RUGBY SENSATION

Hokitika Guardian, 22 June 1929, Page 7

RUGBY SENSATION

SPR J N GROKS IN VO LVED. Among the reports of activities on •South Ulrica s Rugby football fields tii is season is one of a regrettable incident winch occurred at Ellis Park, /diannesourg, a few weeks ago. Totvards tlie cjk! oi a game between two .ending iiansvaal teams, “diggers and •»immer and Jack,” players ol both teams came to grips, and matters be:ame so lively that the police had to . usli on tlie held. Finally the position was so Imd that both teams had .o be ordered off the field. The members of hoth teams, JO players in all .ineluding the Springbok scrumnaif, Devine, who played against the All Blacks, was suspended pending an investigation by a special sub-com-mittee. ft was stated that the players would not even be allowed to take part in practices, mid that the two clubs had to fulfil their senior enageinents under threat of drastic action if they defaulted. A subsequent report, however, indicated that there was a livelihood of must of the players being reinstated. Details of the occurrence state unit members of one team allegedly made too free use of their boots in the ,'0 .'se serums, but the signal for general disorder was the getting to grips of bovine, the Springbok scrum half, and Wentzei, a giant foi ward and captain of the Diggers. Several members of both teams, it is stated, then became actively engaged, and there were several fights in progress at the same time. These -were cnecked temporarily by a rush of police and spectators, and tiie game was resumed. Shortly afterwards fighting broke out afresh, however, and the match had definitely to be abandoned. Doth teams were followed from the grotinc by large groups of their spectators. At one stage it looked as though trouble between the teams would break out afresh, but fortunately good senseprevailed and there was no more trouble.

T’lie Diggers’ team included three Springboks. Two of the leading boxers in South Africa also played in the match—Los Campbell, the amateui cruiser-weight champion who captained dimmer and Jack, and Alf Wilson, the South African Olympic boxer, who competed in the middle-weight division at Amsterdam last year. Devineplayed in the Johannesburg test, and in both Trans'.aal matches against tin. New Zealanders last year, and it was at Ellis Park that all three matches were played. In his re port the referee stated that it was a pleasure to referee the game up to 20 minutes before the end. Then wild kicking developed into a free nght, the chief offenders being two members of Simmer and Jack side aim three of the Diggers. One man was ordered off the field. “1 then called die captains together” the referee stated, “and warned them that it i had a recurrence of the same behaviour I would stop the game. It was not five minutes after the game was resumed, wlien, following the ball down the field, I turned round to see another fight. then stopped the play in the best interests of tlie game. After the first melee to the stopping of play it was not Rugby at all, but a series of free lights outside tlie actual place of play. In my opinion ,the determining cause ol the rough play was the fact that the ground is not enclosed, and that for a great part of the time it was practically impossible to seep the spectators from encroaching on the field of play and exhorting their respective teams, thereby rousing tlie tempers of the players” Referring to the occurrence the sports editor of the Cape '1 imos stated: • •Rough play in South African Rugby lms become all too frequent, and probably the whole situation will *be reviewed by the South African Board.”