RUGBY TEAM SELECTION

Taranaki Daily News, 10 April 1935, Page 9

RUGBY TEAM SELECTION

NO CHANGE IN POSITION

CHOICE OF THE REPRESENTATIVES.

DISCUSSION BY TARANAKI UNION.

TWO OF COMMITTEE APPOINTED.

The matter of appointing selectors for the Taranaki Rugby representative team gave rise to considerable discussion at the annual meeting of the Taranaki Rugby Union last night. When the question arose the merits of various systems were keenly debated, and it was not until two notices of motion had been disposed of and after much discussion that it was decided to select the team in the same way as last year. Messrs. J. Kissick (South) and C. Brown (North) were elected selectors, and one other has yet to be appointed by the management committee to act as chairman of the selection committee.

The Eltham club moved in accordance with notice that two selectors be appointed, one to select the forwards and the other to select the backs. The selection last year left something to be desired, said Dr. D. H. Saunders. Having three selectors meant a compromise, and yet to have one selector was leaving him a wide area to cover. With two selectors, one for the forwards and one for the backs, there would be a fairer selection and more cohesion. Mr. D. J. Malone suggested that the remit should be withdrawn, as he believed there was no similar scheme anywhere in New Zealand.

The scheme had been adopted in Canterbury, said Dr. Saunders. The position was different in Canterbury, where the clubs were centralised, said Mr. J. M. Stephens (Stratford Old Boys). Under the Eltham scheme one man would have to see all the forwards and one man all the backs.

The motion lapsed for want of a seconder.

The Tukapa club moved that it be a recommendation to the union that the management committee’s nominee on the representative selection committee be appointed as an arbitrator to the two official selectors and that the title of chairman be amended to read arbitrator.

CHAIRMAN IMPORTANT.

Speaking in support, Mr. K. Jury explained that it was not so much the selectors or the type of selection that mattered, but the office of chairman. He did not like the suggestion at all, said Mr McLeod. He thought it would be difficult to obtain an arbitrator. His own opinion was that the committee should elect its own chairman. Taranaki teams should be selected by one man and one man only, said Mr, L. H. Sampson (Clifton). It had been done 30 years ago and could be done again. The last two selectors had given the job up, said Mr. McLeod, because they could not afford the time.

As an amendment to the motion Mr. C Massey (Stratford) moved that the selection committee be appointed in the same way and under the same conditions as last year, save that the committee elect its own chairman. The committee, he said, would then consist of a North selector, a South selector and one appointed by the management committee.

Mr. E. H. Youhg (Stratford) said it was hardly desirable that the management committee nominee should always be chairman.

Mr. H. W. Brown (New Plymouth Old Boys) suggested that the meeting elect the three selectors and Mr. K. Jury said he thought that might be the way out. Mr. McLeod read the rules regarding the selectorship and ruled the discussion out of order as an alteration to the constitution was involved.

The meeting proceeded with the election of the two selectors. Messrs. W. A. Guy and J. S. Hickey declined nomination for the southern position and Mr. 0. Brown was unopposed for the north. Mr. J. Kissick was elected for the south.