STANDARD OF CLUB RUGBY

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 129, 25 February 1938, Page 6

STANDARD OF CLUB RUGBY

Effect Of Springbok Tour COMMENT IN PETONE ANNUAL REPORT “The all-con<i tiering touj of the Springboks naturally affected the interest in club football, but the waning interest of the football public cannot be attributed to this cause alone,” states the committee’s report to be presented to the 52nd annual meeting of the Petone Rugby Football Club on March 9. The Springboks tour had amply demonstrated the weakness of present-day football, an unfortunate state of affairs which was ever apparent in the play of many of the senior teams, continues the report. The Petone senior fifteen was no exception and seemed to suffer the complex of mediocre performances which it was unable to overcome until the second round, when it played more in keeping with what was expected of it. The report congratulates members on the maintenance of the club’s substantial position. The season had been most satisfactory. The disappointment at the performances of the senior A team was offset by the placings in the lower grades. Prospect of Relegation. With two All Blacks and several representative players the club’s first team could win only one game in the first round. Despite the fact that the majority of players were under the impression that they were fit, it was obviously patent that this was not the case, as after being in a winning position for two-thirds of a game the" team simply petered out and allowed its opponents to steal victory, says the report. This was indeed a sorry state of affairs, and it was only after the prospect of relegation and a heart-to-heart talk that it rallied splendidly, and from the bottom of the ladder in the first round finished well up in the championship, losing only two games in the second round and those by small margins.' It should be needless to appeal to senior players not to jeopardise the future of the younger players of the Hub and the committee trusted that they had learned their lesson. Receipts include £lOO from a Test seats competition, which was transferred to the gymnasium account. Assets exceed liabilities by £B2B, and include £406 in banks and £350 represented by the gymnasium and section.