Rebel tour of S.A. was on, says Haden

Press, 25 July 1985, Page 4

Rebel tour of S.A. was on, says Haden

PA Auckland A rebel tour of South Africa by most of the All Black team chosen for the official Rugby Union visit was on until Tuesday, the All Black, Andy Haden, confirmed yesterday. Haden would not say when the players had planned to leave but con-

firmed that a decision on Tuesday meant the end of moves to tour the republic this year. The tour was arranged by the South African Barbarians Club and was to be led by the All Black captain, Andy Dalton, with Mr Brian Lochore as coach, Haden said. He would not say why the

tour was called off but said the players decided not to go after a discussion among themselves. “That is definitely the end of it,” Haden said. A lawyer, Mr Patrick Finnegan, one of those who brought the case against the Rugby Union that resulted in an injunction stopping the official tour, denied taking further legal action to stop a team of individuals leaving for South Africa. He said the injunction granted by the High Court was binding on the Rugby Union “and any of its servants or agents.” Mr Lochore, as coach and assistant manager of the All Blacks, and Andy Haden, because of his involvement in marketing rugby, could be seen as servants or agents of the Rugby Union, i Mr Finnegan said. “They faced the possibility of being seen as in contempt of court.” The Auckland coach, Mr John Hart, said a rebel tour to South Africa would have been “catastrophic” for the game. It was now clear such a tour had been planned and that the tour had been called off. The chairman of the South African Barbarians Club, Mr Chick Henderson, formally announced at a seminar in Johannesburg that because of problems created by the High Court injunction which stopped the official All Black tour the replacement tour was also off. His statement came after days of intense speculation

in New Zealand that an All Black party would make the trip in spite of the legal problems. Mr Henderson in referring to the now abandoned replacement visit by the All Blacks had described it as an official tour in which the All Blacks would play all the matches arranged in the original tour itinerary and that the players would be paid the normal daily touring allowance. The South African rugby chief, Dr Danie Craven, yesterday strongly denied a report that he was involved in a planned unofficial tour. The South African Press Association had quoted Mr Henderson as saying Dr Craven had masterminded the unofficial tour.