RUGBY FOOTBALL

New Zealand Times, Volume LI, Issue 11783, 20 March 1924, Page 10

RUGBY FOOTBALL

ALL BLACK TOUR NO TRAINER TO BE SENT WITH TEAM. ANNUAL REPORT OF UNION. The management committee of the New Zealand Rugby Union met last night- Mr S. S. Dean presided, and thero wore present also Messrs E. Wylie, W. Hornier, E. Little, E. McKenzie, and T. A. Fletcher. LOAN FOR POVERTY BAY. It was agreed to increase from .£3OO to •6900 a loan granted the Poverty Bay Union. The money is required for ground and 6tand. RANFURLY SHIELD. Poverty Bay has challenged Hawke** Bay for the Ranfurly Shield. ALL BLACK TOUR. The King Country Union advised that it had nominated Mr Frank Glasgow for a position on the selection committee under the district scheme for trying-out the All Black team. It was decided to offer Wanganui the match between Wellington-Wairarapa-Bush-Horowhenua v. Taranaki-W anga-nui-King Counfcry-Manarwatn, formerly cet down to be played at Wellington on May 17th. NO TRAINER TO GO. It was resolved) not to send a trainer with the All Black touring team. ANNUAL REPORT. The annual report, which is in preparation for circulation, mentioned that a now agreement had been completed between the New South Wales and New Zealand Unions which included an interchange of visits for the next four seasons. It was regretted that the players would havo to forego refunds for personal expenditure oorered by allowance made on previous tour, but the committee felt certain that despite this our loading players would place themselves in the hands of thj selector and that a truly representative side would be dispatched. The difference on this subject emphasised the need for an Imperial Rugby Conference to bring all Rugby countries into line. The amended rules, played last season, had given general satisfaction. An effort shonldl be mado to practice and if possible play a match under the old rales before the All Blacks left for England. One of the marked features of the year had been the multiplicity of inter-union representative fixtures. The difficulty of getting truly representative sides away on tour had been emphasised by aiOTj than one union, and it. might be as well for delegates to oonsider the advisabilty or revisagf the system t that had grown up of receiving anxi returning visits at short intervals. It was not to the advantage of the game that a province should be repTesentated by anything short of a really representative side while the inroads on the time available for local competition was very heavy. The foundation of the game ley in healthy and enthusiastic participation in club fixtures and any practico which curtailed these Without giving a genuine fillip to the game as a wholo were likely to do harm. * THE FINANCES. / Tbfe balanee-dheet showed that the year's operations had! resulted in a gain of .61228. Against this had to be set the Maori team's account for <£99, which was lost on last year's tour of the Maori team. Mr Parata yet had some adjustments to make, ana for that reason the account was left open. The previous year's operations resulted in a loss of £lßl7. There was still some leeway to be made ’up. With no prospective sources of income for the future it would be wise to guard against encroachments on the union's capital fund, which had practioally all been loaned, or was under commitment for loan. In addition to low rate loans unions received last year £4BO for school grants and £207 in delegates expenses, a total of £687, while the oontnbuti ms in annual subscriptions amounted to £154, leaving a balance of payments over receipts of £533. The total on loan to unions was £8134, and tho following amounts had been allocated to be taken up at future dates: —Auckland, £2000; Wellington, £1250; South Canterbury, £1500; Poverty Bay, £800: total, £5550.

CHOOSING THE ALL BLACKS

TRIAL GAMES AND SUGGESTED AUSTRALIAN TRIP. WELLINGTON UNION’S VIEWS. "It means that we will lose two of our club dates," remarked Mr J. Prencle. ville (chairman of the management committee of tha Wellington Rugby Union) at the meeting of that body this weex, whon the list of matohes fixed by the New Zealand Rugby Union in order to try out players for the purpose of selecting the New Zealand representative (All Blacks) team was read out. The fixtures to be played in Wellington are as under : May 17th. Wellington, Wairarapa, Horowhenua (combined) v. Taranaki, Wanganui, Manawatu, and King Country (combined;. Mav 21st.—Possible v. Probable, N'orth Island. May 31st. —North v. South. June 3rd.—Possible v. Probable. He did not know, added the dhairman, whether It would he possible to have the combined match on May 17th played elsewhere. In reply, to a question, he pointed out that to play the match on the preceding Wednesday would mean bringing the men to Wellington on the Wednesday, sending them home again, and bringing them back here the following week. A delegate stated that the N.Z.R.U. hoped that the trial matches would realise enough to pay the cost of sending the team to Australia before it left for the Old Country. A number of tnembers said that it was doubtful ' whether tome of lhe chosen players would be able to get long enough leave to enable them to visit Australia as well as England. A member suggested that it would b» a different matter if a fortnight’s visit Was paid Australia on the way home. Mr E. A. Laws said that a separate team could very well be sent to Austra lia; but another member remarked that he thought teams were sent too often. Mr E. Perry finally moved that the union’s delegates be -riven a free hand in regard to the matter, and this '—as agreed to. Mr J. N. Millard stated that it would suit the union’s hook better if the combined match was played at Palmerston North. The Manawatu Union did not get any big matches, and the Wellington Union did not really want the match. They were not out to grab everything. No resolution was passed, hut the gunerat opinion seemed to he that the union did not wish to have the combined match In Wellington, there being three good matches fixed for Wellington in any case.