1939-01-11 — Page 22

THE CHINA MAIL, JANUARY 11, 1989.

Rugby Laws Need Revision

Multitude Penalties Result From Scrummage Infringements

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF PRE-WAR

RULE WAS RE-INTRODUCED?

(By FIRST UP)

(By AIR MAIL)

Five penalty goals in the English Rugby trial, five-in the inter- city, and four in the Welsh trial indicate the fantastic trend of the modern game. There were also three in the 'Varsity game at Twic- kenham, where, fortunately, the conversion of the Cambridge try prevented the game being remembered as another penalty goal match. As it happened, the penalties kicked in the Cambridge- Oxford game did not follow scrummage infringements.

The number of penalties awarded in every match, of which com- paratively few are made into goals, is far too high, and there is no] doubt the majority of the infringements concern the scrummage

ball and hooking is urgent. To any close observer it is as clear as

“WISDEN'S" WORTH

£100

Sydney Cricket Ground Completes Set

HE Sydney Cricket Ground Trust needed a few of the earliest in the 'sixties-Wisden's Almanacks to complete its set. Mr. H. S. Carter procured the needed issues while in England, but, to do so, had to purchase a complete set of the books—over seventy volumes.

After completing the purchase he could have sold the lot for one hundred pounds, H. S. has brought the books back for the Trust.

Some day in the S.C.G. pavilion there should be a good library of cricket-perhaps when the second section of the new pavilion is built on the site of the existing old pavilion.

law. The need for a simpler rule regarding the putting-in of the KOWLOON TONG daylight that hardly a single player putting the ball into the scrum- TOO GOOD FOR S. AND S. HOME

mage conforms to the rule.

At Wanchai, Kowloon Tong beat Sailors and Soldiers' Home by 7 games to 2 in the "B" Division of the Bad- minton League,

Walker and Thorn (S. and S.). lost to J. A. V. de Soares and

J. Tsang

beat A. Chan and J. Tang lost to N. A. E. Mackay and J.

L. Anderson

One wonders what would happen if the old pre-war scrummage rule was brought into being again. It extended to no more than a sentence or two, and simply said that no player being in a scrummage must advance or raise a foot from the ground until the ball was fairly in. Under that law no front-row for- ward dared to try and hook as soon

Cussack and Nicholson (S. diately and try to smother the attack? lost to Soares and Tsang as the ball left the half-back's

And one may ask, if they continue to lost to Chan and Tang hands. As often as not his oppon-do so successfully why must the other lost to Mackay and Anderson ents dealt with him. There was a pack be fools enough to persist in heel-

Griffiths and Manuel (S. and swish of two or three boots, and the ing? The answer to the last question lost to Soares and Tsang

to is, of course, because they can't do beat Chan and Tang offender was sharply reminded

anything else, but is that any reason| lost to Mackay and Anderson keep his feet down,

why defenders must remain at arm's length until the ball is heeled?

7--21 21-12

"REVIEWER'S" SPORTS COMMENTARY

Swansea Rugby Club's

Dire Straits

It was announced recently that the Welsh Union had refused the request of the Swansea club for financial assiN- tance, originally made as long ago as last March.

The announcement has not received much publicity, but bound up in this refusal are consequences of the gravest importance to Swansea and ultimately to Welsh rugby.

It is no secret that for many years now the Swansea club has been strug- |gling against financial adversity, and it is not irrelevant to consider the origin of the club's difficulties. Soon after the war, the Swansea grand stand was rebuilt at the joint expense of the club and the Welsh Union. Swansea's pro- portion of the cost amounted to about £5,000, the Union's contribution to about £7,000.

In return for this expenditure the Union obtained the right to use the Swansea ground for a specified number of days in the year free of any pay- ment, for the duration of the club's lease of the ground and any renewal of it.

very

The bargain has turned out badly for Swansea, very well for the 721 Union. The overdraft obtained to and S.). raise the £5,000 has remained ever

16-21

since a millstone round the club's neck. 15-21

On the other hand the Union have re- ceived in 16 years or so at least $50,000 for their original outlay of £7,000.

