RUGBY REFEREES

Hokitika Guardian, 15 May 1930, Page 7

RUGBY REFEREES

SEVERAL POINTS DISCUSSED

CHRISTCHURCH, May 13

That while referees must conform tc the rules of the game as laid down, ai the same time they must use their in telligence, and recognise the spirit oi them, was impressed on members of tin Rugby Referees’ Association who at tended the regular fortnightly meet ing held last night. Mr W. B. Fullei presided over a large gathering, anc talks on various phases of refereeing were given by Messrs S. Hollander, R. J. G. Collins, and W. Duggan. After thanking them for the congratulations extended to him on his election as president of the New Zealand Rugby Referees’ Association, Mr Fuller said they had a record number of new mem bers, and he hoped there would be ever more, as they could do them. Il was quite different 'from the position they had been in a few years ago.

The question of the line-out was dis cussed in its bearing on whether or not a referee should insist on both teams being there. It was pointed out that providing the -referee is satisfied th* ball is being thrown in at the righi points, and that it is thrown five yard and in a straight line, there was n' need for any wait. As a matter ol fact, a man could get the ball, throw it in, run and catch it, and carry cr even if there was nobody near. Complaints were made that some referees were allowing players to hreal the rule about kicking over the mark It was pointed out that the ball mus> not only be kicked over the mark, bid it must also be kicked parallel to tli touch-line,

SCRUMMAGE RULES

Mr Hollander dealt with the rule governing scrummages. The hookers he pointed out, are only allowed to lifl their feet in the position in which tbe are standing. They were not allowed to lift their feet until the ball ha' passed the feet of a player on eacl side, and ivas in. p’osition. There wai general trouble with wing-forward* eing .allowed' to put the ball into tn< scrum several times. There was nr ride under which the ball could Tvplaced in the scrum again. All the rules covering it provided for a penalty and' not for another scrum. There was ho\such thing as an imaginary line through the centre, of the scrum. The line was where the feet of the frontrank pmn were.

On.tfie question of the powers of the referee to order the hall to be placed into the scrum immediately, severa 1 members objected j to its arbitrary use, stating that it would be ridiculouc for the"-ball'to"be, placed in if there were only two men from each side present Mr Hollander agreed , that the ru!< should not be carried out to its strict letter in this respect, but said that in cases where the men of one side were dawdling or tired the referee should nol hold the game up until they arrived the scrum, but should order the ball tc ■be-put'in right away, He stressed the importance of the fact that once the ball had come out from the scrum it could not be placed back by hand or by foot. Another thing that was-, done every Saturday was for the wingforward to tip off his own men as b when and how the ball was coming in. Referees should also ask the wing-for-wards to stand alongside the scrums and put the ball in, and not stand two or three yards off, and throw it in.

OFFSIDE. Dealing with offside, Mr Collins said there were only four cases in which a man could •be offside.. One was in the line-out,-another in the scrum, when he was in front of the ball, another when he entered the scrum from the wrong side, and the last, when he was in front of a player on his own side win had last handled the ball, There was a big difference, however, between a maii who was offside and a man whq in an offside position. By means of diagrams and a blackboard he illustrated the various phases and, in doing so, quoted, what lie termed, the celebrated case. This was when an A player had stopped up hB:’s goal for some reason or other, the play being at the other end of the ground. Another A player got the ball, nnd kicked it to B player. The B player jumped for it, but only managed to touch it with the tips of his fingers, and it went on to the player who had been left near the B goalposts. This man was not offside for the reason that the action of the B player in going to play the ball had put him on side, and he could then take .the ball, cross the line and score. “I know what sort of a reception you would get if you gave the decision at the Park,” he added, ‘‘but, all the same, it is the rule and is correct.” He did not believe in giving a man offside who, in a dribbling rush, was only a matter of a couple of inches in front of the man with the ball. When it came to passing, however, there were cases every Saturday when a man running with the ball and about to be collared gave it to one of his own side who was running alongside him, but just in front. In that case he would penalise. It was important to note that, although the crowd often yelled, there was no occasion on which an opponent could put a player on the other side offside. Mr W. Duggan, explained the difference between a . tackle and being collared.