Move irks Dr Craven

Press, 8 October 1987, Page 39

Move irks Dr Craven

■ NZPA-Reuter Johannesburg '. South Africa has done nothing wrong by allowing a ; South Pacific rugby team to ' tour the country, says the South African rugby chief, Danje Craven. ■ Dr Craven reacted angrily to a decision by the English t Rugby Union to ban its ’ ' players visiting South Africa * . because of the unofficial tour ‘. by the South Pacific Bar- ’ - barians, a team from Fiji, ‘ ’ Tonga and Western Samoa.

"We have done- nothing wrong,” Dr Craven told reporters. “How can they accuse us without all the facts? ... They (the union) have lent an ear to the Fijians and have only heard their side of the story and decided to act”

Fijian rugby authorities have suspended the country’s players in the squad for violating efforts to isolate the racially segregated South Africa.

The South Pacific Barbarians, unbeaten so far on their tour of South Africa, marched triumphantly on with an 18-10 win over a Defence Force XV at Pretoria yesterday.

The Barbarians, who have surprised South African fans with the quality of their rugby, ran in two sparkling tries to outclass a Defence Force side which could not match them for speed.