LETTERS TO EDITOR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 208, 18 September 1937, Page 6

LETTERS TO EDITOR

FAIR PLAY.

Rough Play in Rugby Football Sir, — -I trust that you will find space in your valifable paper for what I feel sure is the topie in many households to-day, "the rough play in big Rugby." A well-known and informed sports writer in to-night'a paper has told us more than what was generally known about tho "incidents" in the second Test. He states that the chief offender was retaliating and forgot about football for the time being. Now, I ask you, what would you liave done? I cannot imagine the average New Zealander standing there watching the-"boot " being put into one of his team-inates and not doing something about it, can you? What sort of znan. would he be if he just left his mata to it? Certainly not a sport. What lrappens now? Because he retaliated it is surmised he will be dropped for the third Test. I also notice that it is our boys that get the blame for the rough stufft and it was not until to-night that the majority of people who did not witnew the second Test knew that it wai •retaliation. I wonder how many saw Ihe "rough stufE" ''in Wednesday 's game? I know I did. Our boys will be blamed by many. After the display on Wednesday I ceased to wonder why Hawke's Bay played Tom Heeney in 1921, for if it was anything like yesterday they needed someone like him to retaliate, and my advice to the New Zealand selectors is to waste no time in cabling for Maurice Strickland to come home for the third Test, just in case we have to retaliate again. — Yours, ete.,

Hastings, Sept.' 16, 1937.