THE RUGBY TROUBLE

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 24, 23 October 1918, Page 4

THE RUGBY TROUBLE

_— ■ INQUIRY CONCLUDED. The inquiry into the trouble over the Auckland-Wellington Rugby match was continued by the Management Committee of the Wellington Rugby Union last evening. There were-present at the meeting: Mr. D. D. Weir (in the chair), J. N. Millard, W. H. Donovan, W. W. Cook, It. J. M'llraith, A. J. Griffiths, and T. H. Jones (secretary). _ E. Perry, coach or the Wellington team, attended the meeting, and said he did not hear tho matter of the rules under which the match was to be played being discussed by the captains of tho teams. He did hear Mr. Griffiths, a member of tho committee, inform the Wellington team that the captains had .' agreed not to charge free kicks. Replying to Mr.' Griffiths at the time he said it would not ibo advisable to play four twenty-minuto spells. Valentine asked if tho players would be penalised if tiiey charged, and-Mr. Griffiths replied that they would not. J. Maries; a member of the team, saidHe was unaware of any arrangement having been entered into to play amended rules. On two occasions he charged free kicks, and did not understand that he was not supposed to do so. C B. Thomas tendered similar eyi- ' dence to that given by Marks. When ho noticed that the Auckland men did not charge he adopted the same course as a matter of courtesy. ~ W J. Christopherson also said that , he knew of no agreement having been ' arrived at. ~,',,, j • H. G. Valentino stated that ho heard i the referee (Mr.. A. C. Kitto) say that ' Rugby rules were to be playeu. He understood that it was a question of honour between tho teams not to charge ' ' free kicks, ~ 1 ' Walter Thomas, informed the commitI tee that ho knew of no arrangement, and that ho played tho game according to A g R. Morris also stated that he knew of no agreement. He hearVl Mr. Griffiths pass the remark that there was to be no . ° h to Mr. Griffiths, the chairman ' said no Rugby rules had been broken. Mr Griffiths: The New Zealand Union are just "sorting out" this union; they , want to make a chopping block of us. I If was decided to inform tho New Zea--8 land Union that evidently an agreement II had been como to, but thoro was no evi--5 dence to show who was responsible or '* it The Wellington Rugby Union had I riot been consulted in tho matter, knew 5 nothing whatever about any, agreement, » and- repudiated all responsibility. I In regard to the remaining members I of the Wellington team who had ujnored ~ the committee's request to attend and give evidence, it was deoided ihat they should remain under suspension. This closed the inquiry as far as the Wellington Rugby Union ,was concerned.