Los Angeles herald., 1907-09-08
HERE
FOR KEEPS
SOUTHERN SCHOOLS FOLLOW IN
WAKE OF UNIVERSITIES
ENGLISH INTERNATIONAL RULES
TO BE ADOPTED
New Idea viii Do Away with Disputes
Which Were So Common Last
Year = Officers
Elected
BY HAINEs w. REED

Rugby football seems to have come TO
stay. At least, that is the situation on
the coast. Following the declaration ol
Stanford and California universities tnat
they would play the English game AGAIN
this season. the southern educational in
stitutions have taken the matter up and
have generally decided in favor of rugby.
A number of the teams from Southern
California which expect to play rugby
this season held a meeting at the Hotel
Stewart recently and took preliminary
steps toward organizing league lot
local contests and from which to pick
all-Southern-C California teams to play
Stanford and the University of Cali
fornia, and possibly some games with
English teams.
AT the meeting representatives from
Long Beach, Compton, Los Angeles Poly
technic, Los Angeles Rugby club, Po-
mona, Riverside, Redlands and San Ber-
nardino were present. Leon Atwood was
chosen temporary chairman and Norman
Densham, this years coach of Poly
technic, was made secretary. The Of
ficers are to hold until the regular
meeting to be held In Pomona in October.
when a permanent organization Will be
effected.
The action of the schools of Southern
California seems to be a great measures
toward sealing the fate of old American
which have not taken any action so far
decide in favor of American game, it will
be some modified form of that game.
These experiments in the modified
American game did not prove very satis-
factory last season The main trouble
was that few schools played exactly the
same game and disputes often arose
the spectators.
1t is better to have some one type Of
football even If 1t is not the best. Any
effort toward organization among the
various schools to secure uniform game
and uniform rules is most laudable.
English Rules Adopted
| At the recent meeting of the Southern
| California schools the English inter-
national rules were adopted in preference
| to the California rules. The main diff
ference is that extra men are abolished
under the former rules, thus doing away
with substitutes. The official rugby ball
is almost round in shape where the Amer
lean ball is oblong or egg shaped.
i Coach Densham has been a rugby
player for years and he plans this season
/ to open correspondence with some Eng
lish teams for games. 1t was decided to
pick three impartial judges who would
watch the progress of the various play
/ ers during the season and select repre-
meet all outsiders. Under this policy it
is expected splendid team will be made
up, strong enough to meet any OF the
/ large universities of the east or west
and able to cope with teams from Canada,
Australia or England.
This years union will include eight
teams and more may enter at a later
date. The teams already entered for
rugby insure a series of lively games for
the coming season. even should the other
schools fail to come in. A handsome sill
yer cup has already been donated for the
winner of the series of games, and the
different teams are already beginning to
eye 1t longingly and to size up the
strength of their various opponents.
| In rugby so much depends on the
refereeing that it is desirable and i'm
perative that good men should be secured
to referee the games of the coming sea-
son. There are many experts in this
part of the country who have played the
English game for years and should be Sc
cured for linesmen and referees.