Price’s Fitness Questioned

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31161, 10 September 1966, Page 17

Price’s Fitness Questioned

(N.Z. Press Association) AUCKLAND.

A request for an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the selection of T. G. Price, the Welsh fullback. who was a replacement for the touring British Lions team, was made by Mr J. L. Giiffiths at the meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union’s council yesterday.

Mr Griffiths made the request during a discussion (which resulted in the council agreeing to pay the air fares of Price and an earlier replacement, F. P. K. Bresnihan, the Irish centre, to New Zealand.

It seemed, said Mr Griffiths, that Price was not completely fit when chosen as a replacement.

i “It appears that Price is not moving as freely as he used to,” said the chairman (Mr T. C. Morrison), “but we can only accept that he was passed fit under the tours agreement. I don’t think any discussion on his fitness can affect the principle involved.”

After further discussion, the motion to pay the fares of Price and Bresnihan was passed unanimously. Overseas Tours.—The union is concerned at the increasing number of overseas tours being made by clubs. Mr R. Burk (Auckland) said that clubs in Wellington and the South Island had been writing to hotels in Auckland seeking donations and other assistance in sending club teams overseas. The council chairman, Mr Morrison, said, “I could see a few years ago the way these tours were going to snowball. Now we have a club in Wellington negotiating for a tour to Britain.”

It was necessary to tighten

up on tours. To achieve this, a new application form for any club wanting to tour had been drawn up. ! It said that tours be limited to the following Pacific area countries: Australia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, New Caledonia, Malaysia, Singapore, California, Hong Kong, Japan, British Columbia, and that tours be limited to three weeks. The issue of overseas club tours will be discussed at the next annual meeting of the union. Centenary Matches.—New Zealand is to send five players to take part in special matches to mark the centenary of the Rugby Union in England in 1971. The council accepted an invitation to send five players who, with five each from Australia, South Africa and France, will play for a President’s XV in England before playing in the centenary test at Twickenham in January, 1971.

| Own Fares.—Mr D. J. | O’Brien, manager of the I Lions, had paid his own fares !to and from Fiji when he took a brief holiday last week, said Mr Morrison. He told council members that it was usual for managers of long tours to be offered a holiday at New Zealand’s expense, but Mr O’Brien had insisted on paying his own fares. Takings Up.— -Attendances and takings for the Lions’ tour are up on the 1965 Springbok tour, according to official figures released yesterday. Takings from the 23 matches up to and including the Waikato match totalled £334,362, which is £6510 more than from the games last year. Final receipts should be about £385,000. The biggest “gate" so far has been the £34,457 taken at the second test in Wellington. The Christchurch test yielded £32.803 and the Dunedin test £23.354.