CAMP TRAINING.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 176, 11 July 1927, Page 8

CAMP TRAINING.

RUGBY FOOTBALL TEAMS. ACTION DEFENDED. Mr G. A. Maddison, Mayor of Hastings, and president of the H.B. Rugby Union, who was present at the Hawke’s Bay—Wairarapa Ranfurly Shield match, returned from Masterton with the Shield at 3.30 o’clock on Sunday morning. He says that at the dinner in the evening the chairman (Mr Deans) found fault with Hawke’s Bay going into camp in preparation for the match, on the ground that it smacked of professionalism, but Mr Maddison, in his reply, defended the action of the Hawke’s Bay management, pointing out that the New Zealand teams w r ent into camp—training on the oc ■easions of the visits of tho English and the Springbox representatives. Provincial teams were not like city teams, as they were scattered and difficult to get together for training, whilst in the cities the players were concentrated and had only to jump into a tram to meet together in a gymnasium. They only wanted to put their mon into the Held perfectly fit, and in doing that he could not see that professionalism liad in any way invaded their methods. Tho feeling in some of the speeches at tlir dinner was wami, added Mr M'addi-on, but tho spirit of the play•*rs themselves, was splendid and sportsmen I iko.