Letters
1987

Sir, 

  Regrettably your reporting is sometimes as biased as a Ray Murphy put-in at the scrummage. 
In your view I appear as some unbenevolent racial ogre bent on destroying  players enjoyment of the game we all love.
 
  I therefore feel justified in correcting your errors and omissions. 

  The more enlightened nations incorporate the current version of The Laws of the Game of Rugby Union Football in publishing their Union's Handbook annually. 

  Unfortunately this is not the case in this colony. Copies of the Laws are only distributed to members of the S.A. Referee's Society on payment of their subscription. I ceased paying 3 years ago when subs increased from $20 to $30 deeming the extra cost excessive for the dubious privilege of being abused by uninformed spectators and misinformed players. 

  I have subsequently managed with an underground copy, religiously amended in manuscript which I can assure you is up to date. I have nightmares in which I come to the conclusion that we have players in South Australia who go through their entire playing career without reading the Laws of the Game. Indeed I suspect there are some who do not realise they have been modified and committed to print and think that we make them up as we go along. You then exacerbate the situation by your reportage. 

  For the benefit of students of the game and idiots who may have taken you seriously let me point out that 
a. Law 27 concerns the Penalty Kick only 
b. The player sent off actually called me you Pommie C***
c. He made this accusation after being sent off whilst en route to his early shower  
d. He was sent off under Law 26(2) (d) repeatedly infringing any law of the game having been warned prior to this that he was contravening Law 26(3) (i) misconduct prejudicial to the spirit of good sportsmanship. i.e. he repeatedly questioned  my knowledge and application of the Laws. 

  However I do agree that his description of me would; had it occurred prior to his sending off have resulted in my warning him under Law 26(3) (i), particularly as there were ladies present amongst the spectators. 

  Incidentally I was blessed with 2 Cornish and 2 Anglo Saxon grandparents and am only pseudo Welsh. 

Yours in Rugby,
Doug (Firstbrook)
P.S. An official of the offending players club later said to me "Someone should have sent the **** off years ago. P.P.S. I am convinced both sides enjoyed the game more in the offenders absence.