RUGBY FOOTBALL

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18466, 3 August 1934, Page 12

RUGBY FOOTBALL

EAST COAST SELECTOR GEORGE NEPIA DROPPED HAWKE’S BAY TOUR SEQUEL Keen disappointment regarding the p< i tminancvs of the East Coast representative team oil the recent visits to Hastings and Wairoa was expressed at a meeting of the East Coast ltugby Union’s management committee, held recently, and the upshot of the discussion was t Hat Uie committee took the drastic action of removing its senior selector from office and substituting another in his place. The incident is the more remarkable in view of the fact that the selector dropped by the East Coast union is none other than George Nepia, former All Black star, and m recent years one of the mainstays of the game on tlie Coast, where his appearance has been sufficient to ensure substantial patronage of any game. Tlie causes of Nepiu’s dismissal Ironi his post were that tlie management committee was dissatisfied with his selection of players for the visit to Hawke’s Bay, and his own failure tu travel with the team after having selected himself as fullback. On Nepia’s behalf, it was stated by lus sub-union representative, Mr. Rickard, that Nepia had previously intimated that he would he unable to make the trip, owing to the illness of the boy whom he employed as his assistant is dairy farm in [lie Waiapu Valley. He had been induced to include Ids own ’.•one in the team, in the hope that his fiUnds would be able to arrange for someone to carry on his farm work while he was away with the team. This arrangement was not completed, however, and Nepia had no choice but to stay at borne. Mr. J. H. Reedy, chairman of the ’ast Const union’s committee, explained to tlie meeting that- he had persuaded

■. -iva to include himself in the team, a t was well known that the Hawke s B;r

ncopio would wish to see- him in act Tlie actual arrangement was. he s

Imt Nepia was to ring him if he v.v iot able to eo, and libs arrangement, war ot followed out hv Nepia. It had bee-•gge-trd that the uni* n m’ght _lavages for a man to keep Nepal's fan; : iji;i> during the absence of the team mt this had not been a definite offer. The attention of the meeting wa Yawn to a statement, alleged to liav;

been made by a Maori clergyman, that f Nepia had received an allowance of Be he would have gone on tour. There was general agreement .that out-of-pocket expenses only could be paid to players, and while some members were inclined to hold that- wages for a man to carry on a farm might bo called out-of-pocket expenses, the actual feeling of the •Meeting on this point was not tested. Attention was then switched to the question of the actual selection of the team apart from the filling of the fullback position, in which the manager ol the team, Mr. A. Larsen, stated that Jack Reedy had played “like a second ’epia.” The manager stated that in the to me against Hawke’s Bay, the East Coast side had shown none of the ability in tlie back division that he had expected it to demonstrate, and it was not until the interval that he found out- the trouble. The fact was that the men for the five-eighths positions had been iniured before the tour started. L. Atkins having an injured elbow, and T. Morete a had knee. Mr. Larsen strongly criticised tlie action of the selector in in•luding injured men in a tour which meant so much to the Coast, and after a lengthy discussion he; moved that Nepia-’s services as a selector be dispensed with. This motion was seconded by Mr. Prince, a Tolaga Bay delegate, and an amendment was put forward by Mr. Rickard, with Mr. Stainton’s support, proposing that the selector he asked to attend a meeting of tlie management committee and explain his action in this matter.

Further lengthy dismission took place, Mr. Rickard maintaining that Nepia’s failure to travel with the team, even if it were not capable of adequate explanation. had nothing to do with his capabilities as a selector. To this, Mr. Larsen rejoined that the selector had included unfit men in the team, and he claimed that it was the duty of the selector to satisfy himself of the condition of players he proposed te nominate. In the course of the discussion. Mr. Larsen agreed to amend his motion, to read “that the union has no confidence in Nepia as a selector,” and when the matter came to a vote, five of the eight members of the committee voted for this motion.

The management committee later apoointod , W! Morcte, a well-known veteran of the Rugby field and a former East Coast, representative, as selector in place of Nepia.

The annual Rugby match between St. Andrew’s College. Christchurch, and John McGlashan College was played at Dunedin on .Wednesday, the visiters winning a fast, open and fairly even game by 11 points to 8. For the winners, Barry scored and converted a try. and Foote and Jones each kicked a nenally goal. Stevenson scored two tries for McGlashan, and one was converted.