The game will go on.
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That is the message coming out of the Glen Innes–Guyra rugby club, as they prepare for a New England Rugby minor semi-final showdown against The Barbarians on Sunday that just days ago wasn’t going to happen due to religious beliefs.
In circumstances seldom seen before in country rugby, Ghost-Elk officials became aware following last week’s match that almost half their squad were of the Mormon faith “and would not be able to play on a Sunday.”
What followed has been a week of, ultimately failed, negotiations, before Glen-Guyra president Jim Lenehan announced on Friday morning that the players would take the field on Sunday, avoiding a certain forfeit and dark day for country rugby.
Both the Ghost-Elks and the NERU would have liked to see the game moved to Saturday, or other arrangements made, but ultimately the call lay in the hands of the Barbarians.
NERU president David Clifton said that “it would have been disastrous, in my eyes, to have a forfeiture, and not a good look for the competition.”
“It was a phone call that came out of the blue last Saturday night – but they are entitled to their beliefs and religion is religion,” Mr Clifton said.
“It was completely the Barbarians’ call - it was their prerogative and at the end of the day they were entitled to make the call not to move the game to Saturday.”
Baa Baas’ President Tracey Dooner said that the game was unable to be changed as “a week’s preparation had already gone into playing on Sunday” by the time they heard the news on Monday.
“We immediately knew we couldn’t play on the Saturday – players and coaching staff had already committed to other things,” Mrs Dooner said.
“If the forfeit came we would have taken the forfeit, but we are happy that we get to play – it is a good outcome.”
Glen-Guyra president Jim Lenehan shouldered the blame, saying that while he knew they would likely play in a Sunday semi-final, he was not aware that the seven Tongan players were Mormons, simply because “it had never come up before last weekend.”
“It was a bit bizarre the game couldn’t be moved – we knew we would have to forfeit, but the players decided themselves that they would play,” Mr Lenehan said.
“It should be a tough hard battle, and we are looking forward to it.”