WINNING BY BIG SCORES

Press, Volume C, Issue 29515, 17 May 1961, Page 22

WINNING BY BIG SCORES

Acquaintance With Rule 5

The Canterbury Rugby Union will ask grade and weight managers to acquaint themselves with Rule 5 which discourages the tendency to win by large scores. The law says that if teams are unevenly matched, arrangements should be made to stop the game when a team is 25 points ahead and that players should be rearranged. At a meeting of the management committee of the union last evening Mr R. G. Condliffe asked Mr O. Noonan (Junior Advisory Board) whether the referees eould have an assurance that team coaches were aware of the regulation and whether it was the wish of the board that the regulation be carried out. Mr Condliffe asked whether a referee would have the support of the union if he called off a game when the coaches were not willing to abide by the rule. There had been no instances so far, Mr Condliffe said. He had brought the matter to the union only for clarification. Mr Noonan said the board had already discussed the matter, and it agreed that games should be called of! or continued on a friendly basis when the score reached 25-0. The president (Mr H. C. Blazey' said that it was a rule adopted by the union to prevent a team being completely discouraged and outclassed. But it was a question of whether the referee had the power to stop the game. It was a question of law to some degree. After a short discussion it was decided to ask the various managers to acquaint themselves with Rule 5.