1903 in Canadian football
Canadian Football News in 1903
The ORFU adopted the Burnside Rules which reduced teams to 12 men per side, put into play the Snap-Back system of moving the ball, required the offensive team to gain 10 yards on three downs, abolished the Throw-In from the sidelines, permitted only six men on the line, stated that all Goals by Kicking were to be worth two points and the opposition was to line up 10 yards from the defenders on all Kicks. The Rules were to be made uniform across the country as quickly as possible. The CIRFU, QRFU and CRU refused to adopt the new Rules.
QRFU and CRU reduced their rosters from 15 to 14 players. CRU ruled that possession could not go beyond three scrimmages unless during the third scrimmage the ball was moved five yards on a run or a kick. Ottawa returned to the QRFU and the MRFU moved to a fall schedule.
Regular season
Final regular season standings
Note: GP = Games Played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points For, PA = Points Against, Pts = Points
Manitoba Rugby Football Union
| Team | GP | W | L | T | PF | PA | Pts |
|---|
| Winnipeg Shamrocks | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 106 | 36 | 6 |
| Winnipeg Rowing Club | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 59 | 4 |
| St.John's Rugby Football Club | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 29 | 78 | 2 |
|
League Champions
Playoffs
- No Dominion Final was played this year due to a rules dispute over the newly adopted Burnside Rules used by the ORFU.
References