THE EMPIRE GAMES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20244, 2 May 1929, Page 18

THE EMPIRE GAMES.

PROPOSED RUGBY CONTEST. TEAMS FROM THE DOMINIONS. CANADIAN -CLUB'S PROPOSALS. [from our own correspondent.] LONDON, March 19. Communications from the Hamilton Rugby Club, of Canada, havo been received by various sporting journals setting out a scheme for representative teams from tbe Dominions and Great Britain to take part in the British Empire Games in August next year.

Hamilton, now. in conjunction with Toronto, is endeavouring to establish a Rugby Football Union in Ontario. Hamilton camo through its first season very successfully for, in addition to tho formation of an efficient organisation, 'be season's programme was completed without a defeat. This happy position, coupled with the splendid impression the game created last soason, has led the Hamilton Club authorities to make greater efforts, and for this reason representatives called upon tho British Empire Games Committee and discussed the possibilities of Rugby being added to the programme of sport. The suggestion met with approval, and it is understood the committee intends to invite tho various United Kingdom and Dominions Unions to send representative Rugby teams to the Games.

Should this plan not bo found possible tho Hamilton Club have an alternative, namely, to try to induce tho English Rugby team which is to tour Now Zealand next, yoar to visit Hamilton some timo during the Empire Games and give exhibitions.

It, is suggested that there is plenty of time for those portions of the Empire where Rugby is played to make arrangements for a team to take part in the Games, but it must be considered more than a little doubtful (says a London paper) whether tho team to tour New Zealand could so arrange matters as to include a visit to Hamilton in August in its plans. If the Rugby portion of the Games was postponed the matter would bo easier of solution, and it, would certainly be a most picturesque idea if tho tourists, as well as teams from New Zealand and South Africa, could meet in a triangular series of contests.

Failing the possibility of postponing the Rugby section of tho Games until the homeward voyage of the English team from New Zealand there is tho alternative proposal that .1 separate team might be sent from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales to Hamilton.

The visit would entail far less call upon a player's time than tho much more ambitious New Zealand trip, and would probably make a big appeal to the large number of university and . public school players who would be on holiday at that time of the year.

The Hamilton Club authorities propose approaching direct the governing bodies of the game in Great Britain and tho Dominions, and there will be a genoral hope that their application will be sympathetically received. In view of the tremendous popularity of Rugby at Home it would seem singular if any carnival o? British Games was held if track and field events, boxing, wrestling, swimming and rowing were included, and yet no place could bo found for Rugby.