Auckland's season off to shaky start

By WYNNE GRAY

Plans by Auckland and the Blues for a measured entry to the rugby season have been jolted by a series of tremors.

Intended ARU chairman Maurice Trapp has been dumped from the board and three Blues players suffered serious injuries in their opening trial match in Australia and another was barred from travelling to the game.

Blues captain Robin Brooke is not expected to play in the final two trial games after injuring his neck in the 69-0 victory against Queensland Country.

He should be fit for the February 23 start to the Super 12, but team-mates Troy Flavell and Amasio Valence will be missing.

Flavell had been playing as blindside flanker, but he strained medial ligaments in his right knee and may be out for a month.

Midfield back Amasio could miss the same amount of rugby after fracturing a small bone at the back of his ankle.

Prospective tighthead prop Tevita Taumoepeau did not even make it across the Tasman because Australian authorities would not issue the Tongan with a visa, apparently because of some problem when he lived in Sydney several years ago.

Taumoepeau's permanent place in the Blues may now be in jeopardy because the games in Australia were supposed to be his final selection trial.

Auckland lock Leo Lafaiali'i and Northland prop Mike Storey will join the Blues for the last two warm-up games, against the Waratahs and Reds.

Just hours before the Blues' dramas, the ARU expected their $600,000 grant this year to their 19 clubs (almost double last season's distribution) to be the main thrust of their annual meeting.

Instead, in a dramatic conclusion to the meeting, Trapp was ousted from his place on the nine-member board.

As deputy chairman, Trapp was expected to be endorsed as one of the three candidates for vacant ARU board positions at the meeting and then elevated to chairman later this month.

But the former Auckland forward, coach and administrator failed to attract 50 per cent of the votes.

"I am totally devastated," he said yesterday. "I guess there has been an orchestrated campaign and it prevailed.

"The sad thing is that through the council of club delegates no dissension came through.

"Because politics have won out here, the new board will be looking over their shoulders from the start."

The two successful independent directors are Grant Carruthers and Lin Colling.

Resistance to Trapp's succession followed last year's pattern when former chief executive Peter Scutts was rejected after being recommended by an appointments panel.

The chairman of the council of club delegates, Ken Baguley, would not guess at reasons for Trapp's rejection, but said it showed that rugby democracy was still alive.

New chief executive David White said the next ARU board meeting had been rescheduled for February 21 when a chairman would be elected to succeed Reuben O'Neill.