The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-03-11

Tribune Special Sporting Service.
SYDNEY, March 1o.-rhe Rugby foot
ball players continue TO have as much
trouble with their Rugby as do the Amer
leans with their perhaps rougher methods
Of playing the football game. Speaking
upon the subject II. u. Wood the football
expert In an interview said:
Concerning Wing Play"
"Inasmuch as 1t seems that Rugby clubs
In the Old Country are adopting the
'winger, !, as an old player, and ono
more or less intimately concerned In the
Government Of the game in New South
Wales for some fifteen years. am anxious
10 express the hope that the Rugby Foot
ball union and sister unions will recon-
slider the recommendation OF the Austria
Han conference on the subject OF wing
play,
This conference. which represented
New Zealand, Queensland and New South
Wales, unanimously recommended that
the laws of the game should be altered so
as 70 do AWAY with the wing The man
agement committee of the New Zealand
union. on the recommendation coming be
fore IT. thought, however. that n special
rule was necessary to prevent wing play.
and they recommended that q player be
not permitted To pass a line parallel with
the back of his own serum when the
ball Is therein.
Unfortunately the homo bodies did not
accept either Of these recommendations.
To Cut Out Rough Playing.
AS one VIII readily see, III TWO men not
in the serum are set opposite and right
up against one another, as they must be
because one is seeking to keep just as
close on the ball as he can while his vis-
avis Is trying TO prevent his doing 30,
they will naturally fall to bustling and
pulling one another about. and finally
blows will be struck
These incidents became of such fire.
quent occurrence. and were doing so much
harm to the game here and bringing II In
to such disrepute. that the authorities de-
krnl cot ~ nfh IN I'm, nd rain n
select wingers to represent the Colong Gas
IT then was).
The eight serum of three two and
three was then adopted, but with the men
still In fixed places
Chain Gang Working.
THE middle men in the front row
locks to two side men (who also hold on
to him), the two men in the second row
get in between the front men, holding each
other together, and with their outside
arms holding the outside men OF the front
row In, but In such a way as not TO pre-
vent their raking for the ball. The middle
men In the back row called the lock of
the back row. locks the two second row
men and the two outside men OF the back
row hold on to him, with this formation
the men can break quickly and the iw9 9
inside men In the back row (called
''breakawaysD can act practically as
wongers When one side gets possession
of the ball the other calls out lost, and
| its two side men In the back row then
| break away and try to smother the oppos-
| ing half or force him to pass at once.
while the men In the Same position on the
| side that has got the ball swing out at
right angles to their lock with hands only
| on the serum, and act and act as sort
| OF screen to their half.
"Winger" In Bad Repute.
'.The surprise TO us here is that this
| method of play never appears to have
| suggested Itself TO the people at home
| My objection is not TO the seven
| serum but to the 'wlnger be he OF
| the Australian or New Zealand type. he
| must be an obstructionist If he is TO be
worth his salt. and that spells foul or
rough play o,,
! serum that II certainly provided n pet
ter channel for the passage OF the bail
| lieying that eight men can push seven,
! and three In the front are better than two
Suggestions Are Good.
"Of course the clever short front VIII
| endpnyor to split the opposing 'front.', ana
| so cut a player OF thus making IL really
two against one In the rake for the pail
but this can be prevented by men up to
their work and can only be achleNed IN
their case by charging at them "hen tne
two sides go down TO form inc serum
Unnecessarily rough play or that charac-
ter however, should not. and woulo not
he tolerated for a moment by colnpc-
tent referee. Even IL they sncceeu in
their cuttinR-out tactics. II is still posi-
ble to thwart them IL the ball belongs to
vou and the referee does not interfere, oS
putting " on the other side OF the