Shield challenge system is best

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31653, 13 April 1968, Page 11

Shield challenge system is best

CRITICISM in some quartof tbe challenges accepted by Hawke’s Bay for the Ranfurly Shield this season is not unexpected. The list does not contain many unions which can be regarded as particularly strong.

However, the alternatives that have been suggested—some sort of zonal competition so that a grand final could be played with the shield holders or the New Zealand Union adopting a grading system and allocating challenges are not very satisfactory. For better or for worse, the marriage of the Ran-

furley Shield with its challenge system and the offspring—financial gain for the union holding the shield —has been with New Zealand Rugby for more than 60 years. Hawke’s Bay has been criticised this year for accepting challenges from relatively weak unions. But last year there was no praise when Hawke’s Bay accepted challenges from Wellington, Taranaki, Otago, Southland and Waikato, as well as Manawatu and Wairarapa, two unions with very good records. To arrange a knock-out system of challenges would pose many problems for unions trying to arrange their representative programme and, while creating some interest certainly would not engender the same interest and enthusi-

asm that comes from a union holding the shield. The New Zealand Union would be loth to step in and try and grade unions and then allot them challenges. The dates would have to be decided in April at the annual meeting of the union, so that only last season's form would be taken into account. From such a grading it would be quite obvious that most of the major unions would be awarded challenges. This would militate against minor unions, minor in the sense that they are unions with relatively small numbers of players or which have slumped in performance, being awarded challenges. If this system was adopted It would prevent such a surprise as Canterbury winning the shield in 1950 from Otago. On previous form Canterbury would not have

been granted a challenge. The same would apply to many other unions which have lifted the shield. The present system of challenging for the shield is by no means perfect. But at least it, next to international matches, provides Rugby with its greatest interest. It would be a boring competition if, basically the same unions were allotted challenges every year. It would not be a great deal more interesting if a knockout system was tried. Admittedly the Ranfurly Shield, if held for any length of time, does bring with it considerable financial gain. But is that bad? The stands at Carisbrook, Auckland, Christchurch, New Plymouth and Hamilton bear testimony to the benefits that are gained from holding the shield for a season or more.