Below is the text of the playing rules of the Manitoba Rugby Football Union (MRFU) used in the 1904 season, as printed in Manitoba Rugby Football Union Constitution and Rules of the Game Adopted 1904 (scanned at archive.org). Note that at the time, the Western Canadian rugby unions had no formal affiliation and limited interaction with the Canadian Rugby Union, which in practice was limited in scope to Ontario and Quebec. Nonetheless, the rules below are identical in many respects to those of the Quebec Rugby Football Union (QRFU) in 1905. This text is edited from the text version at archive.org, which appears to have been generated by OCR software. While I carefully edited the text in an attempt to present these rules verbatim, it is possible there are errors that I missed or inadvertently introduced. Errors that I have noted in the original are noted with [sic].
RULES OF THE GAME
AS AMENDED, AUGUST 24TH, 1904
1.—1. The GAME is played by teams of 14 on each side, with No. 5 Match Ball, and on grounds 110 yards long, by 65 yards wide, or as near these dimensions as practicable, with the boundaries distinctly marked. A goal is placed in the middle of each goal line, composed of two upright posts exceeding 20 feet in height, placed 18 feet 6 inches apart, and with a crossbar 10 feet from the ground. Twenty-five yards behind each goal line and parallel thereto is drawn a line called the dead ball line. If the natural boundary of the field be less than 25 yards behind the goal line at either end, then such boundary constitutes the dead ball line at that end.
2. A DROP KICK is made by dropping the ball from the hands and kicking it the instant it rises.
3. A PLACE KICK is made by kicking the ball after it has been placed on the ground.
4. A PUNT is made by letting the ball fall from the hands and kicking it before it touches the ground.
5. A FLYING KICK is made by kicking the ball without touching it with the hands.
6. KICK-OFF is a place kick from the centre of the grounds.
7. KICK-OUT is a drop kick from not more than 25 yards from the kicker's goal line.
8. When players of opposite sides have hold of the ball, the player who had first hold of, and has not lost the ball, is the POSSESSOR.
9. The ball is in TOUCH if it, or a player with it in his possession, is on or across the touch line; it is in goal if it is on or across the goal line.
10. A PASS is when the ball is thrown by a player in any direction except towards the opponents' goal.
11. A FOUL is when the ball is knocked forward with the hand or arm, or thrown forward, except when being thrown out from touch.
12. The ball is DEAD when it is absolutely motionless on the ground.
13. A TOUCH-DOWN is when a player having possession of the ball, stops it so that it is dead.
14. A TRY is when (a) a player makes a touch-down, or is fairly held in his opponents' goal; (b) a player having crossed his opponents' goal-line with the ball in his possession, goes without losing possession into touch-in-goal.
15. A ROUGE is (a) when a player getting possession of the ball in his own goal makes a touch-down or is fairly held there; (b) when the ball, or a player on defending side having possession of it is in touch-in goal; (c) when a foul is made in goal; (d) when the ball, or a player with it in his possession, touches, or is on or across the dead-ball line.
16. A SAFETY-TOUCH is when a player kicks carries or passes the ball from the grounds, and he, or one of his side, rouges it.
17. When a player having possession of the ball is tackled, the ball is fairly HELD (a) when the player possessing it calls "held," (b) when it is dead.
18. A FAIR CATCH is a catch made within the grounds, direct from a kick or a foul by an opponent.
Match
2.—Each side shall have a Captain, who before the match, shall toss for choice of goals or kick-off. Matches shall last for one hour actual play, with an intermission of ten minutes at half-time, and, in case of a draw, if in the opinion of the referee it is practicable, twenty minutes extra time shall be played, each side playing from the end from which it started the game for ten minutes, and then ends being changed for ten minutes. No delay shall exceed five minutes.
Time
Each side shall play an equal time from each goal. Time shall be deducted while the ball is being brought out for a try, kick-off, or kick-out, for bringing the ball into play after going into touch, and for all delays.
The game shall not be stopped for time or on account of injury to a player, until the ball is dead or out of play, but in the case of a try, or free-kick, the kick shall be allowed.
Referee
3.—There shall be only one referee for a match[.] He shall enforce the rules and penalties; adjudicate upon disputes, or cases unprovided for by rules; appoint an umpire, touch and goal judges, and two time-keepers, who shall not be members of either of the competing clubs; keep the score, and at the conclusion of the match declare the result.
Umpire
The Umpire shall have power to stop the game, by sounding a whistle, for any infringement of the rules regarding off-side during a scrimmage, charging, hacking or obstructing, and his decision shall be final in such cases.
Touch and Goal Judges
Touch Judges shall inform the referee how and where the ball goes into touch, and when it is not brought out at right angles to where it went in. Goal Judges shall inform the Referee when the ball goes over the crossbar, and between the posts (or the posts produced) of the goal.
The ball shall be considered in play until the Referee or the Umpire (in those cases where authority has been delegated to him under above rules) stops the game, which he may do at any time, and which he may do at once when any irregularity of play occurs, by sounding a whistle. His decision shall be final.
4.—When the ball is kicked (except by a punt, kick-out, or kick-off) from the grounds without touching the ground or any other player, over the cross-bar and between the posts (or the posts produced) of the opponents' goal, it shall be a goal.
Score
5.—A match shall be decided by a majority of points. A goal kicked from a try shall score 6 points (in which case the try shall not be scored), from a drop kick 5, from a free-kick 4, from a flying-kick or free-kick by way of penalty (either drop or place kick) 2, a try shall score 4, a safety-touch 2, and a rouge 1.
