WEEK IN CAMP

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 95, 13 July 1927, Page 1

WEEK IN CAMP

TRAINING FOR RUGBY MR. DEAN ASSAILED CASE FOR COUNTRY PLAYERS {Special to THE SUN.) MASTERTON, Tuesday. 'J'HERE is a strong case for puttingcountry Rugby teams into camp for a week’s training before big games. Mr. S. S. Dean, chairman of the New Zealand Rugby Union, discovered this when be mentioned the subject at the dinner to Hawke’s Bay and Wairarapa teams after Saturday’s big game. Mr. Dean was present at the dinnei, and during tiie response to tiio toast of the parent body remarked tlia he wished to say something concerning the practice. Voices: Who started the game, anyway? Other Voices: The New Zealand Union did, in 1904. (Cheers.) More Voices: Who paid 5s a day t*» go into camp? The New Zealant •Union did. ONLY A GAME Mr. Dean, in the meantime, had beer trying to speak, but the opposilioi quelled him till he managed to declar* that football was only a game, ant putting teams into camp was making it too much of a business. He admitted that the New Zealand Union, initiated the practice in the past, tu there was no reason why mistakes ii. the past should be repeated now. Right in the enemy camp, amonj. two unions that had just had thei: teams in camp for a week, Mr. Deui was obviously playing a lone hand i/ championing the opinions of the New Zealand. Union, for the popular .sympathy of the gathering was against him and there were loud cheers when Mr. G. A. Maddison, Mayor of Hastings, ir accepting the shield. rerfiarkeJ that h« wished to have something to say ir. reply to Mr. Dean. Voices: Go for it: let him have it. Mr. Maddison said that the countr; players had not the facilities for to gymnasiums at night to train, lik* city players. A Voice: Too right; there are r.o “tuppenny” tram fares in the country. MUST BE FIT Continuing, Mr. Maddison said tha. it was the duty and privilege of ever; football team to step on to the rielc as fit as it possibly could, and it war absolutely necessary, if they were to hold their own. for the country team* to go into camp. (Cheers and “hear, hear.’’) Mr. N. A. McKenzie, when proposing the toast of the Wairarapa Union, also took up the cudgels. “Mr. Addison,” he said, “has stoler a lot of my thunder, as I was going to have something to say in reply to Mr. Stanley Septimus Dean.” He repeated that it was necessary for the country teams to go into training. Mr. E. McKenzie, of the Wairarap;* Union, and chairman of the New Zealand selectors, also took up the attack It was absolutely necessary for the country players to go into camp if the; were to retain their place in the football world. If they did not, the country unions would be beaten by the cities, and there would be more talk about grading unions into first ant second class. The New Zealand Union had put its All Black teams into camp in 1904, 1921, and 1923, and if the country unions were breaking the law the; were only following the bad example of the parent body.