Meeting of Union Delegates Considered A Pointless “Rabble”

Grey River Argus, 3 May 1947, Page 6

Meeting of Union Delegates Considered A Pointless “Rabble”

On Thursday morning, delegates from Rugby Unions in New Zealand assembled in Wellington for the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Football i Union. The meeting started I early to enable much business to I be transacted, but after approximately three hours of almost / fruitless discussion, one delegate referred to the “rabble” he had had to listen to during the morning. For an annual mooting of delegates representative of the football controllers in New Zealand it was not an edifying spectacle! to see five or six speakers all wanting the floor at once, and when one should catch the chairman’s eye, start off on a subject entirely divorced from that being discussed. It was recommended that for the selection of New Zealand teams this season there be four selectors for the North Island and three for the South Island. These would select players for the trials, with one North, one South Island and one independent selector given the task of selecting the final team. After paying tribute to the manner in which “a rival code” in Auckland catered for its players, and for the progress it was making throughout New Zealand, Mr. T. Pearce (Auckland) urged the council to go into the question of the appointment of a head coach to give lectures, for the establishment of a coaching school and generally, to do something to improve the standard of Rugby football.