RUGBY UNION’S VIEW

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28542, 22 March 1958, Page 14

RUGBY UNION’S VIEW

Difficulty With Programme

“We are all for it, but I cannot possibly see how it would work with our extensive Rugby programme.” said the president of the Canterbury Rugby Football Union (Mr R. W. Blazey), commenting on the week-day sports ban suggested by Mr F. P. Walsh. “Our club games continue to August, and then if we played representative matches on Saturdays only we would have about nine days available,” he said. “Rugby has grown so big in this country that if matches were limited to Saturdays it would seriously interfere with cliib competitions and cut down the representative programme. “If it was introduced, representative tours, which called for Wednesday matches, might extend to five weeks, and. you cannot ask a fellow to be off work for tfcat time —we cannot avoid playing these Wednesday matches,” he said. “This year we have the trial matches to select the team to lour Australia, and with club and representative matches these games must be played on a Wednesday.”

He could not see how it affected cricket, apart from visits o2 overseas touring sides—which only meant one match a season for associations, said the chairman of the New Zealand Cricket Council (Mr J. L. Kerr) “The main matches of the season are for the Plunket Shield and they are played in the holiday period anyway,” said Mr Kerr.