Reaction ‘surprising’

Press, 20 August 1986, Page 3

Reaction ‘surprising’

PA Timaru The chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Mr Russell Thomas, was “very surprised” yesterday to hear that Scotland and Ireland were reviewing their World Cup participation because of the selection of nine Cavaliers in the All Black team to meet Australia on Saturday.

Mr Thomas said he had heard second-hand reports of the British unions’ anger with the rebels’ selection but had received no official communication from the ruling bodies of either nation.

The New Zealand union will shortly submit a report to the International Rugby Board on the circumstances of the Cavalier tour and its action against the players. “All I can say about the reports is that I would be very surprised if they were official statements of Scotland and Ireland’s policy,” Mr Thomas said. "The New Zealand union has certainly had no official communication on this matter from either country.” • South African rugby fans may see the Cavaliers live on television in the second All BlacksWallabies test, the “Auck-

land Star” newspaper reports. They missed live coverage of the first test, lost by the All Blacks, 12-13, at Athletic Park last week.

However, with news of the mass Cavalier inclusion in the second test side, the South African Broadcasting Corporation is trying to negotiate television coverage of the match at Dunedin, the "Star” said. There was much celebration about the Cavalier changes on Monday, a sign of approval of the rebel tour, according to South African newspapers and rugby officials.