There has been considerable work done in the off season by members of the association in relation to developing the unique game we play & enjoy. To this end a Special General Meeting was held on the 28 January 2010 to vote on a motion tabled by myself on behalf of the committee to decide on the issue of red shorts. As you would all be well aware there has been much debate over the past 12 – 18 months on what wearing red shorts actually meant & what this entitled the wearer to do & expect during a game. The motion proposed by the committee in its short form was that wearers of red shorts could be claimed only & could claim only not effect a tackle (as per the Laws of Rugby) or be tackled. Person’s over 60 years of age would be entitled to wear red shorts along with players who had a genuine injury or disability or a person over 35 years of age new to the sport of rugby & who wished to experience our unique game. There would also be an onus on clubs to respect the concept of claiming (basically effecting a holding or touching motion on a player) i.e. a fit & strong 35 year old couldn’t see a red shorter as an easy target to run at because the red shorter was not able to effect a tackle (although they might well be able to). In a case such as this the Referee would call on the attacking player to stop and play the ball once contact had occurred between the two The motion further proposed that any decision be reviewed in 12 months time. Seventeen clubs were represented and the motion was passed by 12 votes to 5. This also coincided with the annual games organising night.

 

On the 30 January twenty representatives of seven clubs attended Ballymore to undertake a Smart Rugby program conducted by the QRU. The program also included references to the Laws as they pertain to Veterans Rugby i.e. the difference between counter-rucking (a legitimate technique) & cleaning out (not an excepted practice). This program is a requirement for any person wanting to become a coach or referee. There are further sessions planned in the next few months on the Gold Coast and at Ballymore. This is the first stage of the Association’s plan to have a pool of Level1 Accredit ted Referee’s available to officiate at all games played by association teams. I would like to acknowledge the excellent work done by Greg (Noodle) Cree to get this program up & running. I would also like to acknowledge the support of the QRU & in particular Geno Costin who ran the session with Greg from the association. If you are interested in attending a future Smart Rugby program please contact Greg Cree.

 

The Association has also appointed Geoff (The Gull) Phillips to the role of Association Delegate to represent the group in dealings with Air New Zealand Golden Oldies, Vintage Rugby & ARGO.

 

The first weekend in February saw what I am led to believe was a record turnout for the Redlands’ Crabs annual Waitangi Day Festival. It was pleasing to see around 13 teams represented including a team from Gladstone, the Highfields Silverbacks (Toowoomba), the Thirsty Lions form the Sunshine Coast & the Gold Coast along with your usual suspects including Kenmore, Bustard Eagles, Sunnybank Puffing Dragons, Caboolture Fossils, Easts, Redcliffe, Pine Rivers & XXXX. Well done Redlands. I would encourage teams looking for a weekend away to consider travelling to places like Gladstone or Toowoomba to experience the Fun, Friendship & Fraternity of Veterans Rugby combined with good old fashioned country hospitality.

 

The Veterans Rugby Queensland Charter is available for you peruse on the web site. Please take the time to read it & feel free to contact myself or my fellow committee members to discuss this document further.

 

In summary the Committee has attempted to come up with a Charter that outlines the essential elements of the game we play to enjoy and includes a reference point as the particular variations of the rugby laws we have adopted.

 

The essential elements are:

 

The contest for possession of the ball is one of rugby’s key features and is the feature that differentiates it from other sports such as Rugby League. These contests occur throughout the game and in a number of different forms:

• In contact

• In general play

• When play is re-started at scrums, line-outs and kick offs.

 

The variations we have proposed are to clear up issues that arise primarily at the contest. To this end we have looked at allowing teams some latitude when it comes to counter rucking (Variation 5) and also looked at the shorts colours and what this entitles a player / member to do. We have also taken into consideration that there is a huge range of difference in the number of games played by individual clubs or teams, some clubs during this year may play in excess of 30 games whilst others may only play three or four times. It should be remembered that the original laws were designed for a week long festival or carnival where the number of games played were spread over three days every two years.

 

Lastly, the Cape Town & Sydney tournaments are not far away with the Vintage Carnival kicking off in Cape Town at the end of August & the Golden Oldies Festival in Sydney about a month later. To all those members travelling to these events have a fun & safe journey. I’ll be in Cape Town to experience my first Vintage Carnival but I’ll probably not be following in the footsteps of our Association Ambassador & Patron Buddha who at the Brisbane Festival in 2003 had a XXXX & or a Bundy with everybody. The concept does sound tempting though.

 

Until next time - Happy rucking & hope to see you on the paddock.

 

Dunga

Arthur Eustace-Earle