Lively Rugby Meeting Expected

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31627, 13 March 1968, Page 17

Lively Rugby Meeting Expected

The annual meeting of the Canterbury Rugby Union this evening should produce one of the most interesting meetings for many years.

Delegates will be presented with a set of annual accounts which records one of the largest losses suffered by the union for many years; a motion which aims at increasing the membership of the management committee and preventing clubs having more than one member on the committee; and the possibility of the status quo being upset by an election for vice-presi- , dency.

The election of the eight members (or 10 if the notice of motion is passed) will be most interesting, and it is certain there will be quite a few changes from last year’s committee.

The deaths of Messrs F. J. Foley and D. Keogh have left two vacancies, the appointment of a new president must create another, and if the motion preventing a club having more than two members on the committee excluding the president, is passed, Mr J. K. Torrance, of the Christchurch club, will lose his place. However, it is the election of vice-presidents that will provide the best example of Rugby politics garnished with some in-fighting. Although no public state-

menr has been issued, it is known that several of the younger members on the management committee have objected to the strict seniority rule which operates'in Canterbury Rugby administration.

The pattern has been that when nominations are made for vice-presidents, it is the longest-serving member of the management committee who is nominated and elected.

After that there is the long process of serving six years as a junior vice-president, another three as senior vicepresident, and three as president. it is understood that some members of the committee want to see the office of president reduced to a titular one, probably for one year only,

and having a chairman of the management committee rather than the office of president and chairman being allied

Although nominations for the vice-presidents have not been published as yet, it is expected that Mr J. Storey, the senior junior vice-presi-dent, and Messrs W. D. Johnston, R. W. Thomas and C. L. Rhodes will be nominated. Mr Johnston is the senior member of the management committee and Messrs Thomas and Rhodes have had equal service, being elected in the same year.

'lf the seniority precedent is followed, Messrs Storey and Johnston should be chosen, but with four nominations for three positions, one must miss out in the vote.