RUGBY COMB-OUT

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22011, 3 May 1946, Page 4

RUGBY COMB-OUT

S. AFRICAN TOUR PLAYERS IN COUNTRY OPPORTUNITIES URGED (P.A.) WELLINGTON, May 8. Measures to ensure the effective selection and thorough combing of the country in preparation for the tour of South Africa in 1948 produced one of the main discussions at the anual meeting of delegates to tho New Zealand Rugby Union in Wellington yesterday. Several country delegates maintained that tho best forwards had always come from the country districts, but there had been a marked tendency to neglect them. “Many of them are born to blush unseen, as far as big football is concerned,” said Mr. N. A. McKenzie (Hawke's Bay). Air. R. J. Smith (Bush) criticised the appointment of Mr. D. Dalton, a former All Black, as tho North Island selector. While he had great admiration for Dalton as a player, he felt that it was wrong that a man should receive such an appointment without first having been tested. As far as his own union was eeasarned, tho need for greater consideration to be given to country players was also stressed by Mr. Smith. A suggestion to revert to tho practice adopted “before tho last war of sending a North Island country team to tour tho South Island, and vice versa, and tho two teams to meet in Wellington at tho end of the tours was made by Air. C. Brown (Taranaki) as a means of testing country talent.He also suggested that every consideration’ should he given to tlie itinerary of tho tour of South Africa. Last year had been a difficult ono for travel, said Air. A. AlcDonald, one of the North Island and New Zealand selectors. However, ho felt that tho matter would be rectified this year. Air. McKenzie said that this year the selectors had been appointed early with a view to giving every opportunity for viewing all tho players possible, but there was no guarantee that the practice would bo followed in tho future. . To ensure tho greatest consideration for all players AH. McKenzie moved that tho date of tho inter-island match should be fixed at tho annual meeting of delegates each year and that it should he a recommendation’ to the council of the N.Z.R.U. that island and New Zealand selectors should bo appointed not later than Alay 31. The motion was carried. RUGBY— Spending of Funds