Special Rugby Meeting To Discuss Proposed Amendments To Rules

Press, Volume C, Issue 29536, 10 June 1961, Page 5

Special Rugby Meeting To Discuss Proposed Amendments To Rules

rpHE outcome of the special genera: meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Union on June 14, at which delegates W ’H discuss three proposed amendments to the rules, will be of considerable interest to clubs. Two of the proposed amendmeats, those dealing with the voting strength of clubs and * revision of the promotion■■■e.egation match between senior and senior reserve grades, are certain to provide some lively discussion. For some time the leading clubs in Christchurch have been concerned that clubs with only a few teams have a voting power quite disproportionate to the larger clubs. It is felt that clubs with their main strength and number ;n the under-weight ar.d under-age grades should not have equal voting strength with club? which field a large number of open grade teams.

With the formation of the Junior Advisory Board, clubs which mainly have lower grade teams can be adequately catered for by this ‘board The management comimir.ee of the Rugby Union has delegated more responsi-‘b-lity to the Junior Advisory Board aed many clubs consider that this board could look after junior Rugby and '.eave the Rugby Union to administer the higher grades. Although the idea of reducing the voting strength of junior clubs has something to recommend it the clubs which will be affected are certain to oppose the amendment strongly. In the last few years junior c’ubs have felt that already the strong senior clubs have too much say tn Rugby Union affairs and that the management committee s almost exclusively filled by delegates from senior clubs.

A reduction in voting strength would therefore mean that junior clubs would have even less chance of being represented on the management committee. The next contentious amendment is to allow the team that wins the senior resene grade to challenge the bottom team in the senior grade unless the prospective challenger already has two teams in the senior grade. The present rule says that the top senior reserve team can challenge only if it does not have a team in senior grade. This will be strongly opposed. In the last few years Marist, Christchurch. University and Teachers’ College have been the strongest teams in the senior reserve grade, with University winning the grade three times in the last five years. Clubs such as Belfast, New Brighton, Albion, Merivale, and Sunnyside - Spreydon, which are often near the bottom of the senior grade, are not going to take kindly to the possibility of one of the strong senior chibs having the chance to field a B team in the senior grade. There are two schools of thought on this question. One says the senior grade should consist of the 12 strongest teams, and that because a team is at present in senior grade it should not assume it can stay there forever, no matter what its standard may be The other side of the argument is naturally supported by the clubs which may have to face up to a challenge from a senior reserve side. They say that a team in senior grade is essential if they are to attract players, and that no strong club should be allowed two teams in the senior grade. Both arguments have their merits, but it is a fact that there has been no alteration in the senior competition since Merivale defeated Air Force in a promotion-relega-tion game in 1954. Since then Teachers’ College has successfully challenged a senior team but decided not to go up into senior Rugby.

If the proposed amendment is not passed, it is quite likely that the senior canpetition will remain the same for many years. The -strong clubs will continue to dominate the senior reserve grade and junior clubs such as Hornby. Burnside, Lyttelton and Kaiapoi will have little chance of ever attaining senior grade. They will be effectively blocked by clubs such as University, Marist and Christchurch in the senior reserve grade. Already Kaiapoi, which for many years has fielded a senior reserve side, has given up the struggle of trying to get into senior Rugby and now fields only a third grade side. The third amendment deals with the eligibility of schoolboys. university students and Teachers’ College students who are studying in Christchurch, who live in a subunion area, but are allowed to play in town. The amendment defines which university students are allowed to play in town. In doing so it excludes Lincoln College students. Next year Lincoln College will become part of the University of Canterbury. This amendment is no doubt prompted by the desire of the country sub-unions to maintain the strength of country Rugby. H Lincoln College was allowed to field a team in town it would certainly strengthen the senior competition, but with the Canterbury sub-unions now playing games against major unions the fact that it wants to retain the Lincoln College players is understandable. However, one point about the Rugby Union’s amendment which must cause concern is that it has set itself as the arbiter of which university student who lives out of Christchurch can play in town. Arts students, engineers and others can play, but not agricultural students. Al though the intention of the amendment is reasonable it could lead to abuse for it could mean the beginning of the Rugby Union interfering in the internal matters of clubs.