of' the newly-formed Ath>letio Bugby Club for- affiliation'- to the Union was referred to; the annual meeting -of -delegates , on March < 18th.,, ASSOCIATION.

THE YEAR'S MATCHES. ' . The annual report of , the Canterbury - Football 1 Association that nine teams took part in the competition, and congratulates the Western and; Thistle seniors on their per*' formances. This'tle' seniors won the Hurley Shield" and the- Charity Oup, while. Western <- and< Thistle are joint holders of the English Cup., \ The A. Division of ' the competition was won by Marists, and Western, - the runnersup, made a fine struggle for victory, four games having' to be played in the knockout competition ' before a decision was' reached. Owing, to , poo*, entries.in the third and fourth grade competitions the two, grades were combined into, a single third grade, with five entries. It has been suggested, the report notes, that the lower: grade and competitions ' should be': re- ! organised. *' "It is pleasing .to note," says the report, "that the entries in the • primary schools competitions . were much larger • this year, - there boing seven teams in, the junior 'grade (under, Bst. 71b), an increase of two,and 12 in the bantam grade (under Ost 71b),' an increase pf six. The schools' which have introduced Association football into their ischools this year are Addlngton (two teams), Waltham (two iteams), Richmond (two teams), and New' Brighton (one team)." The Herbert Smith during the season several valuable trophies for the schools competition. A silver shield valued at £2O was given fot ,-the junior grades in the South Island schools' tournament and a cup for the bantam, grade in ,the same tournament. A cup has 1 , also been presented for local competition in the" schools. The committee thanks Mr J. G. Parry, of the West Ohristchurch School,'chairman of the i Boyß* and Schools' Division, Messrs J. McLeod, -H. W.. Wilkins, and the : teachers, for- their assistance; inV the interests of.' the boys. The members of the Canterbury Referees' Association are . congratulated upon the efficient manner in which they carried out their duties. "There were times when it was :most difficult - fop the Association to provide referees. Too frequently; they are called upon to officiate in two matches on the same day, and clubs- must' assist the Association in finding suitable referees," the report remarks.

Mr Lucas, who was secretary during, the -past season, has been compelled to : resJgJT owing to pressure of private business. The rtpoTt thanks 'him for his services, , i Hie report concludes: "Your committee | hopes that the 1931 season will be marked j by even greater progress than iin the past, , and that, a higher standard of play will be reached in all grades."- -