OTAGO UNION COMPLAINS

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31344, 14 April 1967, Page 15

OTAGO UNION COMPLAINS

WELLINGTON.

The Otago union yesterday complained about Hawke’s Bay’s handling of its Ranfurly Shield challenges, at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union.

Mr C. Saxton said that Otago and Hawke’s Bay had been playing each other for 70 years and Otago always had toured in August because it coincided with the university vacation. “We tour the North Island this year and now find that Hawke’s Bay have given us a challenge on September 23,” Mr Saxton said. “This means that we have to go back down to Dunedin, then fly again to Napier at an extra cost of about £lOOO.

“Hawke’s Bay arrived here with their dates settled. Can anything be done to solve this?” asked Mr Saxton. Mr W. Bramwell (Hawke’s Bay) said that he was surprised that Mr .Saxton had raised the matter at the meeting. “This is the first time we have had the shield for 33 years and we tried hard to make it a fair and genuine challenge season," he said. “After July 8 we have 14 consecutive Saturdays of representative Rugby, either home or away, and just could not fit Otago in during August.”

Mr Morrison said that he thought that where unions had old established games, every effort should be made to keep to the schedule that had been followed in the past, but he understood Hawke’s Bay’s problem. Overseas Tour.—An attempt by Canterbury and Auckland to relax the present restrictions on overseas tours by clubs was unsuccessful. Auckland wanted the period in which tours could be made to be from September 15 to 31 instead of starting on October 1. Canterbury asked that the period in which teams could be away be increased from three weeks to four weeks to allow for travelling time. Experimental Law.—The

meeting approved a one month’s trial, from April 29, to May 27, for the experimental law allowing kicking into touch only in a team’s own half of the field.

Officers Elected.—President, Mr C. G. Gibbons (Wellington); vice-presidents, Messrs R. Mace (Nelson), E. L. Pinker (Bay of Plenty); council, Messrs R. L. Burk, D. K. Ross, N. H. Stanley, V. I. George, C. K. Saxton, W. A. Craddock; executive, Messrs T. C. Morrison, J. L. SulEvan, J. L. Griffiths, C. A. Blazey, M. S. Ingpen, E. I. Todd, F. D. Kilby; Maori representative, Mr M. R. Love.