RUGBY CONTROL

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 268, 12 October 1932, Page 9

RUGBY CONTROL

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS. KAIERAU TO PLAY KIA TO A. A meeting of the management committee of the Manawatu ltugby District Council was lielcl last nigiit, when Mr J. A. Colqulioun presided. Others present were Messrs Penney, Crawford, Bowler, Yates, Eglinton, AlcHerron and Clevely. An apology for absence was received from Mr Hardie.

Tlie AVanganui Union advised, that Kaierau, tlie champions of AA’anganui, would be prepared to meet Kia 'loa on Saturday. Mr Crawford stated that the Kia. Toa Club was ready to fulfill the fixture. The necessary permission was granted the local club to play the match on the Showgrounds, all arrangements to be left in the hands of the Kia Toa Club which will take the “gate.” The United Club extended the president and members an invitation to be present at the club’s annual smoke concert. The Combined Services Club (Batteries) extended a similar invitation for their function. —Both were accepted with thanks. An application by the Bunnythorpe Club for a grant towards the cost of lighting its ground, which had been deferred pending enquiries into the amount involved, was discussed. Mr Eglinton moved and it was seconded by Mr i'ates that a grant of £1 10s be made. This was carried unanimousA vote of thanks was extended the Press for the publicity and assistance rendered the game during the season. DISPUTE BETWEEN CLUBS. POINTS AAYARDED TO UNITED.

The consideration of the protest lodged by the United Club against Feilding Old Boys for playing Pawson during the currency of a period of disqualification, and also for playing Roach, the AA'airarapa representative full-back, before he had fulfilled the necessary residential qualification, was proceeded with. In reply to a counter charge by Feilding Old Boys that United had played McKenzie, although bis name had not appeared on the team sheet, and for which the council bad sought an explanation, the club advised that McKenzie's name had been omitted inadvertently. The writer explained that when the team was originally selected, Birehall was to play on the wing, but after stripping it was found that he was unfit to take the field as he was suffering from an injured back. Birchall had asked that McKenzie take his place. The team sheet had been written out and handed to the referee, and in the last minute rush to get the team out on to the field, the matter of recalling and altering the sheet had been overlooked. The chairman moved, and it was seconded by Mr Eglinton, that the explanation be accepted. Mr Penney stated that he had pointed the matter out to Air McHerron at half-time, and the club had had the opportunity then to rectify the team sheet.

Air McHerron mentioned that he had only seen five minutes of the first spell and had not been aware till the interval that AtcKenzie had played.

Mr Bowler pointed out that alterations were made in teams' after the play had commenced and the team sheets were never altered. Air Crawford considered that only the team which took the field at the commencement was required to be shown.

The chairman pointed out that, while the explanation had been accepted, it did not excuse the club for playing McKenzie who had not qualified by peirod of residence. When put to the meeting the motion that tire explanation bo accepted was carried, Air Penney dissenting. Air Crawford considered that as both clubs had been guilty of committing bleaches of the rules, the game should be replayed. He moved accordingly. Air Clevely seconded. Air Eglinton moved as an amendment, seconded by Mr Bowler, that the protest be upheld and the points awarded to the United. Club in view of the fact that the Feilding Old Boys’ Club had played Pawson. Air Bowler stated that tire playing of Pawson had been a particularly grave breach by the club.

Air Crawford pointed out that Pawson might well have been of the opinion that ho had been eligible to play, but Air AlcHerron mentioned that Pawson bad told him (the speaker) that he was aware that he should not have played. The chairman, in stating that lie would like to take the easy way out by ordering a replay, said he had to follow the rulings of his predecessors in office, in that where no protest had been received the matter could not be dealt with. There were many breaches of the rules committed every week, and by all clubs, and after careful consideration lie was of the opinion that, as tlie council had upheld the protest by the United Club, he perforce, had to support the amendment. Air Crawford reiterated his contention that both the clubs had committed irregularities, and in his opinion the replay would he the fairest way out. Air Penney was of the opinion that the one club was being allowed to “get

away with it” and the other penalised. AA'lien put to the meeting the amendment was carried by five votes to four. Air Crawford moved as a further amendment that neither club be awarded the points, but there was no seconder forthcoming. The motion which had been standing on the books, that the points be awarded to the United Club, was then put and carried on the same basis of voting.

Tlie allocation of the points to United enables the local club to win the subsidiary competition and it consequently becomes the holder of the Goldfinch and Cousins Cup.

