Govt eyes rugby tour

Press, 16 September 1987, Page 1

Govt eyes rugby tour

By

BRENDON BURNS

The Government is now considering its position on the All Black tour to Japan next month, says the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Marshall. After meeting the chairman of the Rugby Union, Mr Russell Thomas, Mr Marshall said yesterday that he was gratified at the union’s opposition to a rebel South Pacific team’s tour of South Africa. He had taken note of the contribution the visit of the All Blacks to Japan would make to trading and commercial relationships there. Mr Marshall said the Government wanted to get back to treating the All Blacks and other representative rugby teams in the same way as those who

played for New Zealand in other sports. Some difficulty still existed, however, as long as people involved in last year’s rebel Cavaliers tour of South Africa were about. “I have a long standing strong set of views on sports contact with South Africa and we’re not about unnecessarily to compromise our views on those matters,” said Mr Marshall. On the other hand the Government wanted to work as closely as it could with the Rugby Union. The next opportunity for this was next month’s All Black tour of Japan. Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefing papers released yesterday said the tour was attracting a lot of attention in Japan . and the opportunity existed to promote New Zealand interests.

Ground rules on official involvement would be helpful, the papers said. Mr Marshall said: “The status of the tour seems td have increased somewhat in terms of the level of representation which is going to be in the team and that may have some impact on what we decide.” Any decision on the Government’s position would have to bear in mind the Gleneagles Agreement on sporting contacts with South Africa and similar requirements. Mr Marshall said he admired the way the Rugby Union had responded to the current tour of South Africa. “It would be our hope that in the foreseeable future that the gap between the Government and the Rugby Union would be considerably reduced,” he said.