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The Nelson Photo News

 

38

The Rep Teams

Let's now take a look at the broader picture of representative Rugby--why its standard is poor and its play drab. Let's consider also some of the ways to improve it.

Firstly and foremostly, senior representative players in both unions must be provided with incentives. Membership of a senior representative team must be made harder to attain and looked upon as a great honour. During our inquiries into this subject coaches have complained over and over again of the apathetic attitude of players and of their mental approach to the game. Within the space of a few years, two reports have been published in the "Mail" of Bays selectors almost despairing of getting players in some of the more inaccessible areas to play for the union, let alone get them to practice. Players begrudge training time and the effort to get reall physically fit. To be fair, Nelson has suffered less in this regard than Bays.

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Mr Geoff Stobie, Nelson senior selector: "Amalgamation in some form must come. At the moment there is no depth. At the moment we are essentially a city union with virtually no wider country district to call upon, unlike many other unions."

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Mr Ron Horsley, All Black and co-selector for Bays: "At the moment major unions are not keen to travel to play minor unions, and because of high travelling costs today, minor unions have difficulty in travelling. For that reason I would be very pleased to see the unions come together to discuss the formation of a composite team to play major unions three or four times a year. I would also like to see, failing amalgamation, a match between the winners of each union's competition at the end of the season.

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Mr Guy Bowers, All Black and Bays selector: "I feel some discussion on the subject of some form of amalgamation is warranted - at least as far as a composite team to play major unions is concerned."

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It becomes a case of incentives. In both unions, too often players are selected for positions not because they've earned them, but because they were' the only ones offering. And in case it might be thought by some that the geographic nature of the Bays union is such that training is so difficult for some as to be almost insurmountable, might we refer to a television report recently on the training of the Hawke's Bay team, hold era of the Ranfurly Shield. It was stated in this report that players came to training from 80 and 100 miles away. Why? Because they had the tremendous incentive of being a member of New Zealand's top provincial side.

What incentives are we offering our players? A trip to Blenheim, or a tour every four years when the unions can afford one? A chance to play in a challenge match against the Seddon Shield holders?

Unfortunately, the Seddon Shield and the Seddon Shield district has been one of the causes for our poor records. Each year Bays and Nelson play each other at least twice, and sometimes three times, and there are home-and-away matches with West Coast, Buller and Marlborough. One result of this is that seldom does the public or the players see how strong Rugby is in some other part of the country until some outside union visits the district and gives us a hiding The cold, hard facts are that we cannot get major unions to send teams here because (a) they realise their teams are too good for us and (b) they realise that at some later stage Nelson or Bays will have to repay the visit and knowing the strength of the unions, they would get very poor gates.

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The Huia club's rooms in Motueka provide club members with many social amenities and club spirit is high

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Mr Ron Blomfield, member of Bays union committee: "My personal view is that the two unions could have a discussion on amalgamation. There are problems."

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Mike Delany, ex-Nelson full back: "I would like to see some form of amalgamation, especially, combined teams against major unions. I feel also boys are commencing competitive Rugby too soon. Sixth grade is early enough."

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Mr Jim Rowling, of Motueka, a coach for eight years: "In view of past records I think the time is long overdue when the unions should get together to discuss some form of amalgamation."