PARS FROAf ALL SOURCES. (By “Cross Bar.”) The staying powers or tlie 1932 Rugby season are vastly superior to many 01 the piayers in Jlanawatu. Stalelies.s is now prevalent. tinted and Uis-u nited might well have been the club titles of tlie senior 111 icons who took the ovals at tlie showgrounds on Saturday. Ruguy Union oiuctals would be wise to remember in future tuait neither patrons nor players appreciate carrying lootball wen into October. the removal of the small stand to the eastern side ol the ovaL at the Showgrounds will be appreciated next season, particularly m the event of there being the same number of easterly winds as there lias been tins season.

The ltanfurly Shield now stays in Cliirstchurch until next season when Utago and Southland, who were not aspirants for the honours this year, will lodge claims. Utago have never Held, the trophy. H. F. Alcuean, the AYellington and New Zealand Rugby forward, has lia.d a very big season, and a very valuable player lie lias been, not only Ini' bis club, but also lor the Wellington and New Zealand teams. He has played in something like forty matches, and. lie has scored close on 100 points, but Ins worth as a player is by no means represented by the points lie scores. A Rugby match in Dunedin in the ’seventies, in which the teams played until 6 ii.in. one Saturday, without scoring, and resumed it on the iollowing Saturday, was recalled, at the Pirates Football Club’s jubilee celebrations, by Hon. G. Al. Thomson, who was the club’s first president. The list of scorers for Canterbury in Ranlurly Shield Rugby matches this year is beaded by the full-back, A. AV. Roberts, who kicked four goals from tries, three penalty goals, and one drop-kicked goal from play, giving him a total ol 2l points. A. Fong, AVest Coast Rugby fiveeighth, is stated to have shown even more speed against Canterbury in the charity fixture than ho did in his province’s earlier match lor the ltanfurly Shield. Fong is a successful competitor for cash prizes on the running tracks in the summer months. In its six matches in defence ol the ltanfurly Shield this year the Canterbury Rugby team lias scored (39 points and has had 22 scored against it. The 69 points are made up ol 16 tries, lour conversions of tries, three penalty goals, and one drop-kicked goal from play. Six tries, two of which were converted, were scored against the team. , , AVitli the ltanfurly Shield ltugby programme for this year completed, the West Coast team remains the only challenger against which Canterbury did not score three tries. It is rathei curious that in each of five of the six .matches for the shield Canterbury scored three tries. The teams which scored tries against Canterbury, were Wellington (2), AA’aikato (2), West Coast (1), and South Canterbury (1). Ol the twenty-nine Australian Rugby players chosen to meet the Springboks next year, only Ross, Alalcolm and Bland toured Great Britain and France with the AVaratahs in 1927-28. Eleven of the players toured New Zealand with the Australian team last season as follows: —Boss, Steggall, Cowper, Alalcolm, Bennett, Bridle, Clarke, Al. AVhite, Cerrutti, Love and Bonis. At the beginning of the representative Rugby season there was good competition for the position of fullback in the Canterbury team. But at the finish A. AV. Roberts distanced the field, states a Christchurch writer. Incidentally, there must be many people who are still wondering if Arthur Collins, of Taranaki, would have been chosen for the New Zealand team if Roberts had been picked for the South Island team. E. Jessep, the former Poneke, AVellington and New Zealand Rugby forward, did not waste much time in getting into action after his to Alclbourne. He joined up with Eastern Suburbs there, and in the first match, according to one report, lie impressed very greatly, playing in his usual place as a front row forward. The captain of the Alelhourne University Rugby team, Gordon Sturtridge, who recently passed his medical examinations, has taken up residence at the Brisbane Hospital. Sturtridge lias represented A’ictoria and Australia this season, and played against the All Blacks. Ho is included in the Australian team to tour South Africa. Although he may play in club Rugby next year, C. J. Oliver is not likely to appear again in representative matches. He intended that the match with AVaikato should be his last Ranfurly Shield match. As Oliver is not tlie type of player who makes an “annual retirement,” there seems small chance that he will change his mind. In retiring from representative Rugby, Oliver has the satisfaction of having captained the team which took the ltanfurly Shield to Canterbury last year, of having played in nil the six games in which the shield was held this yenr, and of having acted ns leader of the Canterbury hacks in these games. In Iris last shield match Oliver played brilliantly, as second fiyeelglitli, and in the second game with AVest Coast he gave a very good display after he had returned to his former position as centre three-quarter. But Canterbury people have not seen the most brilliant Oliver; that pleasure was enjoyed by Australians who saw the New Zealand team of 1929 in action. Oliver’s work lies so far from the citv that he has not had the opportunltv to acquire for Canterbury Rugby the fitness that training with a New Zealand team on tour gave him.