BRITISH-MAORI RUGBY MATCH FOR ROTORUA?

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 52, 17 October 1949, Page 5

BRITISH-MAORI RUGBY MATCH FOR ROTORUA?

Support of a suggestion from Tauranga that the match next year between New Zealand Maoris and the touring British Rugby team should be played at Rotorua instead of a-t Hamilton was expressed yesterday by the secretary of the Whakatane Rugby Sub-Union, Mr D, O, Stewart. It is considered that as Hamilton will see the English team playing twice a game should be allotted to the Bay of Plenty, which has no game in the ■'tinerary. The suggestion was first made by Mr G. H. Fisher, chairman of the Tauranga Rugby Sub-Union, -who thought that the match between the tourists and the Maori .All Blacks should be played at Rotorua instead of at Hamilton. When this was referred to Mr Stewart he said he thought that . Whakatane would support the proposal, although it had not yet been considered by his Union.

Worth Following Up Mr Stewart pointed out that the Bay of Plenty had no game and would only be represented in a combined team, which will play at Gisborne. He considered that Mr Fishhfr’s suggestion was worth following up. When making ' the trecommendalion Mr Fisher pointed out that the Waikato had two games. The tourists played the Waikato-Thames Valley-King Country combined and "the New. Zealand Maoris, in Hamilton. No one could say that the Waikato was more Rugby-minded •than the Bay of Piety. Having the game ’in Rotorua would create a wide interest. There was not a match in the area between Palmerston North and Hamilton. There were great possibilities in having the game in Rotorua, he added and outlined how the field at the Rotorua Racecourse could be adjusted for one day so that the grandstand could be used by spectators. This had been done for the visit of the 1921 Springboks. Following this suggestion by Mr Fisher the Tauranga Rugby SubUnion decided to write to the Bay of Plenty Union asking that . the game between New Zealand Maoris V and Britain be changed from Hamilton to Rotorua. In the proposed itinerary of the . tour Bay of Plenty will meet the British team in the first game of the tour, ‘ combined with the East Coast pnd Poverty Bay at Gisborne. This game is to be played on May 10. The tour will be of 21 games including four test matches, one in each of the main centres. A 22nd match will be played against New Zealand Universities if confirmed by the visitors.

Britain Won Last Time In the last tour in 1931 the British team met Bay of Plenty-East Coast-Poverty Bay combined at Gisborne and won by a good margin.

The following is the itinerary:—May 10: Poverty Bay-East CoastBay of Plenty, at Gisborne. • May 13: Hawke’s Bay, at Napier. May 17: v vVairarapa-Bush, at Masterton. May 20: v Manawatu-Hornwhenua, W at Palmerston North. **wlay 24: v Nelson-Marltoorough-Golden Ba3 r , at Nelson. May 27: v* Buller-West Coast, at Westport. May 31: v South Canterbury-Ash-burton-North Otago-, at Timaru. June 3: v Canterbury, at Christchurch. June 10: v New Zealand at Christchurch. June 14: v Southland, at Invercargill. June 17: v Otago, at Dunedin. June 24: v New Zealand, at Dunedin. July 1: v Wellington, at Wellington, July 5: v Wanganui, at Wanganui. July 8: v Taranaki, at New Plymouth. July 12: v Waikato-Thames ValleyKing Country, at Hamilton. July 15: v Auckland, at Auckland. July 22: v New Zealand, at Auckland. July 26: v North Auckland at Whangarie. July 29: v New Zealand Maoris, at Hamilton. r August 5: v New Zealand, at Wellington.

August 8: v New Zealand Universities at Auckland (subject to confirmation).