RUGBY FOOTBALL Competition For Senior Teams To Be Of Two Rounds

Greymouth Evening Star, 27 April 1949, Page 8

RUGBY FOOTBALL Competition For Senior Teams To Be Of Two Rounds

The West Coast Rugby Union’s senior competition this year is to be of two rounds but the union will have the right at the conclusion of the first round of selecting such leading teams as it deems expedient to play off in the final round. This decision was reached at. a meeting of the management committee last evening when various suggestions concerning the duration of the senior competition were discussed.

The suggestion that two rounds be played, but the union have the right to pick out the leading teams at the end of the first round, was first proposed by the president, Mr F. W. Baillie, who stated that because of number of teams participating in the competition it would not be possible to complete two full rounds. In reply to a question by Mr C. Neville, Mr Baillie said that ordinary club fixtures were played when representative matches were also played, but the results were credited to the second competition. Knock-Out Suggested

Mr J. Webster moved that a oneround competition be played and that it be followed by a knock-out competition. “A knock-out competition does not go very well,” said the president, pointing out that if a one-round competition was agreed upon the union would not be able at the conclusion of the round to extend the duration of the competition. “A one-round competition will take until about the end of July, if all goes well.” Mr E. M. Todd pointed out that the practice in Canterbury for several years had been to complete one round at the end of which the union had selected four leading teams to play off in the final. If the team leading on points at the conclusion of the first round was not successful in winning the final, it had the right to challenge the winner of the final, he said. “Too Complicated”

“It sounds too complicated for the average player,” .commented Mr B. Watkin. ‘They want either one or two rounds.” “I don’t like one round but it is not possible to have two rounds,” Mr A. M. Jamieson said. “I don’t like one round either,” Mr Baillie remarked, “but if you decide on one round you can’t alter it later on. If you have two rounds with the proviso that the union pick out the four leading teams at the end of the first round, you may get over the difficulty.” It was finally decided that the senior competition be of two rounds, subject to the right of the union to select such teams as it deems expedient to play off in a final. It was decided that the junior competition be of two rounds and the Junior Advisory Board is to be asked for its recommendations of the durations of the competitions for the third to eighth grades. Club Support For Coaches’ Association

Following a lead given by the West Coast Rugby Union, several clubs/have intimated that they were willing to assist in the revival of the coaches’ association. At a meeting of the management committee last evening it was decided that in an endeavour to revive the association, a meeting be called and coaches of all clubs be invited to attend. The president, Mr F. W. Baillie, said three clubs had written to the union giving their support to the move, while other clubs had intimated that they were willing to assist. Giving the Referees’ Association’s support to the move, Mr A. R. King said that it was a move in the right direction providing that it was organised correctly. “The Blaketown Club discussed the position at the end of last year,” Mr A. Agnew said. “Would clubs be prepared to finance a scheme where a good coach from an outside district be procured for two weeks or so? The benefit would be untold.” He was in agreement with the suggestion, said Mr Baillie, but it was a matter that would have to be put before the clubs.

It was decided that a meeting be called for early next week and"' that coaches of all clubs be invited to attend.

Applications for the re-instatement of D McCarthy and A. Scalmer (Cobden) and R. Atkinson (Hokitika) were forwarded to the New Zealand Union with favourable recommendations. Mr F W. Baillie presided at the meeting and also present were Messrs H Clifford. B. Watkin, E. M. Todd, J. Webster, E. W. Shannon, W. O. Blair, S McDonnell, A. M. Jamieson, C. Neville, A. R. King, M. R. Bunt, J. Jackson, A. Agnew and the secretary, Mr O. F. Scott. Fixtures For Saturday The West Coast Rugby Union’s management committee at its weekly meeting last evening approved the following fixtures for Saturday:— Senior. —Celtic v Cobden, Park No. 1, at 3 p.m. (J. B. Hogarth); United v Elaketown, Park No. 2, at 3 p.m. (A. R. Lindbom); Star v Kiwi, at Hokitika, at 3 p.m; St Mary's v Excelsior, at Hokitika, at 3 p.m.; Kokatahi a bye. Junior.—Technical Old Boys v Star, Technical School, at 3 p.m. (T. Anderson) ; Cobden v Celtic, Park No. 2, at 1.45 p.m.- (A. R. King); Blaketown v Magpies, Park No. 1, at 1.30 p.m. (R. Ferguson). Third Grade. —Blaketown v Cobden, Park No. 2, at 12.30 p.m. (C. Cockburn) ; Reefton v Celtic, Technical School, at 1.30 p.m. (A. Fong) ; Technical a bye. Fourth Grade.—Cobden v Hokitika, at Hokitika; Celtic defaulted to Technical. Fifth Grade.—Hokitika v Technical, at Hokitika; Celtic'v Star, Park No. 2, at 11 aan. (J. Johnston); Cobden a bye. Sixth Grade.—Hokitika v Blaketown, at Hokitika; Technical v Star, Technical School, at 10 a.m. (B. Thorburn); Cobden v United, Park No. 1, at 10 a.m. (P. Butler). Seventh Grade.—Celtic v Star, Park No. 2, at 10 a.m. (K. Tomlinson); Coboen v Blaketown. at Cobden, at 10 a.m. (J. Webber). Eighth Grade. —Blaketown v Cobden, at Cobden, at 11 a.m. (J. Webber); Celtic v United, Park I, at 11 a.m. (P. Butler) . A bus for Hokitika will leave Cobden at 9.45 a.m. and Greymouth P.O. at 10 o’clock. ALL BLACKS PLAY PRACTICE MATCH WEST AUSTRALIA

