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Axe set to fall Monday night |
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Written by Site Admin
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Friday, 16 March 2007 |
The mettle of the Manawatu Rugby Union board will be tested on Monday night when it has vowed to decide on the size of next year's senior club competition.
In doing so it will probably go against the wishes of a majority of clubs after a meeting at Arena Manawatu on Wednesday night.
The union staff presented their proposal to the clubs for a 10-team competition, cut from the current 12, with senior first clubs having to have the back-up of two supporting sides, one an age-group team.
The votes by club delegates went 16-11 against the union's recommendation, but the vote wasn't binding on anyone.
On a count of senior clubs, it was 8-4 against.The eight against were understood to be Feilding, Feilding Old Boys, Freyberg, High School Old Boys, Kia Toa, Linton Army, Oroua and Te Kawau.
The four in favour were Bush, College Old Boys, Marist and Varsity with support from non-senior clubs Ashhurst-Pohangina, Bulls and Bunnythorpe.
In earlier submissions, Kia Toa and Feilding Old Boys had favoured reducing it to a 10-team competition.
Acting chief executive Chris Ricketts stood by his group's recommendation after visiting every club and being firm about each one having at least three sides.
"We feel it's very important with clubs developing their own players and for their own sustainability," he said. "We've done our part, consulted the membership."
Union chairman Tony Murphy was adamant Manawatu can no longer have players turning up to a couple of practices and walking into senior teams.
"We're got to make a decision that is in rugby's best interests and we will make a decision on Monday night," Murphy stressed.
He knows the rugby community is divided but he also knows past boards have recoiled rather than departing from the status quo.
"We must strengthen the competition and also make sure we don't cut off clubs.
"The board has to make a decision and I'd like to think it was a unanimous decision."
The board members are independent but five of the seven are aligned to clubs.
Murphy and Peter Clark have both been Marist presidents and Marist in its submission made the most strident call for change, to eight teams.
Kevin Tod has HSOB affiliation but has long been a proponent of a streamlined competition, even down to eight teams.
John Whitehead and Graeme Fraser have Massey University allegiances and Varsity wanted a trimmer competition, 10 in 2008 and possibly eight a year later.
The other board members are businessmen and newer appointees, Mark Buxton and Shane O'Brien.
Everything points to a 10-team format, two more than what Manawatu coach Dave Rennie preferred, and possibly a unanimous vote by the directors.
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