RANFURLY SHIELD APPEAL SENT ON

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 120, 11 August 1927, Page 7

RANFURLY SHIELD APPEAL SENT ON

N.Z.R.F.U.’S DECISION Press Association. WELLINGTON, Wednesday. The matter of the Hawke’s Bay Rugby Union’s appeal against the decision of the New Zealand Union in awarding the Ranfurly Shield match, played at Masterton on July 9, to Wairarapa was taken in committee by the New Zealand Union this evening. Upon resuming in open meeting the chairman announced that it had been decided to forward the Hawke’s Bay appeal on to the Appeal Council. The sub-committee appointed to deal with the Hawke’s Bay appeal, Messrs. E. Wylie, H. S. Leith and C. L. Mullaney, reported that they had opened the appeal on the authority sent by the Hawke’s Bay Union to Mr. Mullaney and after having read it saw no reason fo.r recission of any of the appeal. The committee recommended that the Hawke’s Bay Union’s case be sent on with the New Zealand Union’s decision and a copy of all correspondence with Auckland. The reasons actuating the decision of the New Zealand Union committee were: (1) The case was not one of strict interpretation of the legal question of domicile. Evidence having been before the commitee of Barclay having qualified under the Auckland rule he could not, until he had returned to Hawke’s Bay and remained there for three weeks, be qualified to play for Hawke’s Bay w'ithin rule 43 of the New Zealand Rugby Union. (2) By returning to Auckland and playing there on June 11 Barclay retained his Auckland residential Qualification. (3) That the legal cases cited regarding domicile did not apply to this case as the cases cited were all unconditional returns, whereas Barclay’s return to Hawke’s Bay was distinctly conditional. The sub-committee’s report was adopted and it was decided to forward Hawke’s Bay’s appeal on to the Appeal Council.