YP Letters: Blatant flouting of the rules shames rugby

From: Arthur Quarmby, Underhill, Holme.
England's George Ford celebrates victory at the final whistle of the 2016 RBS Six Nations match at BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.England's George Ford celebrates victory at the final whistle of the 2016 RBS Six Nations match at BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.
England's George Ford celebrates victory at the final whistle of the 2016 RBS Six Nations match at BT Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.

RUGBY was compulsory at school and so I played – with some enthusiasm but sadly no ability at all. I was small, puny and very skinny, and it was not unknown for an opponent to pick me up and run off with me, ball and all.

I have, however, retained an interest in the game, and watch matches from time to time. I am appalled at the bare-faced flouting of the rules which is to be seen even at the highest level.

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The scrum and the lineout were devised to give each side a fair chance of obtaining possession after a stoppage (with perhaps just a whisker of tiny advantage to the side against which some offence had been committed).

Now, however, we see the scrum half quite blatantly and in full view of the referee feeding the ball to his own side’s hooker, and men lifted on high in the lineout generally to guarantee possession.

(All very much to the detriment of the game as one side can retain possession for lengthy periods).

Perhaps the rules were changed when I was not looking? Or perhaps we have joined those lesser breeds without the law of whom it was said “They argue with umpires, they cheer when they’ve won, and they practice beforehand – which ruins the fun!”

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