FOOTBALL

Evening Post, Volume LXX, Issue 16, 19 July 1905, Page 2

FOOTBALL

THE "COACH" QUESTION. DELEGATES "SUPPORT THE COMMITTEE. A meeting of delegates of the New Zealand Rugby Union was held in Batkins Rooms last night to consider the action of the Management Committee of the Union in appointing a "coach" to go 'to England with the New Zealand team. The meeting -was called at the request of the Auckland, Hawkes Bay, and Taranaki Unions. The chair was occupied by Air G H. Dixon. Mr. M'Connack, Secretary of the Auckland Union, moved, on behalf of his Union, that the appointment of a "coach" is a grave error, and in the opinion of this meetingv ought to be cancelled. Speaking in support of his motion Mr. M'Cormack- dealt exhaustively with the appointment. He thought there was a majority against the appointment if the matter was dealt with on its merits. Referring to the paragraph in the New Zealand Union's circular to affiliated unions in reference to liability if the appointment were cancelled, Mr. M'Cormack contended that even if there was any liability the committee could not get rid of it by resigning. The players as a wholj resented the appointment of any "coach,'" and! the "coach" appointed was not popular. He was prepared to say that if the Management Committee took a ballot of members of the team on the i appointment four-fifths of the team would be against it. Of course, he recognised that the team had nothing to do with the matter, but he had heard it stated that the team was not against the appointment. Mr. A. H. Holmes (Taranaki) seconded the motion. His union thought it would be more advantageous if an active player was sent in- place of the "coach." Mr. J- H. Jjaughton (Wellington) was strongly against a "coach" going with the team. Mr. T. Hunter (Otago) did not see how the delegates could go behind the committee now that the appointment had been made. He had his own personal opinion on the matter, but no good could now be done by discussing the appointment. He advocated the admission of the press to meetings of the Management Committee, and if this had been done before he contended that the present trouble would not have cropped up. Messrs. Isaacs (OUgo), Mintyre and Campbell (Wellington), Coffey (Canterbury), and Weir (Hawkes Bay) supported the action of the committee. The motion was put to the meeting, and was lost by 34 to 15. FOUL PLAY IN CANTERBURY. [BY TELEGRAPH. — I'BESS ASSOCIATION.] CHRISTCHURCH, 15th .July. The Canterbury Rugby Union to-night discussed at considerable length the subject of foul play. The matter was brought up by a referee ordering a player in the senior match Linwood v. Merivale off the ground on Saturday for tripping up an opponent who did not have the ball. The referee, in reporting the mattei, stated that foul play was rampant here, and ho had decided to make an example of the first player he detected. It yras decided to reprimand the player, and to forward the following to the Referees' Association :— "That wilful or systematic breaches of any rule by a player which affects the peison of any opposing player in the field of play should be considered foul play, under Rule 3, section B, while, at the same time, the team to which the offender belongs can bo penalised under Rule 11. The Association is recommended to deal with such offen-jes as the rule directs." UNIVERSITY TEAMS. SYDNEY, 18th July. 1 For the University .match to-morrow the teams are: — Sydney : Back, MKenzie ; three-quar-ters, Futter, Riley, Penman, Barker; halves, Mathew, Roe, forwards, Powell, Groundwater, Hammond, Holts, White, Harris, Johnston,' Builock. Otago : Back, Borries three-quarters, MacPherson, Adams, Cameron; five-eighths, Lomas, Heale ; half, Scannell ; forwards, Mac Donald, Murray, Foote, Stathan, '^Thomson (2), Shaiid, Tansey.