STICKING UP FOR COUNTRY FOOTBALLER

Chronicle (Levin), 3 May 1946, Page 8

STICKING UP FOR COUNTRY FOOTBALLER

— ^p. — - -Bress Association

By Telegraph-

•WELLINGTON, May 2. Measures to ensure the effective selection and, thoroygh combing of the country in pfepara.tion for the tour 01 Bouth Afri-ca in .1948, produced oue oi the niain disc'ussions at tlie annual meeting of delegates to the New Zealand Rugby Fnion in Wellington 'today. Beveral country delegates maiutaiiied that tlie best forwards had ahvays come from the country districts, b.ut there had been a marked tendency to negleet them. "Many of them are born to blush unseen as far as big football is concerned, " said Mr. N. A. MeKenzie (Hawke 's •Bay). Mr. R. J. Bniith (Bush), criticised the appointment of Mr. Dalton, former All Black, as the Nortli JsMMJ -idlee.tor, While he had a great adniiration for Mr. Dalton as . a: -play§f,! hesfelt it -was wroivg /that istjQiMi Should reeeive- ^peh an appointment without first '-having been tested insofar as his„.own union was concerned. The need for greater consideration to be given to country players was also stressed by Mr. Bmitli. A suggestion to revert to the practice adopted before the last war of sending a North Island country team to tour the Bouth Island and vice versa, the two teams to meet in Wellington at the end of the tours, was made by Mr. O. Brown (Taranaki), as a means of testing country talent. He also suggested that every consideration be given to tlie itinerary of the tour of South Africa. Last year had been a difficult one for travel, said klr. A. MffDoankl, one of the North Island and New Zealand seleetors. However, he -felt that the matter would be reetified this year. Mr. MeKenzie said that this ' year seleetors had been appointed early .with a view to every opportunity for viewing all players possible, but there was no guarantee that the practice would -136 followed in the future to ensure the greatest consideration for dll players. Mr. MeKenzie moved that'the date of the inter-Island match be fixed at the annual meeting of delegates each year and 'that it be a recommendation -to the Council of the N.Z.RjU., -that -Island and New Zealand seleetors be appointed not later 'than May 31. The niation was carried.