Wallabies woold have toured, says Dr Craven

Press, 29 November 1982, Page 42

Wallabies woold have toured, says Dr Craven

NZPA London Some members of last year’s Australian rugby side had been prepared to make a “rebel” semi-professional tour of South Africa, the South African Rugby Union Board chairman, Dr Danie Craven, revealed yesterday.

■ Dr Craven told the London “Daily Telegraph” there had been other Australian players, who were not in the Wallaby team which toured •Great Britain, prepared to make the tour. “Most of them were international players,” said Dr Craven, “and. although it is true a lot of them were going to turn professional anyway and play rugby league, they were not only prepared to come to South Africa before they did (turn professional), but were eager to do so,” Dr Craven said.

“We gave the matter great thought and eventually decided not to go ahead with that tour. However, the chance was there and we could have taken it.”

Dr Craven said his country was prepared to approach Australian, British and New Zealand players to make tours similar to that considered last year.

South Africa would have no other choice if countries cancelled planned official tours, he said.

Commenting on the recent Wales decision to call off its planned tour, Dr Craven said he had told the Welsh Rugby Union he had the power to end amateurism in rugby union.

Dr Craven said: “South Africa’s great strength is that the players of all the other countries in the world of rugby want, to play in South Africa. “This was made clear to me yet again when I was in Cardiff recently. One after another of the Welsh players came up to me and said how they were looking forward to coming to South Africa. “The pity is that the men who are supposed to represent them seem to be more concerned with achieving political recognition like the awards of M.B.E.s and 0.8.E.S and knighthoods and not doing anything to jeopardise local government grants tb rugby football. “If that state of affairs continues, and ; we go on losing our tours, we shall have no alternative but to deal with British and Australian and New Zealand players direct,” Dr Craven said. “We shall invite them to come to our country and we shall make it worth their while to come. That will imply a form of semi-profes-sionalism.”