RANFURLY SHIELD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19721, 22 August 1927, Page 10

RANFURLY SHIELD.

APPEAL COUNCIL'S FINDING. THE PLAYING OF BARCLAY. BREACH OF UNION'S RULES. The New Zealand Rugby Union Appeal Council, Messrs. J. Arneil, P. Mackie and J. L. Conlan, of Auckland, has issued its judgment in the case presented to it by the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union in connection with the eligibility of W. Barclay to play in the Ranfuriy Shield '"match against Wairarapa on July 9. In a lengthy statement the Appeal Council states"Barclay was, in our opinion, under the control and resident within the defined boundaries of the Auckland Union between May 7 and June 23. He arrived in Napier on June 24, and, even assuming that Barclay immediately came under the control of the Hawke's Bay Union on June 24, then the period of three weeks during which he should have been under the control of and resident within the defined boundaries of that union would not expire until July 15, a"lsd up to such date he was not eligible to play in a representative match for Hawke's Bay. "By playing Barclay for Hawke's Bay against Wairarapa on July 9 the Hawke's Bay Union was therefore committing breach of Rule 43. We, therefore, unanimously decide that the Hawke's Bay team, by the inclusion of Barclay, committed a breach of rule 43 of the New Zealand Union's rules, and that the appeal of the Hawke's Bay Union shall be dismissed. "We may add that in an appeal of this nature where affidavit evidence and letters of an evidentiary nature are supplied by one union only, the other union interested should have an opportunity of perusing the facts placed before the New Zealand Union in order that such union may have, an opportunity of replying to the same and producing other evidence."

ATTITUDE OF HAWKE'S BAY. FURTHER ACTION UNLIKELY. [BY TELEGRAPH.—P/lESS ASSOCLATION. ] NAPIER, Sunday. What is believed to be an indication by the Hawke's Bay Rugby Union that it will not now take its Ranfurly Shield appeal to the Supreme Court was given at a meeting at Napier at the week-end, when it was decided to ask the New Zealand Rugby Union for instructions as to where to forward the trophy. This decision is taken here in well-informed circles as indicating that Hawke's Bay will hand the shield to the new owners, and then let the matter drop.