RUGBY DEADLOCK

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 139, 2 September 1927, Page 3

RUGBY DEADLOCK

DISPUTE IN THE NORTHBRAKE SHIELD DATES (From Our Own Correspondent.) WHANGAREI, Thursday. At the meeting last night of the Wliangarei Rugby Union a telegram was received from Northern Wairoa saying that September 3, the date allocated for the Brake Shield match, was unsatisfactory, and that it would not be able to play on that day. A letter was received from the Kaipara Subunion agreeing to exchange dates with Northern Wairoa. The secretary said that some knowledge between these unions must exist as the wire from Northern Wairoa refusing the date allocated was received the day after the letter from Kaipara, which was not supposed to be cognisant of any contemplated alteration of dates. ORDER OF CHALLENGE The rules governing the shield challenges specifically laid down that all matches must be played in order of challenge and also that they must be completed by the last playing Saturday in September. Whangarei only had three dates available, namely September 3, 10 and 17—the 24tli being allocated to a match with Grafton intermediate. Of these dates Wairoa had September 3, Kaipara the 10th and Mangonui the 17th. As the challenges had to be played in order, unless Wairoa accepted September 3, either a Brake Shield match or the Grafton match must be forfeited. The only reason Wairoa had for objecting was because this union wanted to play Grafton on its Brake Stiield date, and as this match was only being arranged for that night, and the Brake Shield date had been submitted three weeks previously, the proposition was obviously unfair. It was decided unanimously to demand that Wairoa should play its match on September 3 in accordance with regulation 4 of the Brake Shield challenge rules. TELEPHONE WIRES BUZZ This resolution was immediately telephoned to Dargaville, where the Wairoa Union was also holding a meeting, and elicited the reply that that union absolutely declined to play before September 10. The reason given was that Mr. L. J. Brake, president of the North Auckland Union, had rung them up that evening intimating that he could arrange for the exchange of dates, and resolutions had accordingly been entered on their minutes which would require notices of motion to rescind. Mr. Brake was at once communicated with, and attended the meeting. He said that the members of the Whangarei Sub-union were unsporting, and said he would be ashamed of them if they broke the spirit of the game and insisted on sticking to

a rule which would inconvenience a neighbouring sub-union-Whangarei would not miss a date as Kaipara and Wairoa were willing to exchange, and therefore Whangarei was arbitrary in refusing unless it was afraid of Kaipara. “PRACTICALLY A SENIOR SIDE” Mr. C. E. Collins, chairman of the Whangarei Union, admitted the truth of the latter impeachment. His union was somewhat afraid of Kaipara, and with reason. That union had no senior competition this year and most of its senior representatives had been regraded junior, with the result that Whangarei would have practically a senior rep. team opposed to its juniors. With the matches in their correct order, Whangarei would get a game in before meeting Kaipara. which would give the team practice and combination, making the proposition somewhat easier. In any case Whangarei was within its rights and was tired of being made a catspaw by its sister union, even at the risk of being called unsporting. It was finally decided to adhere to the resolution, and to ask the North Auckland Rugby ETnion to meet and decide the question.