RUGBY FOOTBALL

Grey River Argus, 23 April 1941, Page 2

RUGBY FOOTBALL

WEST COAST UNION. Mr J. Guy (Vice-President) was in the chair, at the weekly meeting of the Management Committee of the West Coast Rugby Union last evening when there were also present Messrs T. Eggleton, T. Mclntosh, A. E. Dowgray, M. Olsen, T. O’Donnell, J. Steel, F. W. Baillie, T. P. Ryan and O. McLean (secretary). The chairman welcomed Mr Dowgray as representative of the schools .in place of Mr H. F. Silcock, and expressed the opinion tha't the schools competition would continue to flour’sll - . , The application of Te Kmga Club for the reclassification of T. Hibbs from, senior (Bell Hill) to junior, was granted. Celtic Club was granted permission to publish and sell programmes of representative matches. Two applications for reinstatement to the code were received and recommended.

The following nominations were received for the competitions:

Senior: Celtic, Stars, United, Cobden. _ . Junior: Magpies, Te Kinga, Celtic, Cobden Stars, United. Third grade: Celtic, Blaketowrq Cobden, Technical. Fourth grade: Technical (2), Blaketown. WESTLAND’S TEAMS. Mr Ryan said he understood that two teams would be available in Westland, one at Hokitika, and one at Kokatahi, and wished to play in the Greymouth competitions. The chairman said that the question was whether the Hokitika team would not be one too strong.

Mr Ryan moved that the senior competition be not drawn until the Union had conferred with the Westland sub-union, and that the secretary, Messrs Baillie and Guy, confer with Hokitika before making the draw. The motion was carried.

Mr Ryan said that the Union should assist every club because teams might change with the loss of men for military duties. If the teams could get 15 men to play, that was. all the Union required. The sub-committee appointed should have full power to draw the senior fixtures for Saturday. Messrs Baillie, A. M. Jamieson and O’Donnell were appointed to the fixtures committee, and Messrs Ryan, Mclntosh and Eggleton were appointed the postponement committee. CUTTING OUT THE RULES. Mr Ryan said it would probably open up a big question, but he felt that as long as 15 players were available clubs should be allowed to field teams. There should be no residential qualifications. Mr O’Donnell opposed the suggestion, saying that it would be open to Westport and Canterbury players to play. It would be all right if the players came from the district. Mr Ryan: If there’s no trophy what does it matter? Mr O’Donnell: Trophies don’t matter at all in my opinion. Mr Mclntosh said he agreed with the principle of Mr Ryan’s suggestion, but the time had not yet arisen.

Mr Dowgray asked if Mr Ryan meant that emergencies of one team could play with another club to make a full team. Mr Ryan agreed, and said that he did not propose to permit players of a club with a bye to play for another club.

Mr O’Donnell said the Union’s rules prohibited any player playing for two clubs.

The chairman said that the Union should wait and see how the season

went. Mr Ryan said the Union ought, to act now and make sure that the teams were full. There should be no thought of “ringing in.” The 15 players who were fielded by a team on Saturday would not be available in three months. Clubs had not yet had time to ask the Union to give the consideration they would require. Mr O’Donnell suggested that an emergency committee should deal with applications on the ground. The chairman said he agreed with Mr Ryan, but felt the Union should wait a fortnight before taking action. In answer to Mr O’Donnell, Mr Ryan said that he did not suggest that seniors could be taken from the side-line to fill a junior team. Mr Baillie moved and Mr O’Donnell seconded that an emergency committee be set up to deal with ail urgent matters. The committee could function between Union meetings and the following games. Mr Ryan: That will suit me very well, because we will have confidence in the men we appoint. The motion was carried unanimously.

It was decided on Mr Baillie’s motion that the committee consist of members of the Management Committee of the Union, three to form a' quorum. Mr Mclntosh said he agreed with Mr Ryan that no trophies should be competed for this season and he moved that all club trophies be with? drawn this year. The motion was seconded by Mr O’Donnell and carried. Mr Mclntosh gave notice to move that the Referees’ Assn, be allowed to have one representative on the Union with power to vote at all meetings. SEDDON SHIELD GAMES. Mr Ryan said that as there was no meeting of the New Zealand Union this year, he thought that a meeting of Seddon Shield district union delegates should be held. He had met Mr Craddock of Westport and suggested a meeting at Murchison to discuss the matches for .the season in place of the discussion which took place at the New Zealand Union’s meeting. If it were decided to hold Seddon Shield matches, it might be preferable to hold them early. He moved that the Union, as holder of the Shield, write to all unions and ask their views as to the holding of a conference at Murchison on a date suitable to the unions. The chairman said that the. New Zealand Union had decided to cut out all trophy games except the Seddon Shield.

Mr Mclntosh said it was a waste of money to hold a meeting when the whole matter could be arranged by correspondence. He asked what power the delegates would have. Mr Ryan said that the delegates would have the correspondence before them prior to the conference. Mr Baillie seconded the motion. Mr Mclntosh moved as an amendment that unions be asked if they were in favour of holding Seddon Shield matches, during the war. Mr O’Donnell seconded the amendment.

Mr Steel said that there was no need to go back to what happened in the ffist war. Already the Seddon Shield had been played for during the present war. The chairman said if all unions agreed that no games take place there would be no need for a conference.. The amendment was defeated by five votes to four, and the motion was carried.

On Mr Ryan’s motion it was decided to invite Canterbury To play their first home-and-home match at Greymouth on the King’s Birthday, June 2, in view of the fact that West Coast had played in Christ church first last year.

Mi’ Steel seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr Mclntosh said that only about five referees would be available on Saturday. The Assn, was very short of referees, and he asked any delegates who knew of prospective referees to let the Assn, know as soon as possible. REFEREES’ ASSN. [Per Press Association] WELLINGTON, April 22. It ha's been decided to abandon the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Referees’ Assn, this year. Mr G. Bradley, chairman, commented that, in view of existing circumstances,’ affiliated associations had been sounded on the question of holding a meeting as usual, and the replies indicated an opinion strongly in favour of cancellation as a wartime measure. The Dominion Conference has also been abandoned.