SENIOR RUGBY GRADES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 44, 21 February 1930, Page 16

SENIOR RUGBY GRADES

HUTT TO BE PROMOTED

Preparations are being made for an early start witii tie Rugby football seasou, 'during wliiuli the British Rugby team will visit Is'cw Zealand, and so far as the local club competitions are concerned tho position in regard to the senior grades is engaging no little attention. 'Tho question is being freely asked :as to whether Hutt will be admitted to ' tho senior A grade. It can vow be.takun as definite that-this will be tho'case, Hutt haying won the senior B grade competition last year, and thereby Jiaviiig qualified for promotion. This gives: riso to .another question: Will Wellington be relegated to the senior B grade on -account of having occupied tho lowest place in the senior A grado last year? ' FrOm Wellington Club- officials it is gathered' that the club is quite prepared to fall in with any rules.providing:for the lowest team, in the A grade going dow.n to the B grade in tho next season. A decision to this effect was made some years ago, but there is. reason to believe that the position will be reconsidered at the annual:, meeting ~of delegates, next month, -i It. is open to question whether it would be ,in the best interests of the"gjfme" for the Wellington's Club's firßt. fifteen to be placed in the senior B grade this season. The indications are that the team will be much tronger than for many years. .-. It is on the cards that five players who have represented New Zealand will'be available for 'the team, for which Page, the New Zealander, who played for the Army team in England, is also a candidate. If those six players all turn out, Wei; liugtou should be worthy of senior yank, quite apart from the standing which the club lias in the game. Moreover, it would not be to the advantage of those clubs rising to senior B status to meet such solid opposition as that likely to be presented by ; Wellington. It is certain, however, that Hutt will be promoted, and, that being the case, qne team must go down'in order to avoid a bye, but there is the possibility of the annual meeting of delegates agreeing to the senior grade being contested by eleven teams.

• The following letter has been sent by tin1 Wellington Rugby Union's seeietary to the Hutt Rugby Football Club: "With reference to your club's position in the grade competition next season, [ have to advise you that, my previous letter dated 4th September, 1929, still holds good, and you will be graded as a senior A team next season if you apply for that grade. When the matter was discussed at a recent meeting of my.committee your position was not uiidcV review, and the only way that your club and the Wellington Club names .were mentioned was that of illustration, and did not refer in any -way to the merits of either club or to their possible ' position in the competitions for the 1930 season."

At the annual meeting of the Wellington Eugby Union in March, 1926, the report of a sub-committee, endorsed by the Management Committee, was presented, and gave rise to considerable discussion. This was in regard to the senior A and B grade competitions. It was decided that.the lowest team in the senior A grade in 1926 go into the senior B; grade in 1927, tho senior A grade in 1927 to consist of ten teams. A section of tho report providing that "thereafter the lowest team in the senior A competition should go into the senior B division and the top team in* the. senior B should go into the : nior A" was also adopted1 -by the annual meeting.