Meads will face union council

Press, 17 May 1986, Page 3

Meads will face union council

By

STEVE McMORRAN

NZPA staff correspondent Wellington The rebel rugby coach, Colin Meads, will face the council of the New Zealand Rugby Union in June to justify his involvement in a tour of South Africa in a bid to save his Job as a national selector.

The new chairman, Mr Russ Thomas, said Mr Meads telephoned the union yesterday and a message had been received from his solicitors acknowledging a union warning that his appointment as a selector was under review. Mr Thomas, elected yesterday after fierce balloting, led iy t hours of discussion by the union’s council on action against Mr Meads. He emerged to tell reporters of the decision to delay that action, saying rugby was in a no-win situation over the tour. “I have said from the beginning and I repeat, no-one’s going to win. this,” Mr Thomas said. “Rugby will not win, nor the players, nor the administrators, but I repeat that we are not going to sweep this under the carpet The matter will be dealt with correctly.”

Mr Thomas said the union had deferred action against Mr Meads to give the former All Black a chance to present his case. That decision followed the principles of British justice. He said time had been

taken yesterday to acquaint the six new councillors elected to the union with previous discussion on the rebel tour. The union saw no urgency to act against Mr Meads or against the players who were given 14 days on Wednesday to apply for permission to play in South Africa.

Until Mr Meads appeared before the union, the status quo existed and he could act as a national selector. A telephone link is already planned between Mr Meads and the national coach, Brian Lochore, on May 26 to discuss candidates for this year’s All Black trial. Australian union officials — Sir Nicholas Shehadie, John Dedrick and Ross Turnbull — arrived in Wellington yesterday amid controversy over an invitation from South Africa for a Wallaby tour.

Sir Nicholas confirmed the invitaton’s arrival, as Mr Dedrick had done from Sydney earlier. He said the full council of the Australian Rugby Union would consider the South African approach at its next meeting in June.

He denied that plans existed for a meeting between union officials and the Federal Sports Minister, Mr John Brown.

Mr Brown earlier lashed out at the Australian union, asking it to be sensitive to the plight of black South Africans in making its decisions.