RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 3102, 27 January 1909, Page 5

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

SUGGESTED AMENDEMENTS TO THE RULES.

J By Telegraph—Press Association. WELLINGTON, January 26. The Management Committee of the New Zealand Union recently appointed a sub-committee to revise the rules. To-day the sub-committee met and finally agreed on a list of alterations to the laws. These alterations have the effect of making certain rules read as followsßule 1. Before the last sentence insert "the game shall he played in four spells of twenty minutes each, with an interval after the second spell." Rule 2. In the notes to the definition of a "tackle," delete the 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 ball 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 be brought to the ground, and the ball touches the ground, he may nevertheless get up with it and continue his run or pass it, provided it be done immediately." Delete the last two notes to "tackle,' in the notes to "a scrummage." Delete the first and fourth notes, and insert "in every case when the referee orders a scrummage, he shall himself put the ball into the said scrum." The notes to be deleted refer to the 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, halftime, three-quarter, and no-side, he (the referee) being the sole timekeeper, shall not whistb for quartertime, half-time, three-quarter time, or no-side until the ball be held or out of play." Law 5, section (b), now reads "the game shall be restarted by a kick-off after quartertime and three-quarter time by the upposing side to that which started the game, and at half time by the side which started the game. In Law 7, the off-side rule now reads, "a player is placed off-side if he crosses an imaginary line drawn through the back of the scrummage on his own side while the ball is in the scrum, etc" (this will have the effect of abolishing the "wing forward" whose play has been very objectionable to many Rugby "purists"). The first and third notes to the same rule (allowing an outside player to entsr the scrum under certain conditions) are deleted. In Law 10 the third clause (which provides for the charging of free kicks | and kicks at goal) now reads "in all cases of free kicks or kick at goal, the opposite side shal' not charge such kick." The notes to that clausa (except the fifth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth) have been deleted. Lav/ 11, section (k) is deleted (this section provided for the avoiding of a free kick against any man who "not in the scrum wilfully obstructs his opponents backs" by remaining on his opponents side of the ball when it is in a scrummage. As by the previous new ruh such player would be off-side, the section is rendered unecessary. Law 12, section (a), and the second clause were amended to provide that the bail be thrown in from touch "so as to alight at right angles" to and at least five yar.is from the touch line. The sub-committe's report will now havp to be confirmed °t h spicial meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Union. It was arranged that this meeting be held at Wellington on March 4tb, at 7.30 p.m.