Chch site for sole rugby test against Frenchmen

Press, 15 February 1986, Page 80

Chch site for sole rugby test against Frenchmen

PA Wellington Lancaster Park, Christchurch, will host the one-off rugby test between France and New Zealand on June 28 this year.

The New Zealand Rugby Union council approved a two-match itinerary for France at its meeting in Wellington yesterday, scheduling a match against North Auckland on June 25 and against the All Blacks on June 28.

The union chairman, Mr Ces Blazey, said the itinerary was unlikely to require the approval of the French Rugby Federation. Although it was traditional to submit an itinerary to the national body of a touring side before publication, Mr Blazey said the dates were unlikely to be controversial.

“We have already set a full year’s programme and those were the only two days available,” he said.

The French had preempted the traditional process by releasing a draft itinerary for the All Blacks tour of France to the news media before submitting it to the New Zealand union and was unlikely to object to New Zealand taking the same step, he said.

Scottish and Welsh referees will officiate in the three-test series between New Zealand and Australia next season. The names of the referees had not been released, Mr Blazey said, but the roster of appointments indicated a Welshman will control two tests and a Scotsman one. • The cancelled All Black tour of South

Africa, its cost in legal fees and withheld sponsorships, has blackened the financial year of the Rugby Union.

The union’s defence of its tour decision at the High Court cost an estimated $159,000 in legal fees. Other tour costs, all unrecoverable, added $25,000. England’s financially disappointing tour of New Zealand, an increase in administration costs and a hastily arranged tour of Argentina accentuated the financial downturn.

So did expenditure of $152,000 on the national provincial championship, which lost its main sponsor last season after the South African tour decision.

The result is a profit, before end of year adjustments, of $32,000, down drastically on surpluses of $161,000 last year and $377,000 in 1983.

• Former Taranaki and Auckland coaches, Leo Walsh and Bryan Craies, were named North Island selectors. Walsh and Craies fill vacancies left since the term of the last selectors ended and the nominations of Earle Kirton and George Simpkin were withdrawn at the union’s December council meeting.

• The North Harbour loose forward, Wayne Shelford, has been awarded the Tom French Cup for the most outstanding Maori rugby player for 1985.