TheTaieri Rugby Football club believes the University club has made a "mockery" of the promotion-relegation game by beefing up University B with players from the A squad.
Dunedin Metropolitan committee chairman Dennis Richardson said University's decision to stack its B squad was "not fair play" but the committee could not do anything about it.
"They have made a mockery of the whole game," Rodger Whitson, the Taieri club captain, said yesterday.
"They have included players who have not played in the team this winter. Why didn't they do that all year instead of waiting for a game they need to win?"
University B has been strengthened by the inclusion of one of Otago's highest-ranked hookers, Simon Forrest, and a leading winger, Randall Kamea. Regular University A players Eli Paewai and Bron Lett have also been included.
Two other regular University A players, Andrew Castle and Brad Cameron, were in the original squad submitted to the Metropolitan committee but were not included in the final 22 players.
"If we had been playing another club it would not have been an issue," Whitson said. "But the students have two premier sides."
Whitson said the Taieri club had been trying to get back into premier ranks for the past eight years and thought it had a good chance to gain promotion this year.
"It is a big disappointment for our supporters," Whitson said. "We are not playing the University B team that has been playing all season."
The Metropolitan committee failed in its bid to have an even playing field for the game because there was nothing written down in the rules.
It wanted the University club to abide by the spirit of the rules but it did not have any regulations to enforce. It did not want the University club to include players in its team who had made seven or more starts for University A during the club season.
"There was nothing we could do about it," Richardson said. "It wasn't in our rules."
There is no guidance in the rules that relate to a club that has two premier sides.
"What has happened is not fair play. It doesn't give both teams an even playing field," Richardson said.
In a memo to the University club, Metropolitan match committee convener Maurice Hughes wrote that "we appreciate that premier status is important to your proud club but to field players who have been members of another squad for an entire season should be noted with some alarm".
Chris Burke, the University club captain, said Taieri "should concentrate on playing the game and not worry about anything else".
"We are playing premier grade players and I don't think any other town club should be alarmed by the players selected."
University B v Taieri
University A players who will play for University B in the promotion-relegation game against Taieri today.-
Simon Forrest (11 starts for University A plus five on reserves bench).
Bron Lett (10 starts and four reserves).
Eli Paewai (six starts and three reserves).
Randall Kamea (six starts).
Andrew Castle (11 starts and four reserves) and Brad Cameron (10 starts and five reserves) were in the original squad submitted but not in the final 22.
Teams
> University B: Peter Grant, Jason Beer, Eli Paewai, Te Miri Rangi, Randall Kamea, Ilai Manu, Henry Holdaway, Motu Hutch (captain), Brooke Weck, Tony Lyall, Kerry Higgins, Dan Hellebrekers, Richard Te-Nahu, Simon Forrest, Jim Coote. Reserves: Bron Lett or Marcus Hand, Tai Tautua, Mike Gibb, Ryan O'Connor, Tim Mullins, Greg Stevenson, Al-Syd Meleisea.
> Taieri: Matt Hogan, Joey Grey Smith, Rowan Shanks, Shane Crossan, Todd Ford, Jared Campbell, Ricky Stewart, Eric Vaafusuaga, Jeremy Corliss, Ben Kerr, Dean Collins, Kurt Webster (captain), Brad Gilmour, Charlie Harrex, Seth Burbury. Reserves: Hayden Yardley, Matt Davison, Danny Loli, Tim Smails, Kongja Scorgie, Damon Young, Joel Taniora.
