THE GAME OF FOOTBALL

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 2736, 22 May 1924, Page 4

THE GAME OF FOOTBALL

SOME FEATURES OF THE RULES.

The following rules supplied by the Horowhenua Referees’ Association, will be of interest to players, more particularly in the junior grades. THE SCRUM. A serum is formed by one or more players of each side closing round in readiness to allow the ball to be put on the ground between them. The ball must*l)e properly put into the scrum and fairly past a man of each side. There must not be any falling down in a scram, handling the ball whilst it is in the scrum with the hands or knees or lifting the ball in the serum with the feet. A scrum can only take place in the field of play; once it is over the goal line it ceases to exist as a scrum and players of either side may touch the ball down as a try or a force down as the ease may be. There can be no such thing as a scrum on the. line, though there can be one six inches from the line. Whilst the ball is in the scrum even if it is held; by the back rankers, it is the centre of the scrum. All players not formed and packed down in a serum must keep behind the ball while it is still in the scrum .The forwards who are packed, down cannot be claimed as offside, but once they become detached from the scrum they must at once get behind the ball or they are oftVside. OFF-SIDE RULING. Wien a player becomes detached from a, scrum he must not attempt to re-enter the scrum in front of the ■all, or if when he over-runs Ihe ball be turns and re-enters the serum he is off-side.

A player does not become part of a scrum by merely placing his hand on the scrum; he must be down and properly packed before he is included. Once the ball is out of the scrum and in the possession of the opposing side, nobody in the defending team is off-side. No player can be put off-side by an opponent, but only b'y one of his own side. No player can be offside in his own in-goal but be can in bis opponent’s. . The rule reads: “Directly an opponent touch, deflect, or plays a ball all off-side, players of the opposing side are immediately on side. Note: This seems a weak point in the off-side rule. It seems unfair lo a player that his opponents standing 10 yards behind him and three or four to the side where they are in an ideal position to take a deflected ball, should be put on-side as stated in the rule.

A player can be put off-side by a man of bis own side playing the ball past him, when such player is offside until the last man lo handle the ball has .run .past him, unless in the meantime one of the opposing side has played,the ball, or the player in question retired to outside 10 yards of the ball.

A player must' not obstruct an opponent whilst he is in front of. the last man of his own side to play the ball..

A player must not stand waiting off-side, within 10 yards of an opponent who is about to take a hall. Such a player must immediately retire outside the 10 yards distance. Should the hall, however, glance off the player who was about to take it, the player of,the opposing side, even if within the 10 yards distance, is immediately on-side.

A player must not pliiv the hall whilst he is partly on the ground, neither passing, marking, nor kicking from such a position being allowed.- Should a player who is partly down on the ground be tackled he must immediately place the ball in ffont of him where it can be brought into play with the foot. A player must not lie on the ball, but must immediately endeavour to get away or roll away from it or a free-kick will be awarded to the opposing side. A player cannot kick the hall and after running a certain distance call “all;on-side.” Only by passing the whole of his own side can such a player place them all on-side hut an opponent can put them on-side by playing the ball or running live yards with it in any direction, GENERAL RULES. No player must stand on his opponent s’s side of ta line-out or •jump across the line and bring the ball in from-ibehind. A ball .must never be passed forward as any man in front of the possessorrof the ball is oil-side.

ic No = player* must obstruct an opponent running for the bull but if two ■ players of opposing sides are running side by. side for the ball it is permitted to charge an opponent but only fairly shoulder to shoulder. A mark cannot he claimed from a re-bound which comes off an opponent’s body from between the head and the knee. From the bands arms and knees to the boot the ball is played or knocked-on as the case may be. A mark can be claimed from a knock-on. Also a ball may be knoc-ked-on and still-be played provided the player recover it before it touch the ground. Once the t ball has touched the ground it becomes a knockon., should, you., again play it but if the opposing* side-gain tile advantage. from the. knock-on, even though it has. touched the ground the ball is still in play. The ball must not be thrown direct into touch to save. A player may be in touch aud yet play the ball" and also score a try whilst in touch provided the ball is not also in touch, The goal-line or up against the

goal-post is a try, bn! against flic corner flag is touch-in-goal. When throwing the bull in from touch, the player musi stand with both feet behind the touch-line, or a scrum 10 yards out will be given. If the throw-in is less than 5 yards the penalty is a free kick from 10 yards out.