Canterbury Game On Second Test Day

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30406, 3 April 1964, Page 13

Canterbury Game On Second Test Day

(New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 2. Canterbury will play its Ranfurly Shield challenge against Taranaki on August 22—the day on which the second test between New Zealand and Australia is played.

Taranaki accepted nine challenges, eight ordinary and one special—from Buller on July 22. It will be the first time that Buller will have played in Taranaki. The arranging of the fixture list is one of the most important parts of the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union. But yesterday it took on a “cloak and dagger” aspect.

The Taranaki delegates declined to give any information to other delegates on which unions would be granted challenges. This meant that unions which knew they did not have a chance of a challenge could hot organise their own fixtures.

Delegates gathered in little groups trying to work out Taranaki’s possible games

and the rooms of the Taranaki delegates were the busiest in the hotel as delegates regularly visited them in search of information. The art of arranging a fixture list when a Ranfurly Shield challenge has been refused is to try and play later teams which have a challenge. Hawke’s Bay and Auckland showed themselves the most adroit at this in this year’s list. Hawke's Bay has games

against Wellington and Canterbury after they play Taranaki and Auckland plays Wellington and Hawke’s Bay. The Hawke’s Bay delegates after the meeting ended were quite happy with their astuteness until they discovered that Auckland had gone one better and covered their bets. The fixture list includes three .tests between New Zealand and Australia and three matches between New Zealand and Australian Universities.