RUGBY FOOTBALL

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 62, 15 March 1933, Page 11

RUGBY FOOTBALL

LOCAL UNION'S MEETING

MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION.

In comparison with last year's meeting, when matters affecting the game from, a Dominion-wide aspect, such as the abolition of the wing-forward, involving a variation from New Zealand's traditional scrum formation, and the replacement of injured players were discussed, the 1933 annual meeting of the Wellington Rugby Football Union, to be held tonight, is expected to deal mainly with questions relating to the control of the game locally. The grading of teams and the amount of travelling players will be called upon to do are- two matters which will probably come before the meeting. An effort will; also' pTobably be made to make provision for unemployed players who are unable-to pay their club subscriptions. This last matter is the purpose oi two notices of motion on the ordei paper. The first, brought forward by the Melrose-Sehvyn Club, is "That Kiile i of 'Rules for Club Contests' be rescinded." The Wellington College Old Boys' Club's delegates will move "Th^t the ■' following words be added to Rule- 4: 'Provided that the subscription of a member of a club . shall be deemed to be paid for the purposes of this rule, if the club certifies to the union that such member is, through un- i employment or for other sufficient I reason, for the time being unable to pay his subscription.-" -"' . The rule reads as follows :■ — "Triplicate receipt forms are to be used by secretaries of clubs—one for the member, one for the club, and one j for the secretary of the union—and no j man shall be- allowed to play in any match after the first Saturday in June in any year, unless his subscription for the current year be paid and the receipt in the hands of the secretary, or unless such receipt is initialled beiiore the match by the referee of such match, or by the captain of the opposing'team." GRADING OF TEAMS. Notice of ,a motion of mammoth dimensions, covering two typewritten foolscap sheets, has been given by the Miramar Club with a view to amending the system under which the grado competitions are conducted. The idea behind the motion is to have the teams in each grade divided at the commencement of the season into an "upper" and a "lower" section, the upper section .to consist of not more, than half the teams in the grade, with a maximum of 12. "When seven Saturdays, remain for play, these divisions are to be discarded, and the teams divided into A, B, and (if necessary) C sections, the- A section to consist'of the .leading teams in the "upper" section (with a maximum of seven) and the leading team or teams in the lower section, with a limit of eight In the section. The leading team ■in this i section will be awarded the championship for the year. At the , commence-1 ment of the following season the leading 6, 8, 10, or 12 teams shall automatically form tho "upper'? section. Among objections which may be raised to the scheme aro the following: Ton teams would be necessary iv the upper" section to allow all-the- teanisJ to meet each other during the first half I of tho season, and this does not appoar ! to be possible in all grades; difficulty would be experienced in providing the teams in the B and d sections with matches till the end of tho season following the second division into sectionsthe divisions are intended to be made solely according to the playing ability of the various teams, and difficulties would consequently bo expected to arise m regard to travelling when drawing up the grounds for each 'Saturday's matches; tho strength "of a team at the end of one season cannot always be taken as an indication of its strength at the commencement.of-tho following season. •

The remainder of the business is expected to be mainly of a routine nature, including the adoption of the report and balance-sheet and the election, of officers.