RUGBY TOURS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 10 June 1939, Page 2

RUGBY TOURS

REPLACEMENT OF FIJIAN VISIT ALTERNATIVE PROPOSALS I United Pres* Association! WELLINGTON, This Day. After discussion in committee on the circumstances causing the Fijian Rugby Union to cancel its tour of New Zealand, the New Zealand Rugby Council, at its meeting in Wellington yesterday, decided to accept the cancellation. To replace the cancelled Fijian tour, it was decided to refer to the executive for consideration the following alternatives: (a) That a Maori team take up the tour; (b) that a minor unions’ team take up the tour; (c) that the tour be shared by a Maori team and a minor unions’ team. It was decided that the minor unions’ team would be picked from the following unions:— North Island: North Auckland, Thames Valley, Bay of Plenty, King Country, Horowhenua, East Coast, Poverty Bay, Bush Districts.

South Island: Seddon Shield districts, Ashburton, North Otago. In reaching its decision the council first threshed out difficulties in the way of providing suitable alternatives. The chairman, Mr S. S. Dean, pointed out that previous tours of New Zealand by minor union teams had resulted in substantial financial losses. The New Zealand Rugby Union was not perturbed by such losses so much as by the fact that they indicated lack of interest Other delegates stre sed that many players eligible for such tours would be wanted by their own uniors. The suggestion that a Maori team should take up the tour was then discussed. a Delegates agreed that if this team could not fulfil all the fixtures a minor unions’ team might be able to take up the rest. It was stressed that the minor unions’ team would have to be picked after the North-South minor unions’ game, and that this fixture would have to be as early as possible. It was decided to make a recommendation to the executive of the New Zealand Rugby Council that this match be played in Christchurch if possible, the date to be fixed by the executive. On the subject of what would be the unions from which the teams would be picked, Mr A. A. Adams (West Coast) pointed out that the New Zealand Union had ruled that there were no minor unions. Lieut.-Colonel T. J. King said the object should be to provide opportunities for the players in the smaller unions who did not appear much before the public at large. It was agreed that this should be the basis for selecting the teams.