The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1910. "ROUGH PLAY."

Horowhenua Chronicle, 11 May 1910, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY. WEDNESDAY, MAY 11, 1910. "ROUGH PLAY."

Tiik lair fame of Rugby football is worthy of preservation, and it is in recognition of this fact that "Tho Chronicle" now appeals to all footballers to "play the game." The leaven of roughness which was introduced amongst footballers, in the mass, a decade or so ago, lias hail a, sporadic prevalence, and although the evidences of its continued (activity have been less frequent in recent seasons than they were some five and six and seven years ago, from one end of New Zealand to the other, they .ire still to be met with. As recorded in our football contributor's column tod«y, the hydra-headed beast known as tho "Rugby Rough" raised one of its many objectionable heads in Levin last Saturday. There are degrees of baseness even in foul piny, and there is something by way of mitigaition in the fact that last week's detected example was less heinous than some recorded instances in other parts of tho dominion ; but when all is said that can be said in palliation, the truth rematins that all foul play is reprehensible. What is chiefly required for remedy of the evil is a -uniformly high ideal amongst the young men who play the game. If it was well known amongst the individual players that anyone of them who resorted to "dirty" play would be banned by his club mates the evil of rough play would be dealt a death blow; but excellent and liiigli as -the standard of honour is amongst ithe great proportion of those who ".follow the 'ball," the players as a whole are unequal to this altruistic effort. The officials who oon,trol the games are the people who can most effectually contend against the rough play 'evil; ami it is simply justice to them to admit that with very rare excep-. tions indeodi they do their very best to discourage all unsportsmanlike play. The varying degrees of success ithat referees achieve arise out of tho differences in application of their powers. Some referees, by their intensity of application to play proper, give safe opportunities to the '"dirty" players to do their nefarious work. It should be im•pressed on all referees that although their primary need is to watch the ball they should frequently glance at the stragglers who are not "on the ball." One of the partially regrettable 'happenings in, connection with rough play is Itlhat in five cases out of sis it is the

man who goes "temporarily mad" who is caught and punished. That that sort of man should be kopt out of itlie game, in his own intenests ins well as those of the players, we arc quite prepared to admit; but in doing so wo must call attention to the few scheming rascals, to be found on most football fields, who watch carefully for tho occasional safe opportunities which find them in rear of the referee and close enough'to an unpopular opponent, or dangerously good antagonist, to i severely maul hiim. It is the sly trickster of this description who works Rugby its greatest harm, and who makes a section of the public give the game a bad name which it does not deserve. If referees will remember that rough play occurs well clear of the scrum •mages, on occasions, and give an occasional detective glance alt the rear field, they may make .some astonishing discoveries. This newspaper hns no desire whatever to discredit tin; good, name of Rugby, but it certainly is determined, to have tho gamn played in a sportmatilifte manner if it can assist to that end. Ono way in which it; can assist materially is by helping to pillory any player detected in brutal play. Thr.ro will be no mention made of players who are simply "suspected" of roughness; they will be given the benefit of any doubt that may exist; but whenever any clear rases of "dirty" play are clearly seen by our reporters these incidents will be described in uncompromising language in our columns, and in such a manner that the offenders' identity will be unmistakable. Tho cleanliness of sport, so far as we correctly understand our ■public duty, is as much a part of a newspaper's purview as the preservation of sound business principles and general morality is; and that duty we shall always perform, to the best of our lighits, in all its α-ven ues.