FOOTBALL.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLIII, Issue XLIII, 27 January 1909, Page 3

FOOTBALL.

PROPOSED NEW RULES. •"United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. The Management Committee of the New Zealand Union recently appointed a sub-committee to revise the rules. Tod.iy the sub-committee met and finally agreed on a list of alterations to the laws. These .iterations have the effort of making certain rules read as f;/lo\VR : — Rule 1. Before the last sentence insivt "The game 6hall He played in four spells of 20 minutes each, with an intarval after the second spell." Rule 2. In the notes to the definition of a "tacklo" delete tho words "neither would a player under similar circumstances (i.e., when a man tackled has. allowed the ball to touch the ground) be allowed to pass the ball to one of his own side." Amend the sentence : "If a player carrying the ba!! be thrown or knocked over (but not tackled) and the ball touches the ground, he may nevertheless get up with it and continue his run or pass it," to read, "If a player carrying the ball fee brought, to t.fa.o ground and "the ball touches tho ground, ho may nevertheless get up with it and continue "his run or pass it, provided it be done immediately." Delete tho last two notes to "tackle." In notes to "a scrimmage," delete first and fourth notes and insert : "In every case when the referee orders a scrummage he shall himself put the ball into the said scrummage." The notes to be deleted refer to tho way the ball should be put in by players according to the old style. In law 3 (which defines the duties of the referee), section (f) now reads as follows: — "At quarter-time, half-time, three-quarter-time and no side he (the referee) being tho sole lime-keeper, shall not whistle for quarter-time, half;tiarte j three-quarter-tune, or noteide, until the ball be held or out of play." Law s—Section5 — Section (b) now reads: "The game shall be re-started by a kick-off after quarter-time and three-quarter time by the opposing side to that which started the game, and after halftime by the side which started the game." Law 5, delete section (c) and note thereon (which provided that the ball must not be picked up when it was on the ground after a player had been tackled). Law 7. — The off-side rule now reads : "A player is placed off-side if he crosses an imaginary lino drawn through the back of the scrummage on his own side while tbo ball is in the scrummage, etc" (This will have the Jt-ffect of abolishing the "wing forward," vhoss play lias been very objectionable to many Rugby "purists"). The first and third notes to the same rule (allowing an outsidb player to enter the scrummage under certain conditions) aro deleted. Law 10 — The third clause (which provides for the charging of free kicks and tries at goal) now reads: "In all cases of free kicks or kick at goal the opposite sido shall not charge such kick." The notes to that clause (except the sth, 10th, llth, and 12th) have been deleted). Law 11— Section (c) is deleted. (This section provides for the avoiding of a free kick against any man who "not in the scrummage wilfully obstructs his opponents' backs by remaining on his opponent's side of the ball when it is in a scrummage." As by the previous new rule such player would be offside the section is rendered unnecessary). Law. 12— Section (a) and the second claust\ire amended to provide that the ball be thrown in from touch so as to alight at right angles to and at least five yards from the touch-line. The sub-committee's report will now have to be confirmed at a special meeting of delegates ' to "tho New Zealand Rugby Union. It was arranged that this meeting be hold at Wellington on March 4th at 7.30 p.m.