The Hawera Star. FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1928. INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BOARD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 23 March 1928, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 1928. INTERNATIONAL RUGBY BOARD.

Delivered every evening by 5 o’clock In Hawera. Manaia, Normanby, ©lcaiawa, Eltham, Mangatoki. Kaponga, Alton, Hurleyville Patea, Waverley. Mokoia. Whakamara. Ohangai, Meremere. Prase* Road, and Ararata-

It is difficult to write of the continued obstinacy anidl narrow outlook of the International Rugby Board without becoming explosive, but the cold fact remains that the Board, in its wisdom, has seen 1 fit to adhere to its old attitude towards Dominion tours by Home teams. Prior to 1924-25 wc knew a good deal about the intellectual breadth of the men who sit in solemn conclave at Home and decide just what is good for New Zealand, South African and Australian supporters of the game, but we had hoped that a display of patience and tact ou the part of Now Zealand prior to the English tour of the All Blacks would bring its reward later, after the members of the Board had rubbed shoulders with our players and witli such men as ; Mr S. S. Dean and Mr S. F. Wilson. Up till then we tried to understand the viewpoint of men who loved the game for the game’s sake, but were unaAvare that in the newer countries there were thousands of young colonials who regarded Rugby just as much as theirs as anyone else’s, ■though they might not know a groat deal about its origin and might even remain unimpressed- were they informed more fully on that point. It was not too much to expect that when those gentlemen discovered for themselves ■that New Zealand was capa,ble of assembling some twenty-eight, players fit to measure themselves against the Rugby giants of the world they would be shaken out of their groove of selfcomplacency and realise that the time had long since arrived when they had no longer any right to continue their “hands off’’ attitude. It should have been plain to them then that the game was no longer solely their's, and that, if they avpto desirous of being accepted as sincerely desirous of safeguarding the future of Rugby, and not merely taking a joy in their poAver, the time had come for them to admit, with as good a grace as possible, that there wore other Britishers just as devoted to the Rugby tradition as themselves. But unhappily the 1924-25 tour accomplished nothing in that respect., We still have

the Board pronouncing solemn judgments and setting its face against granting adequate representation to the Rugby-playing Dominions. Now Zea- i landers are forced to accept the opinion of Mr Wilson' that so' long as the men at present in charge of Rugby affairs in Scotland and Ireland have any say in the matter, no team representative of the United Kingdom will visit the Dominion. Mr Wilson has every ground for giving vent to such an opinion. Personally he is representative of the very best type of man in charge of Rugby in this country, ofcalm and judicial temperament, and not given to talking until he ha® something to say. He was 1 New Zealand ’si delegate to the International Conference of 1925, and there he had an unparalleled opportunity of gauging the quality of the Home delegates for himself. His opinion that the path to a better understanding between the Home authorities and the Dominion® is barred by the prejudice of individuals' who think along the lines of the "old school ’ ’ with its narrow ideas of sportsmanship and gentility, i-s supported. t>y irII New Zealanders who give any thought to matter® of administration. In turning down the proposal that a four should! be made of this Dominion in 1930 tho Board first stated that it would not be able to assemble a team of first-class players by that yoaT. How it could presume to know that was a matter for wonder on this side of the .world, where we do not hold that a man has to be nearing the end of his. athletic career before we can "take a chance on him" a® an international representative. The Board has now qualified that statement by adding that, though there are plenty of financial players anxious to make the trip, l.therc are insufficient players with money who could be deemed worthy of selection for a 1930 tour. Again one ■wonders just how the Board knows with such certitude that there will be insufficient players of the requisite ■standard, both in a Rugby sense and financially, in 1930; but what hurts New Zealand susceptibilities most is the reference to money. We are apt to lose patience with the type of Englishman who contend® that 1 a player cannot allow the Union to pay his bare expenses 'on a tour and still remain an amateur and a gentleman. It is time some means were found of replacing some of the present delegate® to the Board. Their attitude of aloofness should be too ultra-conservative, even for England, where a professional cricketer is no longer prohibited from walking on to the ground through the same gate as a gentleman!