NEW ZEALAND RUGBY

Dominion, Volume 31, Issue 154, 26 March 1938, Page 15

NEW ZEALAND RUGBY

Lessons Learned From Springbok Tour Dominion Special Service. Napier, March 25. The main objective of all parties in- ' terested in the future of Rugby football should be tu arouse interest iu the game, said the mayor of Hastings, Mr. G. A. Maddison, who presided at the annual meeting of the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union held at Napier to-night. "We have been ‘mucking round’ with the rules of the game too much,” said Mr. Maddison. ‘‘Our defeat in the matches against the Springboks last season was due in some measure to the fact that we interfered with the international rules." Tlie season had been a quite successful and strenuous one, and it had been said that during the Springbok tour of Hawke’s Bay the visitors had played the hardest of their provincial tour. The fact that no restriction had been placed on the number of interprovincial . games played was proving detrimental tox football. It was found that the large number of games played was interfering with club football in New Zealand. The Rugby council had discussed the practicability of limiting the number of these matches, but nothing definite had been decided. In ijouth Africa interprovincial games were limited to six each year, the series being played at home one year and aihiy the following year. The Springbok tour had given a great stimulus to New Zealand football. The New Zealand Rugby Union had obtained some excellent film records of the play and it was proposed to buy two projectors, one for the South Island and one for the North Island. A commentary was to be added to the film, and it would then be available for instruction in schools, clubs and unions. The object of this should be to arouse more interest in the sport. “The New Zealand Rugby Union has had a conference with Maori interests and every effort is being made to arouse interest in Maori football.” A Native team was to visit Fiji this season, and arrangements were being made to hold a competition for the Prince of Wales Cup at Wairoa.

A survey had been made of all subunions by the Rugby Council, and it was intended that part of the proceeds from the Springbok tour be devoted to subunions and to help build up interest in the game in remote districts. School football was an important phase of the sport and the council had a committee at work to see how it was possible to promote further interest in both primary and post-primary schools. Mr. Maddison said that the council was trying to get an amendment of the rules governing the Ranfurly Shield so that the challenge would be to the shield and not to the province holding