"DEGRADING A PASTIME"

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 22, 26 July 1927, Page 8

"DEGRADING A PASTIME"

RANFURLY SHIELD MATCH

EDITORIAL COMMENT ON

INCIDENTS

(By Telearaph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day. In the course of an editorial entitled "Degrading a Pastime" to-day's "Herald" says: "The decision of tho Hawkes Bay Eugby Union to go to law rather than hand over the Banfurly Shield to Wairarapa continues a series of very unpleasant incidents connected, with the recent game between these two unions for this trophy. The incurring of disgrace by M. Brownlie and ■ Q. Donald iv being ordered off was bad enough in view of their representative status in New Zealand football, but thoir exoneration was worse. In whitewashing theso offenders the respective unions havo struck a damaging blow to the game. Had those players suffered disqualification it might have been reasonably held that the punishment fitted the crime, for their international status demands a higher standard of conduct from them than from others, and Brownlie's captaincy of the Hawkes Bay team made him particularly responsiblo for setting an example. Very properly their exoneration by their unions has been resented by the referee and his association. Unless the New Zealand Referees' Association support their stand, this resentment will disastrously spread. "Next came Wairarapa's protest, apparently well based, on the ground that Barclay was illegally included in tho Hawkes Bay team. This was followed by the decision of the New Zealand Rugby Union that the Shield should be returned to Wairarapa. Instead of this decision being accepted by tho Bay Union in a sportsinanliko way, however, a needless amount of quibbling has begun, and now the disgruntled union has determined to seek an injunction of tho Supreme Court against the decision. From one point of view the whole affair is ridiculously comic, from another which most will feel compelled to take' it is a very regrettable degradation of a popular pastime. "The Banfurly Shield is an amateur trophy, given to foster wholesome contests in the national game, and it is being fought for and quarrelled over in a wholly discreditable fashion. Its winning is made a business, and a shady business, players being shamelessly transferred to aid a team's chances referees flouted, and the ruling authorities threatened with legal proceedings. If this sort of thing goes on the glory will depart from Rugby in New Zealand. The union would be well advised to impound the Shield and lock it away in a cupboard until this sorry series of incidents is as much forgotten as it can ever be. As things are no self-respect-ing provincial union will feel inclined to have anything to do with it."