RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 163, 3 April 1908, Page 6

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

_ The Wellington llugby Football Union on .Wednesday embarked on its' Tight against tlie. professional moverment. The professional team ■ whirU toured the Northern - Counties of E inland with a-fair degreed of success both financially and in the. playip.'. -jiuiJp, is well 'on its way. back tr. iho .Dominion, /and < those who f., out amateur sport; are : wise 'in ■ .■kinir : notion to prepare a defence ' i : the amateur position in readiness -jr any. onslaught which may bo mar 1 , tippiv it. The chief danper to (he game is JniismanagemeiiK " i."is-.ivoi so much a.question of wb; n'iayer may be out. of poci<«;ttin- ,esulfc.-of taking part in ii- voiiv, as. -it is the treatment players a l!cJ el tibs' .receive from the provincial unions.;', and the treatment these unions in turn receive'from the governing body. No doubt some players cannot afford to go on tour owing to the financial sacrifice, entailed; , and it should not be difficult to: meet such cases by means of a fixed travelling allowance. The Wellington Union on Wednesday evening decided against a proposal whicli went in this 'direction; and expressed approval of a hard and fast rule preventing any, amateur player receiving payment in any form for playing football. A rule to this effect would any- possibility of abuses creeping in, and the voting on the question gave plain indication that the great majority of delegates hold the opinion that there can be no half measures. It is just as well that the Union should have made its position perfectly clear in the matter; but at the same time .we cannot believe that the bogy of Professionalism is quite so threatening as it is depicted. A fair proportion of the returning team will probably abandon football, and the remainder will find it a difficult matter to promote professional Rugby here so long as the amateur game is reasonably well managed. ■