DEFEAT OF B. RUGBY TEAM

Taranaki Daily News, 3 October 1929, Page 13

DEFEAT OF B. RUGBY TEAM

WELLINGTON’S STRONG SIDE. Strong exception at a meeting of the Taranaki Rugby Union last night was Uken S the action of the Wellington Union in playing a strong representative fifteen against the Taranaki B. team on the occasion of the recent match at Wel(Mr. J. McLeod) stated that the.prestige of Taranaki footbas fered considerably as the result of Welling ton’s playing such a side against a Tara naki B. team without advertising that it was aB. match. It had placed th e Tara naki Union in a false position as it had not been anticipated that such a side would be selected. The match had not been ad a B. match and the Wellington public and the Press had been misled it had been telegraphed throughout New Zea land that Wellington had avenged their earlier defeat at Hawera. The Veiling ton Press had not featured the fact that the Taranaki A. team had defeated Poverty Bay the same day. Indeed, later in the week a Wellington paper took Taranaki

to task for sending down a team of juniors. . The Wellington Rugby Union had taken no steps to inform the public that the match was only a B. match or to put Taranaki right with the Press,” continued Mr. McLeod. He pointed out that when the season’s fixtures, as arranged at the annual meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union, were collated by Mr. Prendeville, who was also the chairman of the Wellington union, the Taranaki-Wellington match was not included. He had told the Wellington Rugby Union that as good a B. team as possible would be sent, but that so late in the season it would be difficult for Taranaki to send two strong teams on tour. The sending of an A. team was never discussed and he was surprised when he saw the calibre of the team chosen to meet them. He thought possibly it had been done by the Wellington Union with the object of drawing a gate, but that had placed Taranaki in a false position. Mr. McLeod said he had been told that the Wellington sole selector had stated that the team fielded in that match was the strongest he had selected to represent Wellington that year. Mr. Garcia said some members of the Wellington Union stated they had been given to understand by both Messrs. McLeod and Masters that the Taranaki team would be as strong as the A. team, as it would be supplemented by players who were unable to make the trip to the East Coast. Mr. R. Masters said that when in Wellington he had made it clear to both Mr. Prendeville and Mr. Neilson, the secretary of the Wellington Union, that a B. team would be sent to Wellington. He had also stated that the B. team had put up a good fight against the A. team, but at the same time the whole discussion was on the lines of a B. team. They knew the A. team was at Ruatoria. It was resolved to leave the framing of a letter to the chairman.