RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 59, Issue 183, 18 May 1939, Page 6

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

THE TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA. NO MATCHES IN AUSTRALIA. WELLINGTON, This Day. The Now Zealand Rugby Union has no intention whatever of playing a match between the All Blacks ancl Australia when the team is on the way to South Africa next year, said the chairman of the executiyo of the New Zealand Rugby Union (Mr S. S. Dean), referring, at a meeting of the executive, to suggestions that such a match should be played. If any matches were played in Australia, Mr Dean added,, they would, be in the nature of practice matches at the ports of call, Melbourne, Adelaide, ancl Perth.

A tentative proposal is that the All Blacks should sail from New Zealand on the Dominion Monarch on May 14 next.

Tho Victorian Rugby Union wrote asking that New Zealand consider, playing a match at Melbourne against Victoria. This was agreed to. The South African Rugby Board wrote stating it would no doubt ask for four tests in view of tho resolution which had been adopted' to that effect.

Tho Executive decided to reply that New Zealand would probably agree to four tests if the next South African team to tour New Zealand agreed to play four tests here, irrespective of whether it played any in Australia. It was further decided to ask that tho All Blacks he allowed 10 days in South Africa before tho first' match. The Executive was advised that the Governor-General would have pleasure in accepting again the office of patron of the New Zealand Union.