RUGBY Confidence In Union’s Future

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29778, 22 March 1962, Page 15

RUGBY Confidence In Union’s Future

It had been an honour to serve the onion in toe whole of toe 21 years he had been a member of the executive, but particularly during toe last three years, the retiring president (Mr H. C. Blazey) told the annual meeting of toe Canterbury Rugby Union last evening. “I have been fortunate in having a strong team with me and I thank them for the work that they have done.” he said. “This union will continue to prosper, in my view, anyway, while it is served by men of the standard of those who have guided its affairs during the whole of my executive experience.

“A pleasing feature of the last year or two has been the increasing strength of what may be classed as the middle grades, where entries were rattier lean a few years ago. Another is the revival of home and away matches with Wellington and Otago, and the arranging of an annual game with Auckland. Canterbury Rugby is as strong as any in the country, but we must have regular fixtures with other strong unions to retain that strength. We may claim, too, that our relations with other unions are cordial.” Mr Blazey said “that the game could only grow through the enthusiasm and efforts of a large number of

workers in the cMba and sub-unions, in the school i and the referees' association “In these times we are, perhaps, fortunate that we have so many such men, for we can offer no reward, except the satisfaction of doing a job for a grand gamwhich is amateur and Will remain so. There is no such thing as a paid amateur, either in the administration or on the playing field” Mr Blazey described the 1961 season as a full, busy and exciting one. with the French tour as the outstanding feature. It was one of the most successful in the history of the union in the number of games played and won by representative teems. It was also a successful year, financially, he said. Referring to the record of the Canterbury A team, which went through the season unbeaten, Mr Blazey Mid that its success was in part because of individual ability, but he believed that Canterbury had had other teams in past years equally as strong, man for man. The true secret of its success, however, was found in the strong team spirit, which was shown in willingness of all its members to play for the province This was shown, in particular, when the team was required to play away from home. The team was also well trained and led., and Canterbury was grateful to its two senior selectors for a splendid job of work done again last year.