Legally, of course, the Swansea club has no sort of redress from the conse- quences of its very bad bargain.

12-21 S.). 21-24 21-10 10-21

£2000 OFFER FOR BOON-

are

The financial commitments at Car- diff, present and future,

very heavy, and are causing some anxiety. Then, again, the Welsh Union members are doubtless reluctant to cut down the to assist a club which hitherto has been expected to stand on its own feet.

grants to second-class clubs in order

THE ORIGINAL SINNER It was, of course, the inquisitive

The sooner present-day players and

DANAHAR FIGHT youth who asked, "But when is the!

those who have not been watching the ball fairly in?" who caused all this

Captain A. Bell, on behalf of the trouble and the necessity for the In-game for any length of time realise ternational Board having to attempt to that the basis of good Rugby (and that Blackfriars Ring, has offered a £2000 give a clear explanation, with not too includes attractive back play) is sound purse for light-weight title fight be

The second-class clubs certainly de- forward play the better for their en-tween Eric Boon holder, and Arthur haphar become far too complicated joyment. And sound forward play Danahar, the contest to take place in serve every encouragement and assis- The best thing the Board can do now means ability to vary the game accord-London during the last week in Jan-tance, but it is douftful if the situation is to redraft the rule in the following

ing to requirements. terms:-

results. For

the

"The player putting the ball in must stand at least three feet from the scrummage and put the_ball ̈in] along the ground midway between The the opposing forwards' feet. only players in a scrummage who may advance or raise their feet are those in the middle of the front row, and each may use only the foot far- thest from the side of the put-in. Any player infringing the law more; than once and having been warned by the referee must be sent off if guilty of further infringement." Is that not simple and quite fair? There is a loud outcry in Wales about the present scrummage law, and one of the selectors has 'stated that un- less something is done speedily the name will be dead in five years time. Some drastic suggestions are being made, one being that the scrummage formation be 4-3-1 and that the out- side forwards cross their inside legs before the ball is put-in. The scrum Half then puts-in between the crossed legs when any player can hook. Then the old suggestion is being revived about no defending player advancing beyond his own front row until pack in possession have heeled:

the

AN UNFAIR SUGGESTION The scrummage proposal is hardly make worth considering, and would forward play even more stereotyped than it is with the result that evenly matched teams would, as at present, have to rely on kicking to win games. As for the other suggestion, it seems absurd that a defending team should have to stand back and give their op- ponents room to develop their attack, Who could for example, that it would be fair to prevent an alert and agile scrum half from engaging in legitimate defence against a slower and clumiler opponent ?

As for spoiling wing forwards, they were being dealt with efficiently by com- petent opponents long before any pre sent-day players were born. Incident- ally, why shouldn't back row forwards in a pack losing the ball break imme..

uary.

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CALDBECK'S

of any of them is as precarious as that in which the Swansea club now finds itself, a situation, incidentally, partly brought about by the introduction of a competitive League and Cup - system into second-class Rugby in the Swan- sea district, which has swelled the gate receipts of the second-class clubs at Swansea's expense,

The immediate danger to Swansea is that the club's landlords, the Corpora- tion of Swansea, will take steps to for- feit the club's lease for non-payment of rent, which is considerably in ar- rears. If these steps are taken, the club will cease to exist, and Rugby's main buttress in West Wales will dis- appear,

*

* *

American Official And Present Par Figures

a

Mr. Fred Corcoran, tournament man- ager of the American Professional Golfers' Association, has declared war on existing par figures on golf courses in the United States, and is demand- ing changes in their measurements.

Mr. Corcoran has suggested that group of first-class players in each district in. the country should study each course carefully, noting narrow fairways, traps, and small greens, and establish a tentative par. Then a player would play each hole a number of times, and the average of his scores would determine the par.

He said that this should lead to fractional figures, but expressed

the conviction that this was

what was needed to clarify Agures. "Let's toss through the window these present pare, based on yardage, and sot true par figures,”

up some

There is nothing wrong with the British thoroughbred. It may have its ups and downs, but in the long run it is still pre-eminently the best racehorse in the world. Lord Rosebery.