The Ranfiirly Shield Regulations.

NZ Truth, Issue 92, 23 March 1907, Page 2

The Ranfiirly Shield Regulations.

Interviewed for a few minutes concerning his proposal to • amend thn present regulations governing the Ranfurly Shield conditions, Harry Mclntyre said he- desired to make the Shield serve some useful purpose by making it the medium of Provincial competition and thereby bring pto the. ranks "of first-class Rugby many players who, while jciass enough to gain a place -riir. Lour very best Metropolitan "teams, do; not,: and cannot; unde.r present conditions of selection receive toe consideration their merits deserve, *.'T>be Provincial team," argued Harry, "would provide t•© opportunity of testing their capabilities and bring players directly under the eyes of the selectors of tfto north and south and New Zeilaml teams. This .affects the. smaller Unions to a very great extent, as the players of the bity Unions are seen week after week by one' or more of. the aforesaid selectors, jivho cannot he blamed for, picking, players whose capabilities they are, well aware of m. preference to outsiders of whom they' only gleanf- occasional accounts, and "who, m all probability, they have never, seen io.-i.the. Rugby arena. Under mv scheme players outside, the Metropolitan Unions' must get a chance to display their powers. The proposition does not take away the individuality of the Union within a Province and cannot be condemned on these grounds. The clause giving any Union within a Province the righit- to hold the Shield m trust, the same with the advantage of having a Shield match played on their o^«n grounds cannot be considei--ed unfair, it 4s Only an acknowledgment of merit, and the jjreijult of having a Ranfurly Shield nmtoh played on- the ground of the outside districts must mean the improvement of the game m that particular locality. - . . . -