When the ball in the possession of a player is fairly held in the opponents' goal before it is touched down, his side shall score 4 points.
Kick-off
6.—The ball shall be kicked off ¼ [sic] at the commencement of the game, by the side making that choice, (b) afterchange [sic] of goals by the opposite side, (c) after a goal or a try has been scored, by the side losing the goal, or having the try scored against them.
The ball shall be kicked more than five yards and shall not pitch in touch; the opponents shall stand at least ten yards in front of the ball until it is kicked.
In case of infringement the ball shall be kicked off again if the Captain of the opposite side urge it, but if the ball pitch twice in touch on the kick-off, it shall be scrimmaged by the side not offending, on the spot where it was kicked.
Kick-out
7.—The ball shall be kicked out by the side in whose goal it has gone, (a) after a rouge or safety-touch, (b) after the ball has been fairly held in goal.
The ball shall not pitch in touch, and the opponents shall not interfere with the kicker within 25 yards of his own goal line.
In case of infringement the ball shall be kicked out again if the Captain of the opposite side require it, but if the ball pitch twice in touch from the kick-out it shall be scrimmaged, by the side not offending, on the spot where it was last kicked.
Scrimmage
8.—When the ball is fairly held within the grounds, one of the side to which it belongs shall immediately bring it into play where it was held by placing it dead in front of him, and any player may then put it in motion in any direction with his foot.
If any player being on the ground does not immediately get up, or if the ball is not immediately put into play, or if an opponent interferes with the ball being put into play, or if during a scrimmage any player gets upon his knees, lies upon the ball or touches it with his hand, or being out of the scrimmage stands in front of the ball, the side not offending shall have a free-kick or scrimmage at discretion of Referee.
No team shall be allowed possession of the ball for more than three scrimmages, unless (a) during the third scrimmage the ball has been advanced five yards from the starting point of the third scrimmage by a run; or (b) the ball has been kicked towards an opponent's goal and has been blocked by an opponent. The advance is to be left entirely to the judgment of the Umpire.
Touch
9.—When the ball goes into touch off a player it shall belong to the opposite side; when it is carried into touch it shall belong to the side possessing it.
One of the side to which it belongs shall immediately bring it into play at right angles to where it went into touch, (a) by bounding it in the grounds, (b) by throwing it out.
In case of infringement, the opposite side shall immediately bring it into play.
Off-side
10. A player is off-side if during a scrimmage he is altogether in front of the ball, or if the ball has been last touched by one of his own side behind him. A player cannot be off-side in his goal.
A player being off-side is put on-side when the ball touches an opponent; or when one of his own side has run in front of him, either with the ball or having touched it when behind him.
If a player being off-side in the grounds, or in touch, touches the ball, or being within five yards of the place where an opponent touches the ball, does not allow the opponent to run five yards with the ball, or obstructs or annoys an opponent, the opposite side shall have, at their option, a free-kick where the off-side play occurred, or a scrimmage on the spot where the ball was last played by the offending side before such off-side play occurred, unless such spot was behind the goal-line, in which case a free-kick only shall be allowed. If the off-side play occur within goal the free-kick shall be taken five yards in front of the goal-line.
Try
11. When a side has obtained a try, except in touch-in-goal, one of its players shall bring the ball straight up to the goal-line, and thence out into the grounds, not more in front of the goal than where it was touched down, or fairly held, and there place it for one of his side to kick.
When a side has obtained a try in touch-in-goal as under Rule 1, section 14, one of its players shall bring the ball out on the nearer touch line and then place it for one of his side to kick.
The kicker's side shall not be in front of the ball when it is kicked, and no player of his side except the placer shall touch the ball until it is kicked, and in case of infringement a goal cannot be scored from such a try. The goal shall not be disallowed because of the placer being off-side or in touch.
Fair Catch, Free-Kick
12. When a player makes a fair catch he shall be awarded a free kick, if he marks the spot with his heel and none of his own side touches the ball. When a side is awarded a free kick by way of a penalty, the Referee shall mark the spot, and any one of its players may take the kick.
A player who has been awarded a free kick shall kick or place the ball from any point directly behind the mark. The ball must be kicked five yards or touch an opponent, and in case of infringement, the opposite side shall scrimmage the ball where the mark was made.
Charging
13. In case of a try at goal the opponents may charge from the goal-line, and in case of a free-kick, from in line with the mark, as soon as the ball is kicked, or touches the ground, or another player of the kicker's side.
If an opponent charges or interferes when he has no right to, the kicker shall have his kick over again.
14. In case of a kick-off, kick-out, or free-kick, the kicker's side shall not be in front of the ball when it is kicked, and in case of infringement the opposite side shall scrimmage the ball where the kick was made or allowed by the Referee.
Passing
15. A player may pass the ball at any time. If a player makes a foul within the grounds, unless a fair catch has been made, the opposite side shall scrimmage the ball at the place where the foul was made.
Hacking, Obstructing, etc
16. No player shall hold with his hands or arms an opponent who has not the ball and no player shall obstruct or charge against an opponent (except during a scrimmage, or except such opponent has the ball, or such player is running at or with the ball), or hack, trip, scragg or tackle an opponent below the knee, under a penalty of a free-kick; and no one shall play in a match wearing projecting metal or gutta percha on any part of his clothing.
Rough Play
17. If a player makes any unfair or rough play, or disputes any decision of the Referee, the Referee shall warn him and if he repeats the offence, the Referee shall rule him off for the whole game, or for such time as he may deem expedient, and no substitute shall be allowed. In any case the Referee shall report such player to his Union; and such Union may suspend such player, and any club which plays with him.