Tapiata hopes to switch again
By 808 SCHUMACHER For the last two winters John Tapiata has been the Addington cap-tain-coach of its premier rugby league team, but this year he hopes to switch codes — for a second time.
Tapiata wishes to play rugby for Sydenham instead of rugby league for Addington. The conversion between the two sports might not be as simple as Tapiata himself or Sydenham might want. In 1984, Tapiata left the Addington premier rugby league team after playing for it for six successive seasons. That year he turned out for the Sydenham rugby team.
The association with rugby ended at the end of that season, and Tapiata, a former Canterbury B rugby league representative who appeared for Canterbury A twice as a replacement in 1982, returned to Addington and was its appointed captain-coach in 1985 and 1986. This winter, however, Tapiata has applied for reinstatement as a rugby player, as yet he has received no answer.
Tapiata, a prop for Sydenham in rugby in 1984, said last evening that he suffered a spinal injury when his lowly rated team drew, 6-6, with one of the competition’s leaders, Marist. “I didn’t know enough to coach rugby so I went back to rugby league,” Tapiata said. Rugby rules, however, are more stringent than most sports, and Tapiata has struck a snag. According to the New Zealand Rugby Union’s reinstatement rules, a person who has been previously reinstated to rugby shall not be eligible for reinstatement after a second breach of the rules, except in special circumstances. Tapiata’s reaction to this rule was: “Publicity might help my case, perhaps I might be the first in rugby history.”
While he awaits the decision as to his eligibility to either play, or not to play, rugby, Tapiata said that he was more happy now with the rugby scrum rule and that his previous time with Sydenham rugby had impressed him through the standards imposed by the club.
Tapiata’s second request for reinstatement to rugby has been forwarded to the New Zealand Union, according to the chairman of the Canterbury body, Les Russell.
“His application has been received and answers to the questions of reinstatement, made,” said Mr Russell last evening.
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Press, 14 March 1987, Page 84
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368Tapiata hopes to switch again Press, 14 March 1987, Page 84
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