RUGBY FOOTBALL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVI, Issue 121, 23 April 1936, Page 14

RUGBY FOOTBALL.

NO CHANGE IN SCRUM. Per Press Association-. WELLINGTON, April 22. At the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union to-night, the election of officers resulted: — Patron, the Governor-General; president, Mr R. J. Smith (Bush Districts); vicepresidents, presidents of affiliated unions; management committee, Lieut.-Colonel J. G. Roache, Messrs IV. J. Wallace, S. S. Dean, A. McDonald, T. A. Fletcher, F. T. Glasgow and Hon. J. McLeod; appeal council, Sir James Hutchison, Messrs F. H. Campbell and T. H. Simcock all of Dunedin (re-elected). In view of the visit ol the South African team to the Dominion next year the delegates decided that three men should be retained in the front row of the scrum in New Zealand this year. Mr S. F. Wilson (Canterbury) made a pica for more matches for the smaller unions. Tours made in the past were too late in the season. He considered that the smaller unions should be grouped and treated as minor unions. Matches should be plashed in J-uly, and the South Island unions could play the minor unions in the North Island. Such a scheme would cost over a four-year period a little over £IOOO.

Delegates considered that the scheme would not meet the situation and Mr Wilson’s intention to recommend the scheme to the management committee was defeated.

It was decided again to make a grant of £750 toward the. futherance of school football. A recommendation to the management committee that three selectors for the teams to meet Australia be appointed for each Island, and that the committee hold office for two years in view of the visit of the South African^team, was adopted. Players this season will play the game under the amended rule which obtained here two seasons ago, which prevented kicking into touch on the full between the twenty-five yard marks. This decision was ’come to at the meeting. GOLDEN JUBILEE OF WESTPORT CLUB. Westport Football Club, the oldest club in the Buller district, was established in 1886 and this year will celebrate its golden jubilee. The date is not definitely fixed as Buller holds the Seddon Shield and is subject to challenges, dates lor which are decided at the annual meeting of the N.Z.R.U. Meantime, a tentative date has been chosen, _ Saturday, August 22nd, and a committee has been sot up to make arrangements for fittingly celebrating the historic occasion. It is intended to hold a jubilee ball on August 21, a series of Rugby matches, combined with procession and sports programme on the Saturday afternoon, and a grand dinner in the evening, the festivities concluding with a comprehensive motoring tour on Sunday. Westport Football Club has an honoured record with players chosen from its ranks almost every season for representative honours and has also been represented in South Island teams and the All Blacks in tours of Australia.