Russell Thomas confirms he will seek re-election for Welsh tour

Press, 26 July 1980, Page 56

Russell Thomas confirms he will seek re-election for Welsh tour

By

KEVIN McMENAMIN

The incumbent All Black manager, Ray Harper, of Southland, will have at least one rival for the job of taking the team to Wales in October.

Mr Russell Thomas, the immediate past president of the Canterbury union, and the man who Mr Harper

succeeded, confirmed last evening that he would be seeking re-election for the five-match Welsh tour. 'Mr Thomas, aged 54, became the All Black manager in 1978, enjoying great success with the team that toured Britain that year. He

was reappointed last year, when the All Blacks toured England and Scotland as well as making a brief visit to Australia. Nominations for the manager’s job to Wales closed yesterday and the Canterbury union has taken care of Mr Thomas’s nomination. He, was also approached by at| least one other union inter-1 ested in putting his name; forward.

Mr Thomas has history against him in trying for a third major tour, although the brevity of the Welsh visit might put it in a slightly different category. The practice for many years has been for managers to bow out after a second tour, although Noel Stanley (Taranaki) took the New Zealand Juniors to Australia before managing the All Blacks in Ireland in 1974 and in South Africa in 1976. Mr Thomas said last evening that he had accepted the nomination because he believed he still had something

to contribute to New Zealand rugby in the managerial field.

“Now that I am no longer president of the Canterbury union I have more time at my disposal and I feel that j my experience in the United i Kingdom, which takes in a I visit to Wales two years i ago, might be of some value this time,” he said. So far. as is known, Mr Harper, who was appointed unopposed for the just-com-pleted Australia and Fiji tour, is the only other declared candidate. However, nominations can be made by N.Z.R.F.U. council members when the vote, both for manager and coach, is taken on August 8. One other man who might now be tempted to enter the race, is Ron Don, the. con-i troversial Auckland chair-' man who was restored to; the council this year. Like Mr Thomas, Mr Don has had two big tours, to Argentina

in 1976 and to France a year later.

The nominations will be made public after Monday night’s N.Z.R.F.U. council meeting.

Also being sought by the N.Z.R.F.U. council are nominations for a physiotherapist to accompany the team to Wales and those for a manager and assistant manager of the New Zealand XV to play Fiji at Auckland on September 13, reports the Press Association from Wellington. The present All Black coach, Eric Watson, has announced that he will let his name go forward for the job of assistant manager (coach) to Wales. He said he was not interested in the job for the team to play Fiji. The Horowhenua Union this week decided to nominate Mr Watson. The N.Z. R.F.U. secretary, Mr Barry Usmar, said yesterday that Graham Mourie had been appointed captain of the North Island team to play the South Island at Palmerston North on August 2 and Bruce Robertson the vice-captain. Ken Stewart will lead the South Island and Brian McKechnie will be his vice-captain. I