RANFURLY SHIELD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 80, Issue 88, 14 April 1938, Page 4

RANFURLY SHIELD

CHALLENGES FOR TROPHY

WHEN HOLDERS SUFFER DEFEAT

[ Ter Association.]

CHRISTCHURCH, April 12. The management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union decided tonight to support the proposal of the N.Z.R.U. Council that the Ranfurly Shield challenges should stand, even when the shield changed hands midway through the season. Mr. A. E. McPhail said he could see no objection to the proposal.

“We have heard for years complaints about major unions not getting a go at the shield,” said Mr. W. Maxwell. The proposal might affect representative programmes very seriously.

Mr. McPhail said the proposal merely left the council to decide challenges where unions could not agree. “One thing that should be cut out is the special challenge by a team which does not regularly exchange visits with the union concerned,” said Mr. E. V. Phillips. Mr. W. A. Britten moved that the union’s delegates be instructed to support the proposal and the motion was carried.

The N.Z.R.U. Council's proposal is: “Should the holder of lhe shield be defeated in any challenge match and any challenge matches arranged with lhe then holder be not played, all such challenge matches shall be treated as having been arranged with the subsequent holder and may be played during the current season, and at such time as shall be mutually agreed between the unions concerned and, failing that, any such agreement shall be fixed by the Council of the N.Z.R.U.”