RUGBY REFEREES AND APPOINTMENTS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1216, 26 August 1911, Page 14

RUGBY REFEREES AND APPOINTMENTS.

3 > Sir,—Wo in football circles have heard ' a good deal lately about tho appointment 1 of referees. Kindly allow me a little spaco in your valuable paper to throw I a littlo light on these appointments, and how they are made, and you will see 1 that it is no wonder that ■ clubs want to tako a hand in selecting their referees. ' There is an Appointment Board consisting ' of three active members of tho Referees' Association, two members of the Rugby ; Union, and two representatives from tho ; players. These seven gentlemen mcell '_ every Monday evening, to appoint referees j for tho following Saturday's fixtures. They havo the fixtures before them, and tho three referees present have a good idea which games will bo tho best, and naturally enough help themselves. For an instance, tako the recent Auckland, Wellington, and Christchureh Tramway matches, which alone is sufficient proof. The chairman (an active referee) reads , out the first fixture, so-and-so play so-and- ; so on Athletic Park No. 1. Mr. A. is nominated, so is Mr. 8., one referee present with a record of previous appointments ays that Mr. A. had a gamo on , Athletic Park No. 2 last Saturday, so he must tako a lower grado match at the Hutt, whilo Mr. 11., who was at Upper . Hutt, should have Athletic Park No. 1, and, after a wrangle, neither Mr. A. nor • Mr. B. \is appointed, but Mr. C, who has not had a match for ten weeks, is appointed on the casting vote of the chairman. And so it goes on. The ability of tho referee is never considered, and the thirty trained players hove to tako the consequence. Another instance, in a recent important match: The two captains sent in to tho board two referees' names, asking tho board to appoint either ono of tho two referees mentioned in their letter, to officiate in their match. The beard showed its courtesy by destroying the request, and appointing another referee. I could go on with other cases, but what T havo said will give some idea of how appointments aro made. Tu conclusion, pleaso allow mo to urge the player?, in the interests of the game, and themselves, to demand from tho Rugby Union tho right to agree to their referees, for the right is theirs, according to the laws of the game.— I am, etc., OLD PLAYER.