RUGBY UNION SECRETARY SAYS TAURANGA NEVER WAS OFFICIAL VENUE FOR AUSTRALIAN MATCH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 14, Issue 14, 20 July 1949, Page 5

RUGBY UNION SECRETARY SAYS TAURANGA NEVER WAS OFFICIAL VENUE FOR AUSTRALIAN MATCH

Tauranga protested about the change to the New Zealand Union through the Bay of ! Plenty Union but their letter was not forwarded on and they again protested, this time asking for a fuller explanation. In a discussion at a meeting of the Tatlranga Sub-Union, the president, Mr G. Fisher, is reported to have said that the Tauranga body had been the first to suffer under n system which had previously settled most matters through a ‘gentleman’s agreement.’ He claimed that the Bay Union had admitted that the game was to have been played in Tauranga. Later in the discussion Mr J. Guiness is reported to have said:— The matter-had been definitely left open by the New Zealand council and Whakatane had seen the loophole and taken advantage of it on the grounds that Whakatane was in a better position for the people of the Bay of Plenty. Mr Bryers denies this in his letter and explains why the Union decided that the game should be played at Whakatane. He writes: “The origin of the controversy ■would appear to be that it was at first thought, because of Press reports, that the match was to be played at Tauranga. • “That this was not necessarily so was known to this Union when our two delegates to the Annual General Meeting of the New Zealand Rugby Union, Mr. W. S. Henderson and Mr. J. Guinness, returned, on May 7th. They reported that the New Zealand Council had left the decision, as to where the game was to be played, open. ' “This letter was later confirmed when I received the official circular from the N.Z. Rugby Union, > dated 10th May, in which the venues for

all the Australians’ matches were

laid down, with the exception of the / match, Australia v. Bay of Plenty. Naturally my executive then proceeded to allocate the match to the centre offering the most advantages.

“In the ensuing discussion arguments were advanced in favour of Tauranga, Rotorua and Whakatane. In the subsequent ballot the match was allocated to Whakatane by a large majority. There was never any question of dishonouring a “gentleman’s agreement” nor of the Whakatane Sub-Union taking advantage of a loophole as neither the mover nor the seconder of the motion was the Whakatane delegate. The decision was made with due regard to the interest of Rugby patrons throughout the Bay of Plenty by the whole executive. “On the above decision being circularised the Tauranga Sub-Union entered a formal protest against what they called “the change of ✓venue.” This appeal was made using the' correct procedure and the proper channel. “My executive freely admits that it acted in error in not forwarding this appeal on to the New Zealand Rugby Union. The consensus of opinion at the time was that, as the decision was one that had been made by the whole of the Bay of Plenty, the New Zealand Rugby Union would not make any alteration in what had become a domestic matter. “On the Tauranga Sub-Union making direct application to the parent body, the New Zealand Union replied that as insufficient reasons had been advanced to warrant a change of venue no change would take place, and at the same time ruling that all appeals should be sent on if requested. Thus it would appear that this Union while acting technically in error had arrived at what was virtually the right decision. “I trust that this explanation of the correct sequence of events will, measure, dispel any notions .;'v /»£he Bay of Plenty Rugby Union BBPP* tyrannical body that earlier Press reports would make it out to "be,” Mr Bryers concludes.

The protest of the Tauranga Rugby Sub-Union against the action of the Bay of Plenty Rugby Union in deciding upon playing the Bay of Plenty v Australia game at Whakatane has been . replied to by the secretary of the Bay Union, Mr P. R. .Bryers, in a letter to the press. When the itinerary of the Australian tour was first published Tauranga was shown as the venue for the game, but Mr Rryers claims that was not official and says that some months later the Bay Union decided by a majority vote to play the game at Whakatane.