Raetihi & Ohakune Karioi to field separate rugby teams for Northern round

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 623, 13 February 1996, Page 16

Raetihi & Ohakune Karioi to field separate rugby teams for Northern round

Raetihi and Ohakune Karioi rugby clubs' senior players will play as indi vidual teams in the domestic round this season, then join forces for the Northern Wanganui/ Wanganui combined competition. The decision was made at a special meeting of both clubs held at the Ohakune Karioi clubrooms on Sunday, held to give players a chance to have their say on whether the two clubs should amalgamate or join forces to form a team for the Wanganui Premiership competition only. The Northern Wanganui teams — Raetihi, Ohakune, Waiouru, Taihape, Huia and Utiku — will play their domestic round with the winning team to be "seriously considered" to play in the Premiership Competition. The loosing team from the final will be relegated to the Senior First Division.

For the combined Northern/Wanganui competition Ohakune and Raetihi will put together one stronger team in order to have the best possible chance of selection into the Premiership competition, for which only six teams will play. Lachlan Harding has been approached to coach the Raetihi/Ohakune team but he said he was reluctant to take on the job solely as coach. Questions were asked about the criteria for consideration for the Premiership Competition. Clubs must be affiliated to an Under 2 1 team which would not be a problem as both Raetihi and Ohakune are linked to the Ruapehu Under 21 Team. Games played between the two clubs will be played on alternate home grounds. Wanganui Rugby Union representatives at the meeting were Royce Tunbridge, chairman; Bruce

Hodder, coaching coordinator/selecting coach; Doug Weal, union president; and Bob Airey, coaching committee chairman. Mr Tunbridge outlined the union' s current administrative situation, saying the union had short listed six people for the new position of chief executive officer, whose role will include marketing, promotions and day-to-day running of the union. He told the meeting that it is not the union' s intention to force any club to amalgamate but that clubs were headed that way to give their players a chance to play to their full potential. It also helped to add strength to the region and in the long term provide a better chance for a Second Division place. Professionalism was also discussed, with' the

meeting told that the smaller unions such as Wanganui greatly affected by the move to pay top players. Currently there are 120 players nationwide who are in line for taking up professional player status. The problems facing schoolboy rugby were also discussed at length. Mr Hodder and Mr Airey said they will be offering advice and assistance to schools. They said they will be available to help when ever possible. The first representative game for the season will be on 8 May — a night game under lights at Cooks Gardens. It will be the 1000th representative game to be played in Wanganui. Another attraction will be the first Ranfurly Shield match to be held under lights on Tuesday 17 September.