This is an amazing deduction on the part of either Admiral Royde or the Board.
Rugby men are, in effect, asked to believe that a forward should be penalized for what is almost equally an offence of the scrum half.
Particularly in the case of a scrum which is slewing round, the scrum half when putting in can easily hit the foot of the outside forward quite by man and row by row, what could the Counties and Clubs do but follow more illustrious leadership, even though it meant neglecting such an earnest request?
From 1871 upwards the Rugby Union has had care of the game in this country, and gradually the present code of rules and regulations was evolved as it grew in numbers and popularity Of recent years, as in almost every other game, influences and objects, in earlier times unconsidered and perhaps even now really uncalled for, have been directed towards its powers of attraction (mostly for financial' reasons in these days of keen competition.)
The Union has always done its utmost to keep things strictly clean and above board, realising that the very life of the game depends upon such careful administration.—Reuter. accident.
Yet according to the peculiar interpretation rendered of the serum-mage law, it is the forward who is held to be guilty and who may be ordered off.
The whole business of putting in and scrum crime hinges on those ill-chosen words in the law "gently propel," which were introduced a few years ago.
Since last season the words have been changed to "at moderate speed," a compromise which, though an improvement, does not meet the case.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.