PERTH, April 26. A temperature of 86 degrees greeted the All Blacks when the Tamaroa berthed at Fremantle on Sunday afternoon. The weather was ideal for the latter part of the team’s trip to Australia. All members of the team are now fit.

L. T. Savage and J. W. Goddard took longer than the other All Blacks to recover from their early sea-sick-ness, and missed some of the training sessions.

Except for W. A. Meates, who injured an ankle during training on the boat, all the team participated in a match against Western Australia. F. R. Allen’s team scored 17 points in the first spell of 30 minutes, against its opponents’ score of 3. R. H. Dalton’s team scored 17 points in the second spell, when their opponents failed to score. Western Australia put up a good opposition, . particularly in rucking and tackling. The match was a useful test for the All Blacks.

By Alien’s special request, the referee was severe on the slightest infringement by the All Blacks, who were penalised 15 times. Their opponents were penalised once. New Zealand scored 10 tries (I. J. Sotting, three; P. Henderson, two; E. G. Boggs, two; N. H. Wilson, L. A. Grant, and M. P. Goddard, one each). Only two shots were taken at goal after tries, R. W. H. Scott and J. W. Goddard each being successful. Scott’s conversion was from the sideline.

M'ore Training Needed Although the plqyers have had steady training aboard the Tamaroa, many of them will need all the time available after their arrival in South Africa to eliminate surplus weight. Official weights in football gear after the selection of the team last September showed that only one player, H. F. Frazer, was more than 15 stong. L. R. Harvey, M. J. McHugh, P. J. Crowley and J. G. Simpson were each almost 15 stone.

At a weighing at Wellington in ordinary clother before their departure, nine of the forwards weighed more than 15 stone, and three weighed more than 16 stone. The heaviest forwards were: Harvey, 16st; Frazer, 16st 51b; Simpson, 16st 21b; Crowley and McHugh, 15st 121 b; D. L. Christian, 15st 111 b; Walton and Skinner, 15st 61b; C. C. Willocks, 15st 41b. Several of these seem capable of carrying extra weight without impairing their physical fitness, notably Harvey and Willocks, who gave the impression last year of having trained

down to a very fine point. . The only forwards at normal weights are J. R. McNab and P. A. Johnstone.

Training each day has consisted of an hour’s physical exercises and football. In addition, all the front row forwards spend further time at hooking. The main purpose is to have substitutes available if E. H. Catley or N. H. Wilson is injured. Dalton appears the quickest of those tried out. Each day there have been talks on the laws of Rugby. Before leaving New Zealand, the manager (Mr J. H. Parker) received copies of a book designed to ensure greater uniformity in the control of games •by South African referees. This book has been studied by the team. South African Grounds In a talk given on the voyage, Major A. D. Villiers, a South African Rugby administrator who recently visited New Zealand, said the New Zealanders were unlikely to play on the hard turfless grounds experienced by the 1928 All Blacks. Almost all playing areas were now turfed, including De Beer’s Stadium, Kimberley, which in 1928 was red dirt. During training Mr Parker has worn a Welsh International jersey. Asked about the jersey, Mr Parker recalled the 1924 All Blacks’ defeat of Wales. “We waited 19 years for that,” he said. “I hope to be wearing a South African jersey after this tour.”