EARLY ACTIVITY

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 60, 27 March 1937, Page 15

EARLY ACTIVITY

"Magpgie. ")

Need For Sports Area ia Hastings NOTJES AND COMMENTS

1 (By

Early activity best describes the preparations in readiness for the 1937 season of Bugby. Clubs have had their annual meetings, and most of the sub-unioas, too, ahd it only resnains for the parent hody to kold theirs and fhe season can then be said to be mell and truly started. Tke priHcipal reasons for this summety cbmmencement of a winter sport is the early celebration of Easter and the comlng of the Springhoks, To those who COnsider the start of the season too early, I~ would draw their attention to the fact that in Sydney a start with Rugby, Kortkern LTnion and SoccCr Was made last Saturday. The annual meetiUg of tke Hastings Sub-Union passed off without any grcat controversy. The published remarks of the chairman made interesting reading, particulariy for the reason that he knows his Rligby. Oii the subject of an up-to-date and properly equipped sports area for Hastings, hoWever, there is, I think, an urgent need. Hastings is destined to become a big city, and before many years are gone. We have in the town at present a tkeatre that attracts the b&st travelling companies, and a thoroughly up-to-date sports ground wohld attract the best in outdoor sport. McLean Park has brought fame to Kapier' aad Hawke's Bay as one of the leading sports grounds in the Dominion, and also one of the best equipped iu point of accommodation for public and Ihe athletes who appear thereon. Wkat is available in Kapier can quite easily be provided in Hastings. The present size of the town demands it. I am at one with the chairman in his remarks concerliiag the narrOWUess of the playing areas from a Rugby point of "view, on the Kelson cricket gtound, aad the cramped space hampers the players, most of whom will tell you that tkey prefer playing on McLean Park. Paucity of Inride Backs. Tke okairmaa'6 brief fefersnce to the paucity of iuside backs iu tke proviace and tke Dominiou aroused no comment oue way ot another, yet it wa« a most important point to raise. In Colin Le Quesne, Hastings has raised one of the most brilliant iaaide backs of receht times, and in making this assertion I say that those to compare with him anywhere in the Dominion could be counted on the fingers of one hand. The chairman, I think, did not have in mind this isolated inatanoe, but the general standard of inside back play. Cause and effect here, and the cause in this instance is Kew Zealand 'a stupid policy of adopting the three-man front row scrummage. Sixteen forwards out of 30 players in a match are bound to make more trouble for- the backs than did the 14 of the old days, and most of the trouble is directed at the inside backs who, to get away from the spoiling lactics of the side row men, develop the di&gonal run. Thus we get wkat is kiiown as the "cross cquntry" flveeighth— the player who takes the field to-day with & price on his head. He cannot fly over the heads of his harriers, so he does the next best thing — heads for the touchline instead of the goal line. Our back play will improve when we Tevert to the seven-man scfum, J International Rules. I have just received a copy of the Rugby Football Ufiioii, England, bylkws of the game, etc., for the year 1036-37, aud glancing through the setout of the rules made oue wish that Kew Zealand Rugby Eeferees' Association wOuld do likewise instead of publishing a voluminous booklet that bristles with "notes aud interpretations, " which makes logical reading of the rules so difficult for the majority of referees. Despite all our annual conferences, uniformity of rulings remains with our referees as much a cry in the wilderness as ever.it- did. I feel that our rule book has Aiueh to do with this unsatisfactory state of affairs. For the benefit of local referees here is a copy of a much debated ruling appearing on page 85 in the English book: "All players of the opposing team must remain passive from the time the kicker commences his run until the kiek has been taken." Law 11 i "The touck judge is responsible for seoing th&t a player of the proper team throws the ball in, and that he has both feet in touch, but has no right to keep his flag up if the ball is thrown in from the wrong place. " The two above quoted rulings are International rules, and so is is essential that our referees and touch judges are aware of them in view of the coming visit of the Springhoks. ' ' Magpie ' ' will be happy to loan the book to any referee on application, c/o Herald-Tribune.