‘“Snobbish” Wallabies Report Denied

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32046, 22 July 1969, Page 7

‘“Snobbish” Wallabies Report Denied

(NZ.P-A-Reuter—Copyright) PORT ELIZABETH. Mr Charles Eastes, manager of the touring Australian Rngby team, has denied accusations in a South African newspaper that the Wallabies are unsociable, snobbish and dirty players.

“I have treated the report as the joke it is. nothing more than a laughing matter,” be said.

The report by the veteran sports columnist Fred Labuschagne, suggested that because the new-style Wallabies were university students, college and city boys they looked down on the South African' provincial players. Labuschagne also wrote in the Johannesburg “Sunday i Times” that because thei tourists were young and in-! experienced they tried to sub- i due or intimidate the opposi-i tion by punching in the i opening minutes of a game. “Not True”

Asked to comment, Mr Eastes said: “Our boys have been called a dirty team which is not true, because in any body-contact sport tempers are apt to flare on occasions, and this is common to all teams."

He accepted that the premt team was young “but

many of them, in fact the nucleus of the squad, have had international experience before now.” In his article, Labuschagne complained that only Mr Eastes arrived for a tour of the locally-famous Cango caves, at Outdshoorn, arranged by South-western Country Districts, and that none of the team attended a dance after a match against a Country Districts side. Day of Game

Of the caves incident Mr Eastes said the visit was arranged on the morning of the day the team was to play a match. “Naturally they wanted to rest before the game, and so

really I was the only oner who could turn up for the occasion and I explained this to the people concerned.” He said about the dance affair "We did, all of us, have dinner and drinks with the local dignitaries and about eight o’clock I explained that as we had played a match the day before and were due to play another the following day, we would have to make an early night of it.” He was confident and optimistic the Wallabies could and would upset the Springboks in the series of international matches to be played during the tour.