RUGBY FOOTBALL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 120, 21 April 1932, Page 10

RUGBY FOOTBALL

HOROWHENUA DISTRICT COUNCIL At a meeting of the management committee of the Horowhenua Rugby District Council at Levin, further preparations were made for the new season. It was stated that there would be no fewer than seven senior teams and twelve junior ones in the field. . The secretary reported that the entries were as follow: —Senior: Foxton FireBrigade, Shannon, Wanderers, Hui Mai, Punihau, Otaki and Motuiti. Junior, Northern Division: Athletic Foxton Fire Brigade, Shannon, Punihau, Kereru, Foxton. Southern Division : Kuku, Paekakariki, Paraparaumu, Rahui, Otaki, Waikanae. The Punihau club is a Levin Maori organisation. A lengthy discussion took place on the Motuiti Club’s application for affiliation.

The secretary said the ruling of the Manawhenua Council secretary on the boundary as defined in the rule book was that Motuiti was in the Te Kawau Sub-Union’s district. Mr Robinson contended that the boundaries given in the rule hook were not in accordance with the report made by a sub-committee consisting of himself, and Messrs Austin and Eglinton, when Horowhenua entered the combined union.

Motuiti delegates who were present said they understood the Te Kawau Sub-Union did not object to Motuiti playing in Horowhenua provided no Rangiotu players were taken away. Motuiti was regarded as ‘‘No man’s land.”

Mr Barber, who said he was acquainted with the history of the Himatangi block for nearly sixty years, could not follow the boundaries given in the rule book, and said further investigation was required before these were accepted. Mr Procter also gave the early history of the northern boundary. . . It was decided to accept the Motuiti Club for affiliation with Horowhenua. The Motuiti delegates asked that thev be allotted red and blue as their colours and this was agreed to. Mr Ball said the Foxton Fire Brigade Club wished to know whether the union would subsidise certain clubs which had to travel long distances such as Foxton and Shanuon to Otaki and vice versa. . . A* sub-oommittee, consisting of Messrs Ritliards, Rimmer and Casey, was set up to bring down a report on the subject to next meeting. Mr Robinson said that last year two men had been appointed as “special constables” to see that spectators did not enter the playing ground at Foxton over the fences. These men were given complimentary tickets and he moved that similar arrangements be made this year with two men from each of the Foxton clubs. Mr Ball thought the complimentary tickets should only apply to the home grounds and not throughout the union, and moved to that effect. After & considerable discussion Mr Robinson s motion was carried. . Mr Winiata thought that with the assistance of Rugby supporters in the way of cars fvhen travelling, there was no need to curtail the representative programme. They should _ play the home and home matches with Manawatu. the return match with Te Rawau, and a chall©ng© for th© B©bbing* ton Shield, , Mr Mitchell favoured cutting down representative matches as much as possible in view of the necessity for reducing expenses. ~. _ Mr Robinson thought the Bebbington Shield challenge could be left until later when they saw how their gates were turning out. .. Tho question was postponed until later in the season.

NEW ZEALAND UNION. WELLINGTON, April 21. “Referees are apt to come to us for a decision on technical points which might well be settled b— themselves witk the exercise of common sense, said Mr S. S. Dean, chairman, at a meeting of the management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union last evening, when rulings agreed upon by the New Zealand Rugby Referees Association at its annual conference were submitted for Approval. Mr Dean said that if the referees found themselves faced with a technical point they should use their own iud ,r Hylton; Common sense to apply. Mr Dean: Yes. . Mr Kitto: If they are going to look for trouble they will find it all along the line. , Mr Dean said that many of the propositions submitted were mere quibbles. “Let the referees use their common sense and rule accordingly, he added. A member: Where do we get our authority from? Mr Dean said that definite principles had been laid down. The referees had no right to read into a rule something that was not there. Mr Leith: We preach uniformity, but apparently, we are not prepared to back it up. Mr Dean: We are giving the interpretations strictly according to the rules. I say that many of these technical points could bo settled by the referees with the exercise of common sense. MAORI TEAM. A suggestion that a Maori team should be selected to tour the north after the Prince of Wales match at Palmerston North on July 9 was made by Mr Dean. The proposal received general support. A sub-committee was appointed to ascertain the cast of such a tour and report to the next meeting. NORTH v. BOOTH ISLAND MATCH. The formal motion that the North versus South Island Rugby match be played at Christchurch on June 4 was passed. It was decided to_ select the team on May 28, nominations to be received not later than noon of that day. It is proposed to appoint two selectors to select the North v. South Island teams, and the New Zealand team to tour Australia. The unions have been asked to send in their nominations by April 27. RUGBY RULES. Per Press Association. CHRISTCHURCH, April 20. The Rugby referees in Canterbury are empowered to allow teams to leave the field at half-time. This is according to a decision reached by the Canterbury Rugby Union last evening. Statements were made at a meeting of the management committee that the rule of the English union that the teams must remain on the field at halftime was ridiculous, and was an English tradition carried down from distant years when there was a possibility of teams being “bought over” at halftime.