Difficulties For Controllers Of Rugby In France

Taranaki Daily News, 4 June 1934, Page 14

Difficulties For Controllers Of Rugby In France

ATTITUDE OF THE BRITISH UNIONS

MEW ZEALAND is interested in the question of renewal of Rugby relations between France and Great Britain not only because the New Zealand teams of 1905-06 and 1924-25 played matches with France, and there was a few years ago a proposal that a French team should visit New Zealand, but also because the attitude of the British unions on this question may be indicative of their attitude toward the question of closer co-operation between themselves and the other unions within the Empire. So the intimation that negotiations between the French Rugby Federation and the British unions have broken down is disappointing to the Dominion. » «• ®

Yet this intimation is not at all surprising. It is merely another indication of the want of helpfulness among the British unions in general toward the game in other countries. The French delegation which met representatives of the English, Scottish, Welsh, and Irish Rugby unions in London a few weeks ago possibly hoped to overcome the prejudices of these representatives by full candour. If so, they were disappointed. The delegation included ttje chairman of the federation’s Disciplinary Commission, and another of the most earnest workers for “pure” Rugby in France, as well as the principal officials of the main body ot the federation. ’lt did not make even the slightest effort to gloss over the difficulties. The Disciplinary Commission has struck many clubs out of the championship, has closed grounds, and has suspended hundreds of players for irregularities. Its officers, however, admit that French Rugby has not been cleansed adequately.

# •H’ * Just before the French delegation went to London the Disciplinary Commission appointed an officer to survey the . game in districts where it is most popular. “I have seen,” said this official, “how different is our conception oi Rugby from that of its directors in some districts. To attract crowds the championship is necessary, to keep them matches MUST be won.” That, he said, was the reason for the win-at-any-price policy, for transfer scandals, payments, and brutal methods. While he emphasised what the Disciplinary Commission has done to remedy this, the official said he doubted the commission’s complete success.

Such an admission —and it is only one of several admissions of the kina —is superficially justification for the reluctance of the British unions to resume relations with France. Nevertheless, if the British unions were imbued with an earnest desire to help the French Rugby Federation in its task of cleans-

ing the game in its own country they could, in collaboration with the federation, devise a means of resuming relations with Frence without giving any encouragement to the evils which are admitted to exist. The renewal of matches between French and British clubs could be limited to those clubs in France which are guaranteed by the Disciplinary Commission to be wholly amateur in spirit and practice, and the selection of players to represent France in international matches could be limited to a similar field. Although the evils which exist in French Rugby are widespread, and evidently deeplyrooted, they do not cover anything like the whole field, and very many genuine amateurs in the game are being penalised for the deeds of those who are professional in outlook and play. ,

It is held in Great Britain and Ireland that the formation of the International Rugby Federation—which, despite what some people say, does not call itself a 'World Rugby Federationwill give genuine French amateurs enough ' opportunity for international Rugby. It will, in quantity, but not, for a long time, in quality. Amateur players in France quite' naturally, and laudably, look first to Great Britain, the original home of the game, for their standards in Rugby and Great Britain should help them. Even if the international programme for British players is overloaded so much that they do not desire an extension of it, there is no reason why British clubs which like to play French clubs should not be allowed to do so again, with the provision of sufficient safeguards for the amateurism of themselves and their opponents.

Leaders of amateurism in French Rugby recognise that the other countries in the new International Rugby Federation are entitled just as much as the British Rugby unions are to demand of them probity in club-control and clean methods on the field. In the present state of affairs British help in that direction would be more effective than help from the other countries in the new organisation. Yet even greater help may come from the efforts which the English Rugby League is making to take advantage of the embarrassment of the French Rugby Federation. While the Rugby League game in New Zealand and Australia is chiefly amateur in character, the policy of its governing body m England is swayed by professional considerations. The English Rugby League is frankly encouraging the professional element in French Rugby, and if it succeeds it will segregate more effectively the professionallyinclined from the amateurs, although it may create trouble for itself m ti m ®-