ALL BLACKS WHO WERE ORDERED OFF

Chronicle (Levin), 2 December 1947, Page 2

ALL BLACKS WHO WERE ORDERED OFF

Press Association}

(Per

WELLINGTON, Dec. 1. Disappoiutment that players of their standing should conduct theniselv es in sucli a manner as to earn the displeasure of the referee, was expressed in a motion carried by the managcment committee of the New Zealand Kugby Unipn concerning the ordering off in the inter-island match of J. B. yimpson and L. y. Oonnolly, two All Blaeks. Lt was cosidered, howeyer, that the peuaity of being ordered off in sucli a match was sufficient punishmeni.. A decision in the matter had been helu over pending receipt of /explanatious liv the players. Both admitted there had lieen a considerable aniount of jostling' for the loose head position. yimpson considered the incident eoucerned was no worse than in other scrums. Plav had been hard and he had been very surprised at the referee 's action. He denied liaving used illegal tactics. Oounolly said that iif the heat of the struggle for the loose head position, cac-h had swung a blow at the other. That had been all, There had been no previous warning. If the referee had made theiu sliake hands the whole matter would have been for- 1 ■gotten. The sub-conumttee which brougln down the reconunendation had weiglied np the evidence and considered the disgrace of two All Blaeks being ordered off was sufficient punishment, said Mr. A. Ht. Beleher. For similar incidents lower grade I'ootballers were put on the bank, said N1 r. -I. U. Brendeville. A motion moved by him and seconded by Mr. L. J. Carmine, that the two players be slood down for two piaying B.'ilu rdays next season, was defeated. . When a letter was read from the Otago B'-igby Union prolesling against remarks by tli§ ciiairiuan, Mr. b. bBean, that the referee 's action had been too drastie, Mr. Dean said he wasentitled to his opinion and would stand by wliat he said previously. IMr. Dean said lie always upheld the ret'erees and would continue to do so. That should not prevent him from expressing an opinion. The incident had oecurrod rig'lit in front of the official box aiid the referee had been 011 the other side of the scrum. It was on what he was able to see which the referee. could not have seen from his position, that he had based his opinion and this opinion had been shared by other offieials. He considered the referee an excellent one, said Mr. Dean, but that should not prevent him from expressing an opinion. Ii was agreed to udvise the Otago Union that the official opinion of the New Zealand Union was. expressed in the resolution carried. The report ot the Maori Advisoyy Board reconnnended, int.&r alia, that it would .prefer a Maori tour of Australia in 1948 instead of the suggested tour of Fiji. The report is to be submitte.l to the N.Z.K.U. council. A further recoinmendation to the council provides for the grant for school football to be increased to £115'), to be ailoeated in proportion to the I number of-schools in each distric.t, the four metropolitan unions to receive a token payment of £16 but that the school Unnnameut grant be discontinued. a