Rugby. LANE CUP FINAL

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 12, 7 October 1937, Page 13

Rugby. LANE CUP FINAL

Typical End-of-Season Play CRAVEN'S TACTICS J (By "OmnL") The Rugby saason reSclifid its official end last Saturday with the Lano Cup final, and the presentation of trophies in Hastings and Napier have now been completed. As a spectacle the Lane Cup final was typical end-of-the-season Rugby — full of blemishes— but the play appeared to interest a surprisingly good attendance.^ Celtic won easily at the finish, but midway through the second half it appeared that Piratea had them on tho run. The • buccaneers then f ell into errot and Celtic were allowed to scoro two Boft tries, The Lane Cup is the Rugby Union's consolation prize for the eenior competition, and with Napier Marist winners for the Maddison Trophy, it was quite appropriate that the Hastings relatives should annex the. minor award. Last Saturday saw the Celts very critical on the field of the referee and his decisions. Why players do this sort of thing passes understanding, and there is a danger of the disease becojning chroni.c. As for the playerB, Tomoana, Reidj Pullen and Hannah wore bright lights in the Celtic rearguard, and Hanmgan and Bowers most prominent in the vanguard. For Pirates Lister at haif was not a good link. He tackles really well, but fails in sending the ball out. Mapuhi, too, got his side out of difficulties and into them just as cheerfully. He it waa who presented one try to Celtic. Dowrick was the bost Pirato back with Morgan next. In the forwarda Keeble, Hill, Fraser and McKenzie were the.pick of a pack superior to the opposition. Cravein's Play. A correspondent has asked me for an opinion on the legality of Craven 's play as half-back and also of the Soutii African method of gaining possession in. the scrums. In reply, it must first of all be emphasised that New Zealand ideas of the scrum are for the ball to come Out of it at the back. Possibly this idea was a remnant of the old wing-forward days when it was necessary that the ball issue forth from the scrum as far from the winger as possible. In South Africa they have never had the wing-forward ^to' contend with, and having seen their pack operating, it is easy to eee why they pack 3—4 — .1, The South AfriCans do not hook thq ball to come out at the back. Instoad, they push it out at the (side just at the rcar of the near side front rankers' feot, the flank forward having meaawhile vacated his position to act as an obstructionist should the opposition show any inclination to break on ihe half-back. The Rullee Tho rule-book saye that any player not part oi the scrum muet not put one foot in front of the ball while it is in the scrum, and referees ruled that when a wing-forward put the ball in tho scrum he must retire immodiately if his own side - hooked it. Craven put the ball in the scrum and picked it up again faciug his own backs. Clearly he was offside, but referees never penalised him for i.t, but I will guarantee that if a wing-forward be* haved in manner similar to Craven the referee would never tiro of penalising him. A perusal of the rule-book will leave no doubt in any reader's mind t/hat it is the . intention of the scrum for tho ball to be hooked to the h'alfback waiting at the baee of it. - It appears, too, that South Africaus have an elastic idea of what constitutes obstru-ction. They, for instance, think it perfect legitimate to prevent the opposing forwards from getting at their half-back even though the latter is in possession of the ball. Aecording to our intcrpretation, this is wrong. The surprising thing is that our referees in the majority have sided. with the visitors in this reepOct, a gracious act that it is to be hoped they appreciatcd.. Of coursc, it is no guarantee that the great majority of referees will act similurly next winter.