"FAIR DINKUM CANNIBALS."

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 75, 30 March 1939, Page 24

"FAIR DINKUM CANNIBALS."

PLAYERS IN THE OLD DAYS. ——- IS THE GAME TOO VIGOROUS ? FREQUENCY OF INJURIES. (By Telegraph.-—Own Correspondent.) GISBORNE, this day. Players in the old days must have fair dinkum cannibals'," stated Mr. E. C. O'Halloran during a discussion at the annual meeting of Poverty Bay Rugby I'ootball Lnion. I he New Zealand Rugby Union is only concerned with the finances of the game, and does not offer players sufficient inducement, declared Mr. J. E. Mercer when lie referred to the need for mqje vigorous Rugby. He contended that the present bodv was responsible for the lack of players, as it had no adequate insurance fund to offer as cover for players, who nowadays were faced with difficulties which did not exist in the earlier days of the game. There were young men who would like to play the game but were not permitted by their parents, declared Mr. Mercer, who maintained that parents felt there was not sufficient cover offered to their sons. Mr. P. Edmondson suggested that club games were not sufficiently vigorous, and this had a retarding effect on the play of representative teams fielded by the union. Mr. O'Halloran then made tli'e introductory remarks to this message, and said that local play was possibly too vigorous, and perhaps this tended to shorten the career of some players. Other members were of the opinion that lack of fitness was a contributory cause of the frequency of injuries, and that the game should be played for the game's $ake and not for the inducements it had to offer. The Poverty Bay representative Rugby team may tour the South Island, playing matches against Canterbury. Otago and possibly Southland, according to a proposal considered by the management committee. A sub-committee, comprising Messrs. G. H. Sceats, K. F. Jones. T. French, J. E.' Mercer and O. S. Burt was appointed to arrange the finance of the tour, which was estimated to cost Poverty Bay about £100. The union will consider challenging for the Ranfurly Shield in conjunction with the tour.