RUGBY IN TARANAKI

Taranaki Daily News, 6 September 1935, Page 12

RUGBY IN TARANAKI

COMPETITION FAULTS FEWER TEAMS POSSIBLE DOES INTEREST WANE?

(By

“Critic.”)

When it became evident that Stratford would have a clear-cut win in the Taranaki senior Rugby championship interest and enthusiasm for club games waned in a manner never seen before, and it is the McLeod scheme of provincial play that is blamed by many for this result. In certain respects this may be true but the criticism is just only if it leads to a better alternative. In former years under the divisional scheme there was always the play-off to give a spectacular finish to the competition but this year, with Stratford showing three points up, there is nothing to hold interest to the end. Last year the issue between Patea, Stratford, Okaiawa and Tukapa was much closer until the final matches.

It is possible that three or four teams might tie under the McLeod scheme and there would be a series of very interesting play-offs. However, this is far from being the case this year and it is likely that there will be a move made to revert to the divisional scheme. This would be unfortunate because, whatever the shortcomings of the present system, the provincial plan cannot be blamed as being the cause. The same results are just as likely to occur under the old divisional system. In the north and south divisions, as soon as a team went down the ladder it lost heart in the competitions, interest waned, the standard of play deteriorated, and public patronage fell away. Some of the teams certainly feel weary of the long distances that often have to be travelled, but it hardly seems possible that this can off-set the Interest in meeting every team in the province. It was certainly a drawback to the divisional system that the second round was usually a dull repetition of the first. What has probably caused most of the trouble this season is the way in which club fixtures have been interrupted for representative matches, whether this is the fault of the Rugby Union jor not. It would be as well to look at some other aspects. fourteen competiton matches are too many to hold the interest of clubs all the season and the competition would be much better if the teams could be reduced to ten or twelve, or play take place in A and B grades. This would enable the competitions to be finished before the milk* ing season takes its toll of players.

There are teams at the bottom of the ladder that are not up to senior standard and it is suggested that the establishment of a senior B division with a system of promotion and relegation would be more satisfactory. There is little public interest in the junior grades but the creation of a senior B competition might have the effect of improving the football of such teams as Okato, Midhirst and Toko.

Another good reason for the reduction in the number of the teams is the number of casualties that most teams suffer. So many players have been laid aside with injuries that good reserves have been at a premium and often selectors have been at a loss to get a team. This fielding of inferior combinations is another reason for the slackening of spectators’ interest in end-of-season games.

It is held by some that a better way to retain interest to the end in the present provincial system would be to hold semifinals for the four leading teams and to award the championship to the winning team. This would maintain the enthusiasm of at least four clubs and would give encouragement to teams on the next rungs of the ladder. It would certainly give interesting finals and would prevent a repetition of the unsatisfactory position that has arisen this year with one team standing far ahead on its own. The position of the Taranaki Rugby competition is not as healthy as it might be. It behoves Rugby officials to give serious thought to the future. These few suggestions are offered as the basis of a discussion for finding a better plan.