FOOTBALL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3562, 26 August 1920, Page 4

FOOTBALL.

SATURDAY'S GAME. HUIAS V. TOKAANU. Ou Saturday, the Tokaanu Senior Rugby team will play a challenge match against the Huias on the Tal hape Oval. The visiting team is said to be a strong one, and a good game should result. A collection will be taken up at the entrance gate.

THE FOOTBALL TROUBLE, UNION'S ACTION CONDEMNED.

The Wanganui "Herald" yesterday devoted the following article to the action of the Wanganui Rugby Union in deciding not to include the Taihape players in the touring rep team: — The decison come to by the Management Committeee of the Wanganui Rugby Union last evening, which wiW exclude four Taihape players from the touring team, will be regretted by the majority of Rugby supporters in Wanganui. The stand taken by some of those who voted in favour of excluding the -Taihape players appears to be unreasonable, in fact savours too much of the dog-in-the-manger attitude. This j applies particularly to the two officials who tendered their resignation when they thought the majority of their fel-low-members disagreed with their point of view. Evidently they were determined that they were going to have, their way in the matter; but why should they have taken up such an uncompromising attitude? What right had the Wanganui Union to issue the ultimatum to the Taihape players to the effect that if they did not go to Palmerston . North they would be excluded from the touring team? These men had allready made arrangements to get away from their employment, for nearly three weeks to go South, and it was sureasonable -to insist on them losing still furtlter time by going to Palmerston North. It looks as if the Management Committee had erred in not including the Manawatu match on their touring programme. This avouM have avoided all the trouble which has arisen, and which has to a great extent apparently •been of the Wanganui Union's own making. Another point to be considered is that it is hardly fair to the Southern Unions that Wanganui should send a weaker team on a tour than would have been the case had the Taihape play'eprs been included. It may be mentioned that the Taihape: men had already this season visited Wanganui to play in representative games, and they would no doubt have been only too pleased to go to Palmerston North last Saturday had it been possible to do so without serious inconvenience. Even if it was a fact, as alleged, that they would have gone to Palmerston North had it not been for the local cup match at Taihape, is that any valid reason why the individuals should be \ punisjied. by the parent body? The Taihape club's games had already been seriously interfered with by representative games, and the sub-Union was naturally anxious to continue the- k

Any blame connected with, that must lay with the sub-Union, not the players, who simply obeyed the behest of their controlling body. While as a principle, the Eugby Union is right in holding that representative matches' must take preference over local cup fixtures, there are exceptions to every rule, and the explanation givep. by the secretary of the Taihape Union shows that an exception might reasonably have been made in the case of the cup match played at Taihape last Saturday. The position appears to be that, the "Wanganui Union did not ask the Taihape players iT they would be available for the Mariawatu match, but took the high-handed attitude of ordering them to go. In the circumstances, the Taihape players cannot be blamed if they resented this dictatorial action, and even if they had been available had declined to be treated in this manner. Why is it that the Taihape men have been singled out for exclusion {from the touring team, when several other players have with less reason not taken their place in representative teams in which they were chosen. One other point: the Taihape Cup fixture was arranged before the country players were informed about the Manawatu match; and that being the case, the high-han-ded action of the local Union in sending the "stand and cMiver" message is all the more blameworthy. The

local Union lends itseflf to the charge of being prompted by parochialism—the desire to see local representatives selected rather than a district representative team. REPORTED RE-CONSIDERATION. It is stated that word was received heTe to-day that the Wanganui Union Is) holding a special meeting consider the question of including the Taihap© players in the Wanganui rep. team. I