"NO OFFICIAL BACKING."

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 49, 26 August 1922, Page 14

"NO OFFICIAL BACKING."

'An ex-official of the Hawkes Bay Rugby Union has. informed the' writer that the remarks which were made recently aßout Wellington having done nothing much for Hawkes Bay were not altogether wide of the mark. He had been in a position to know that during the years from "about 1903 to WOB Wellington did not: show any desire, to play Hawkes Bay, as the latter were regarded as a. second-class team, 'and he recalled one occasion in particular when on a Southern lour Hawkes Bay did not play Wellington, but .met every other leading province. That, however, is past history, and since the period men-, ■tioned there have been many change:'

in the controlling bodiei of Rugby, v well ai in the standard of play of the provinces. The unpleasant remarks made recently, and to which reference was made in "The Post" last week, concerned the relations between Wellington and Hawkes Bay since 1910. That there was no cause for them is evidenced by the fact that various persons connected with Rugby in Hawkes Bay have since expressed disapproval of the action of the /official' travelling with the team in making such unjust statements. "Touchline," in the "Hawkes Bay Herald," has the following to say about the matter:—"While the victory oj Hawkei Bay over Wellington in the Banfurly Shield match has been a theme of congratulation on all sides, it is very regrettable to find 'a .fly in the ointment,' due to the ill-considered remarks of an official at. a dinner given by the Wellington Bugby Union in honour of the Hawkes Bay team. . . , It it certain that the unsportsmanlike attack indicated above will.be indignantly refuted by the Hawkei Bay Union, and it may be taken for granted that the uhion will lose no time, immediately on the team's return, in adequately dealing with the matter, and assuring the Wellington Union that the attack had t)O official backlog."