RUGBY PARK HAS NO EQUAL

Southland Times, Issue 23932, 26 September 1939, Page 11

RUGBY PARK HAS NO EQUAL

Football Grounds In North

MANAGERS’ REPORT ON NORTHERN TOUR

MANY PECULIARITIES IN REFEREEING

“After seeing the principal grounds of the northern centres I am quite convinced that there is no better ground in New Zealand than Rugby Park,” declared Mr T. R. Pryde when giving his report of the activities of the Southland touring team at the meeting of the Southland Rugby Union last night. Not only was the playing area at Rugby Park better than those seen and played on but the appointments at Rugby Park compared more than favourably with them. “We have nothing to fear in comparison with other football grounds,” he said. Mr Pryde said that the success of the team was mainly due to the harmonious relations which existed between members of the team, the managers and supporters on the tour. He praised the leadership of the captain (Mr C. K. Saxton) and vice-captain (Mr V. L. George) and also the enthusiasm of the reserves of the .team who trained conscientiously although their chances of being played were limited. 'The team attracted many old Southland supporters wherever it played and by its conduct both on and off the field it created a fine impression in all of the centres. Of the many friends who lavishly entertained the team he mentioned Mr G. H. Mackley, general manager of railways, Mr B. Sutherland (Wellington) and Mr A. Baldwin (Auckland) all of whom went out of their way to see that the team was hospitably entertained. Mr Pryde concluded by praising the valuable assistance given to the managers and players by Mr W. Baird and Mr A. J. Hamilton who travelled with the team. He recommended that photographs of the team be presented to Messrs Mackley, Sutherland, Baldwin, Baird and Hamilton in recognition of their services. This was agreed to. HIGH STANDARD OF RUGBY Mr H. J. Brown, co-manager of the team, referred to the high standard of Rugby played by Southland. Both back and forward the standard compared more than favourably with that of the teams Southland had met, particularly in the North Island where the team played so well. The team met some very fine players on the tour but none stood out better than A. G. Sutherland whose consistently good play was a feature of the play of the team. He was the star in every game and on that form he could be regarded as the best back in New Zealand today. Only in the art of hooking was the team overshadowed. The forwards excelled themselves and in all games had shown other packs how to play the best type of forward play. Their success in rucking was outstanding. He said he thought that in future the touring team could do with two specialist hookers. W. G. Sherriff, the hooker, was asked a big task to go through the tour without relief, and that was noticeable when his services were lost to the team in the Auckland and Taranaki games. All of the North Island teams specialized in the hooking department and because of that they were able to get much success in die set scrums. PUZZLING REFEREEING “We found the refereeing very puzzling in some of the games,” said Mr Brown. “The interpretations of the North Island referees differ vastly from what we are used to in the south, and because of that the team was puzzled and was penalized many times for breaches in the scrums. The rulings undoubtedly affected the play of the team and in some games it took the forwards a long time to settle down. The team trained to a man and that feature actually contributed greatly to the success of the tour.”

Mr A. H. Courtis suggested that the managers should tabulate a list of the peculiarities and irregularities of the rulings of northern referees and. put them before the union so that they could be pointed out to the annual conference of referees. “There is something wrong somewhere if we cannot get uniformity of rulings,” he said. “Each year we go to considerable expense to send referees to the annual conference to discuss the rulings and if this sort of thing is allowed to go on the conference will be of no value at all. Either the referees’ representatives are not suitable men or they are not capable of absorbing the interpretations agreed upon by the conference.” The chairman (Mr W. A. H. Oliver) supported Mr Courtis and said that something would have to be done to bring about uniformity of rulings. Mr W. O. Ward, the representative of the Southland Referees Association on the Southland Rugby Union, said that the referees’ delegate to the annual conference generally came back with his own ideas of the interpretations of the rulings. The conference was a “wash-out.” It generally ended in each delegate taking back his interpretations, not what the conference may have decided. He added that as far as the Southland association was concerned none of its interpretations had ever been questioned. “Our association is interpreting the rules correctly.” Mr Pryde agreed with the suggestion that the irregularities experienced in the north should be tabulated and discussed. He promised to get in touch with the captain and vice-captain of the Southland team and draw up a list.

The managers were congratulated on the success of the tour and their reports. The annual match between the Otago and Southland referees’ teams will be played as a curtain-raiser to the Otago-Southland game at Dunedin. Permission to use Rugby Park on Saturday afternoon for the annual Press match was granted to the “News” and “Times” teams. Permission was granted to use Rugby Park on Saturday morning for a game between Gore Convent and Marist High School teams.