RUGBY FOOTBALL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22877, 4 November 1937, Page 19

RUGBY FOOTBALL

~SOUTH AUCKLAND UNION,. DIRECT AFFILIATION WANTED I FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT] PUKEKOHE, Wednesday The management committee of the South Auckland Rugby Union last evening decided to recommend the annual meeting of the union, to be held in April, 1938, to apply for affiliation next season direct to the New Zealand Rugby Union. Up to the present the South Auckland Union has affiliated with the Auckland Union.

The secretary. Mr. G. Cowan, said last evening that during the past season the treatment received from the Auckland management committee had been very courteous and helpful, but there would be definite advantages in \ affiliating with the Xe\y Zealand Union. For ,instahce, the New Zealand body made a graiit to affiliated unions of £25 to encouratre school football. The Auckland union ■was able to send South Auckland 20 school footballs this year, but £25 wou\fl go much further. The South Auckland representative team had twice visited Taranaki, but difficulty had been experienced in inducing the iaranaki. nnion to return the visits. Affiliation with the Xew Zealand union would place South Auckland on the same footing as unions like Taranaki, and thus better pave the way for representative matches with unions of that status. In the past season 19-15 players came under South Auckland's jurisdiction. Of these, 975 played in the senior, junior and third grade competitions, ISO in the secondary -schools' competition, and 890 in tlie primary schools . , .. Gratification with the financial r esu " 9* the past season was expressed by the president, Mr. C. H. Jemison. He said that, following a period of losses, the union would urobably show a surplus of over £2l on tne season