SENIOR RUGBY

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 188, 1 April 1932, Page 6

SENIOR RUGBY

abandonment moved QUESTION FULLY DISCUSSED AT UNION'S ANNUAL MEETING. > DECISION TO. CONTINUE. A motion that senior football be i dropped for the 1932 season, wbich j was moved by Mr. R. G. Webb at tbe annual general meeting of the Rotorua Rugby Union held on Wednesday evening in St. Luke's Hall, raised considerable coniment from many j supporters of the game. Mr. Webb asked those present whether it was worth while continuing : senior football, as thsre was little or Lno interest being taken by the play- ' ers. He had watched and refereed . senior matches for several years now and could see no improvement. 1 Football in Rotorua needed entirely " reorganising, said Mr. Webb. This was particularly obvious toward. the Fend of last season, when the senior h clubs could not even field a complete . team against v'sitors to the town. " "We are taking the public's money ".and not delivering the goods," said Mr. Webb, "and I consider that we are taking it under false pretences."

Would Help Juniors. » The speaker considered that senior I competitions should be abandoned and I' only junior and open junior games : played. He said that this would as4 sist the juniors and that in a few season's there would be some keen play- * ers to play senior. The present * seniors lacked both knowledge and fit4 ness and showed up unfavourably ° when compared with the juniors. If : his idea was adopted it would dis5 courage the carrying on in the old \\ style of haphazard football. Mr. Webb asked the delegates of '..the clubs to think the matter ovsr seriously. He said that this would mean that there would be no competition matches with other unions in the Bay of Plenty, but that teams could . play friendly games here. He took this action to prevent playing those who were no asset to Rugby football. j. He then formally moved that senior football be dropped for tbe 1932 sea- : son and that junior football with a : weight lim't and open junior games 4 be played. The motion was seconded i by Mr. T. S. Robertson. An amendment was moved by Mr. ' L. Clarke that senior football be car- * ried on as usual, seconded by Mr. E. C. Sherman.

Death Knell of Rugby. Speaking to the amendment, Mr. ' Clarke said that the motion would prevent any senior representati re games being played in Rotorua a.rd ~ that the union would have to rely on its juniors. He considered that f senion football was discarded it would sound the death knell of Rugby in tne district. He suggested that the new committee try and reorganise the football here as a whole. Mr. A. L. Wallace said that^ he • would like to know how many seniors k were at the meeting. _ They never ^ turned up to any meeting held dur ng t the season. He supported Mr. Webb's V motion. To a statement made by Mr. ClarKv that the lack of seniors would prevent any overseas football teams playing ' in Rotorua, Mr. Webb replied that the last visiting teani of any account was the Springboks in 1924. To anoth r statement that it would give League " football a chance to start m Rotorua, he said that that would be a .1 good thing, for it would take away those that they did ' not want on tne Rugby field. Those who were keen - Rugby players would not play League. -*■ Mr. Wikiriwhi was against ruling ■ out senior football. Ha said it would ; destroy the ambitons of some of the ' players who aimed at becoming provincial or even New Zealand repre- • sentatwes. He also stated that open .junior matches would not do away with the undesirable players and they would carry on just as before. He - criticised the playing field as being to a certain extent responsible for the r trouble, for it provided no shelter for spectators in wet or cold weather, and mentioned that players liked to be '• encouraged from the side-l'ne.

Failures of Sfeniors Mr. Wallace then read a summary of the failures of the seniors during the past four years. He consid- red that they were steadily losing inte- - ' rest in the game. "I have listened with mterest to " what you have' been saying," said Mr. . W. G. Harwood. "I know little about conditions, beyond some of the secondary school games here, and I am try- - ing to make up my mind whether this "• - action would be advisable or not. If r . any players aspired to provmcial or Dominion honours it would be a pity to stand in thir way." - Mr. Harwood proposed that ihe management committee get lists of •• ' the members of the senior teams m- ■ tending to play and then dec de wnether there was a chance to carry on - senior football successfully. fff they were not then satisfied they could adopt the new scheme. . Mr. A. de Luen: "It is nothing to . do with the incoming committee, and . the matter should be decided here. On a vote being taken, the ame ldment was carried by a fair majority. Mr. Webb then moved that senior ' football continue for 1932, but t.iat J . the management comm'ttee have powsr to strike oif the club lists snbV„.mitted the names of such players as in their opinion, would not help to - _ foster the true spirit of Rugby. Thf motion was seconded by Mr. A. Price but was lost on the vote of a small ~ * majority.