NO SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR

Chronicle (Levin), 28 February 1947, Page 5

NO SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR

-Press Assoeiation

SHIPPING DIFFICULTIES CALL POSTPONEMENT

By Telegraph-

. WELLINGTON, Feb. 27. In. view of shipping difficulties encountered for tlie tour of 1948, unless Foutli Afriea can facilitate matters lroin that end, it seenis mevitable that ihe proposed Rugby tour will have to oe postponed till 1949. This was the decision today of the exeeutive of the X ew Zealand Rugby Union which proposes to cable to South Afriea to this clive t and to ask for a cabled reply. The chairman of the exeeutive, Mr. >S. H. Dean, said the report of the agents in whose liands arrangements for the tour had been placed, revealed a transport position which made it apparently hopeless to try to send a teani to iSouth Afriea in 1948. The Union would be well advised to put off the. South African tour for oue year. ' ' Get Frauce here next year, ' ' said Mr. Dean. "South Afriea is a long way off the track and it would not do to have 28 or 30 men stranded there. Facing perhaps an air trip to England to get a passage "baek would be too big a hurdle. ' ' South Afriea had not yet goiie very f'ar Avitli its comniitments. • Mr. J. H. Parker said he thought further inquiries should be niSfle before decidiiig against the South African tour next year. The chairman said difficulty was be ing experienced generaliy in regard to overseas travelling teams. It did not seem as if the South AfTican soecer team 's proposed visit to Australia would materialise either. Mr. L. V. Carmine said plavers had been looking forward to the South African tour. Next year a League team would visit England .and if the Soutlr African tour were postponed, some prominent plavers might go witli the League. A voice: Let them go. Mr. I'arker asked if the invitation to •he French were not a new idea. The chairman replied tliat the French had been inviled for 1940 but that was because New Zealand expected to nialce the South "African tour next year. Mr. Carmine: The tour is more than 12 months awjj.y aml 'mucli can liappen in the way of transport by then. Mr. J. Prendeville said a further year of provincial football would do Rugby in New Zealand no harm. If a totir was not to be made South Afriea must be informed before the end of Mareh. The shipping report satislieil ihe speaker that it would bo unwise to tour in 1948. Mr. C. L. Mullaney: Has the question of Mauri players touring to South Afriea been decide? The' cliairman: Not even discussed. After further discussion it was res'olved .that the principle of sending 'a team to Soqth Afriea at ffrst opportunity be affirmed. When the subject' Irad Ijeen further debated it was resolve'd to cable to South Afriea opening the ' question of postponement of the tour. Mr. C. Kennedv, viee-president of the New South Wales Rugby team, present by invitation, urged a visit to Australia this vear. Australia understood ,that New Zealand was favourable tc. this and grounds had already been arranged for at Sydnev and Brisbane. "If we do not get the tour," eon tinued YTr. Kennedy, "mueh of the Rugby progress made in New South Wales and Queensland will be lost.. It will be in 1950 before we could get another tour." Mr. Kennedy submitted a tentative itinerary which provided for t/he first match being plaved on June 4. An Australian team would leave -for Great Britain on July 28. Tt was deeided to recommend to tomorrow 's speeia] meeting of the New Zealand Union that an All Black team be sent to Australia in June this year.