FOOTBALL.

Hokitika Guardian, 28 May 1925, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

lo (.umertioii with the Heven-a-side tournament on Cass S'|Uuro on Wednesday next, nominations close on Saturday night tit 8 o'clock. All uoiniuation.s should contain the names of the seven players and two emergencies. Clubs desiring can nominate lor a higher class than they are playing in. it they s,, desire, i.e.. a junior team tail nominate for the .senior contest. Players will have to pay entrance fee at the gates ~u Wednesday, and this will constitute the entry lee for tile tournament.

Ihe I Mowing seniors will represent Star Chill against Kiwis a t Hokitika on Saturday l'ring. A. Ingram. Illssell. Herring. Sherlock, Jardeu. 0. Brown. .1. Brown, Holliday. Henderson. Turtili. Do-. Brown. Alnslev. Nelson. 1 bunas, steel. Reynolds. Goodall. THK (IF F-SJD.iC 1* I"LK. C’X.Z. Sportsman.’") The offside rule in the Rugby- game is one which seems to I.e less understood than any other, ami while it is perhaps the most difficult to spot, it becomes fairly simple after a careful reading of the rules. One of the most common forms of offside is when a kick across is made and the kicker j runs up the Held to get past till of his ' own side. I'p till quite recently the j mere action of getting in front of all his own side has been regarded as sufficient. Im! the rule ns interpreted recoutlv bv T. 11. A’ile. demands s one

thing mure. The rule says that u > one wlm is offside may approach within ten yards of tln?* man catching the hall until that man has run live yards with the ball. ! hereto!',- in the case of a kick across, the kicker may actually put his side “all on" Before the catcher eat cites the ball, but unless ibis in done outside the tenyards limit there is a breach of the offside rule. In short players following up a kick must remain ten yards away from the catcher until put on side by the kicker,

Then there is the offside rule v, hieh very often cutises storms of abuse from the spectators. The hall is taken up the field by A team and is cheeked and brought back by a rush on the part of li team. The latter is checked and starts a passim/ movement. Some of the A team miming hack to their po-iiion- get up in the passing iiioveiileut of li and intercept a pass. There are geiiorally howls of “offside.” but this is not the case, as a player who is in ail offside position may intercept a pass by the opposing side. The question of the scrum half and when he is or is not offside round the scrum is a. thorny one. and simply

cannot he indeed by the spectator because lie is not near enough po see accurately. It is, of course, obvious that the one scrum half may not interfere with the other until the ball is oul of the scrum. POINTS TO K EHl’ IN .MIND. Mui, it should he clearly understood that a scrum half may kick the hall while it is in the scrummage provided he has one foot behind the hall. Inis

very often happens. The hall is not heeled properly, or is perhaps purposely held up in the hack row. Ino opposite serum hall is perfectly entitled to kick the ball out of the hack row so long as he keep- one foot behind (In, hall. Again it often happens that one scrum half rushing round the scrum, finds himself offside because the hall has been held up in the hack row. lie looks to he guilty of glaring “offside.” Imt so long as lie dc.s not interfere with the other serum half in anv wav and makes an eflort. to get beck “oitside” he is not penalised. And quite rightly so bemuse it used to he an all too frequent trick to hold the ball in the hack row deliberately thut the opposing half should overrun it In case this is not quite clear let us put in iwo headings: (1) li is perfectly legitimate lor a scrum half to lamb <>>' ki< ’ k lh ’ out of th scrummage so long as he keeps one foot behind the ball. (0) \ scrum half who unintentionally over-runs the bull in 'be serum mid does not interfere with his opposite number is nut offside. Another rule of the game v. him i,,,,'w becoming more widely known is the “advantage rule.” for quite a time Ibis rule was ignored by the spectators and many times and oD wore cries beard of “forward pass, “knock on.” in spite of tbe lact l-ud th o side the noisy ones favoured got i!U advantage by that knock-on.