Bomb explodes at office of American rugby group

A bomb damaged the offices of the Eastern Rugby Union here yesterday, a few hours before state attorneys were to go to court in an effort to halt a game between the team and South Africa's Springboks.

No one was hurt in the explosion, police said. While damage was heavy to the newly renovated building in which the union headquarters are located, the union's offices were only minimally damaged, police said.

On Monday, the Eastern Rugby Union won a round in US District Court as Judge Howard Munson ruled that Gov. Hugh Carey lacked the authority to cancel the Sept. 22 contest in Albany by withholding state security forces. The state appealed this ruling yesterday.