DOMINION RUGBY

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 76, Issue 110, 12 May 1933, Page 7

DOMINION RUGBY

PAST YEAR IN REVIEW PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT. UNIFORMITY IN BULES. “It gives me great pleasure to welcome delegates to our annual meeting, and I know that the feeling of all is that our deliberations are filled with great responsibilities,” said Mr. G. H. Pownall, president of tho New Zealand Rugby Union to the annual meeting in Wellington yesterday. “During my term of office I have received many kindnesses from the officials, past and present, of Unions from one end of New Zealand to the other, and I desire to take this opportunity of expressing my appreciation. 1 have been able to pay personal visits to the majority of unions, and can only say how sorry I am that circumstances prevented my visiting North Auckland and the East Coast. “At no stage in the history of New Zealand Rugby have we had cause to ponder more deeply in our relations with overseas bodies, nor has there ever been a time when a false step might more easily lead to chaos and misunderstandings. “Our relations with England have been my chief concern during the past yea and, as you know, I have used every possible channel to get our point of view appreciated by the Home authorities, and I think we may claim that our viewpoint is better appreciated at the present moment than ever before. Just at the moment it is not advisable to go into details, but I am sure that the results achieved, which will be discussed at this meeting, will be sincerely appreciated by all. “I have felt for a long time that there should be closer co-operation between the overseas Unions affiliated to the Rugby Union. I would go further and say that it would be in the best interests of the game if we had conferences from time to time, and that the first of these conferences might well be held in South Africa while the present Australian team is in that country. With three Australian Unions, South Africa, and New Zealand all represented much good work could be done for overseas interests. “It might even be advisable to found an overseas International Board. With the advent of the Argentine and the nations of the East into the Rugby world, the much vexed question of tours will speedily become one that must be taken in hand at the earliest possible moment, and with the bulk of Rugby developing in the Southern Hemisphere, it is easy to visualise the necessity for an administrative body functioning at the same season of the year as that in which the game is played in its area. Such a board would be of great assistance to the International Board at Home and could, if considered necessary and advisable, be attached to that body. “I should like to express my appreciation of the loyalty of unions to the decisions arrived at during our last annual meeting, and to the co-opera-tion of the clubs in the various unions. While speaking of clubs, may I congratulate tho Otago and Taranaki unions on possessing clubs which, during the past season, suspended their own players w T ho had offended on the field when their offences had escaped the notice of the referee. Discipline such as this is most refreshing and augurs well for the future of both the clubs and the Unions concerned. “In abandoning our own specialised seven-man scrummage last season, New Zealand gave the world a very definite and practical demonstration of her desire towards a universal game whereever Rugby is played. Our tour of Australia was thus the opening of a new era for New Zealand (the eightman scrum), or rather the reversion to our game of well over a quarter of a century back. It was essential, therefore, that this first team should have as good a grounding as possible in the new tactics, and it was exceedingly gratifying to us all when W. J.Wallace expressed his willingness to take charge of the team. “It is just 58 years (1875) since the first Rugby tour in New Zealand when Auckland made a tour of the Dominion, then the colony. Even in those early days Auckland suffered from a difference in rules. In Auckland there was no penalty for a force while in the south such an action cost a point, which being frequently done by the tourists, discovered a weakness and cost them most of their matches. This tour was followed in 1876 by Canterbury, and the following year by Otago. The first visit by New South Wales was in 1882 when, to the great surprise of New Zealand, the visitors met more than their match, Auckland beating them twice, as did Otago, their only wins being against Wanganui and Wellington. This visit was returned in 1884 when our team scored 167 points and had only 17 scored against them. Thus began that long list of happy tours of which last season’s was by no means the least successful from every point of view. In those early days s6ch things as ‘tests’ were unknown, and all matches were played against districts. It is interesting to recall that 1888 saw the first English team reach our shores. They played 19 matches, losing two (to Auckland and Taranaki), drawing four (Auckland, Otago, Wanganui and Wellington), and won the balance. “As the years roll on it is inevitable that each season should record the loss of many old stalwarts of the game. The hand of time is no respecter of persons and the past year has found the grim reaper busy amongst us. To those left to mourn their loss we, as officials and old players, extend our heartfelt sympathy. “I trust the coming season will prove a happy one for all unions. Times are bard, but this will only servo to give present-day players and officials a taste of the ‘good old days’ when every player and official had to rely on his own efforts and had no wealthy parent bodv to fall back on, ns so many are inclined to do to-day. And I would remind you all that it was in those frugal days that the solid foundations of our union were laid.”