Snow sets nightmare for Army rugby

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 453, 15 September 1992, Page 10

Snow sets nightmare for Army rugby

BY

Jan

Savell

Snow made the Army Inter-Regional Rugby played recently in Waiouru an organisers' nightmare. Senior and colts teams representing the five military regions in New Zealand battled each other and the weather in the four day competition. The Southerners proved to be the most skilled in the trying conditions. Senior and colts. teams from Southern Regional Support Unit based at Burnham won their respective grades. Waiouru was most successful with its colts team, placing third in the competition. The senior team came last. The first day of competition saw committee members on the fields with squeegie mops trying to clear snow from the

lines. From Wednesday onwards games were played at Irirangi to try to rest the Waiouru fields. On Thursday games went ahead despite near blizzard conditions. "It was like playing in a cloud of sandflies. White bits before your eyes all the time," said Sgt Ralph Wallace, lock for ATG. "In a maui you were just praying for it to be blown up by the referee. You were going numb on the ground" W02 Bob Brownlie, of the regional committee, said the teams played well despite the conditions. "Especially Northern. They played the ball like it was dry. I think the selectors were very happy," said W02 Brownlie. Waiouru player Sgt Ralph Wallace was chosen for the combined services senior team.