Dr. Craven On 'Blatant Lie'

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30855, 14 September 1965, Page 1

Dr. Craven On ' Blatant Lie'

'Special Crspdt. HZ PA.) ROTORUA, Sept. 13. The allegation that the New Zealand Rugby Union Council member, Mr Ralph Love, was turned down for an honorary vicepresidency of the South African Rugby Board because he was coloured was a “blatant lie.” the president of the board, Dr. Danie Craven, said in Rotorua this evening.

Dr. Craven was commenting on a story in the Johannesburg newspaper the “Sunday Chronicle,” which said that Mr Love was nominated for an honorary vice-presidency of the South African Rugby Board but was turned down by the nine-man executive because he was a non-white.

‘The fact of the matter is there were three vacancies for honorary vice-presidencies of the board and four men were put up,” said Dr. Craven. “The men were Jack Siggins, a prominent British Rugby executive, Mr T. C. Morrison, the chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s Council, the New Zealand president, Mr T. H. Pearce, and Mr Ralph Love," said Dr. Craven. “This was done by the general purposes committee. The executive when dealing with the matter considered purely what these four men had done for Rugby on an international level and recommended that Messrs Siggins. Morrison and Pearce be elected. “The board accepted this decision without question.” PRESENTATION MADE In Wellington today Mr Love, a member of the Maori Advisory Board of the New Zealand Rugby Union Council,

said he was surprised to hear about the report.

“I didn’t even know the nomination was going forward,” he said. Mr Love was the liaison officer with the present touring Springboks for the period between the first and second tests, and as an appreciation of his help the South Africans presented him with a silver tray. In 1964 he attended the South African board’s jubilee celebrations in the Republic along with another Maori, P. T. Walsh, the former All Black. “SECOND LIE” Dr. Craven claimed there was a second lie in the newspaper story. This was that the South African board was not unanimous in its decision to invite the “best New Zealand team” to tour South Africa in 1967 “I refuted this in Christchurch,” said Dr. Craven.

“The board in fact was definitely unanimous.” There could still definitely be a tour of South Africa by a New Zealand team in 1967, said Dr. Craven. “I must stress that this is my personal view and that the whole matter still has to be discussed by the board,” he said. Dr. Craven confirmed that “informal” discissions between Mr J. F. Louw, the manager of the touring Springbok team, New Zealand Rugby Union officials, and himself concerning the 1967 tour had taken place in Napier during the week-end, and that further talks would be held in Auckland before and after the fourth test.

Commenting on the talks, Mr Louw said: “The fact that there are discussions shows that the possibility of a tour by New Zealand in 1967 is not dead. We are doing our very best and investigating every possibility.”