RIVAL CODES IN FOOTBALL

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21409, 27 February 1935, Page 15

RIVAL CODES IN FOOTBALL

❖ N.S.W. LEAGUE'S PLANS OFFERS TO ALL BLACKS SUGGESTED JiELPINC THE GAME IN NEW ZEALAND (UNITED rUSSS ASSOCIATION -BY EI.ECTKIC t:-:i.eoi:aj h— ccfyjuight.) SYDNEY, February 26.

A scheme to offer "bait" to New Zealand Rugby Union players in an endeavour to foster tlie Rugby League code in New Zealand was propounded at a general meeting of the New South Wales Rugby League, when the delegates had under consideration the possible advancement of the code in New Zealand. It was decided to suggest to the Australian Rugby League Board of Control that an Australian side be sent to New Zealand in September, and that three months beforehand an accredited organiser of the New South Wales Rugby League be sent to New Zealand with £SOO to organise and to buy, if necessary, three star Rugby Union players to appear against tlie Australian side. The secretary (Mr Miller) said the game had been badly retarded in New Zealand and that each touring side from the Dominion to Australia had lost approximately £IOOO. Mr Benning said the last visit of a New Zealand side was just a pleasure tour for "old buffers." He moved the adoption of the above proposals. 1 in a letter received at a meeting of the New South Wales Rugby League on January 14 the New Zealand League asked the Board of Control to consider an arrangement for an Australian team, or. as an alternative, a New South Wales team to make a restricted tour of New Zealand. The New Zealand body asked that the policy of the Australian authorities should not be one or "masterly inactivity," but thai a broad view should be taken and something done to assist the game in New Zealand. 1 OFFICIALS NOT CONCERNED IN DUCi: ME NT CO N SID E R EI) SMALL FEW PLAYERS LIKELY TO CHANCE Rugby Union officials in Christchurch are not greatly concerned at the proposal of the New South Wales Rugby League to send an organiser to New Zealand wi h £SOO "to organise, and to buy, if necessary." three star Rugby players to appear against the League team which, it is proposed, should tour New Zealand in September. Details of the scheme are contained in a cable message from Sydney published this morning. The president of the Canterbury Rugbv Union. Mr A. E. McPhail. said he did not think the scheme would be very successful in fostering the League code in New Zealand. He did not think tlie inducement offered would be sufficient 1o make many prominent Rugby players change. Dr. W. S. Seed, a member of the management committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union, said that there were always some players who would desert the code for money. It had been done in England, and he supposed it coulcl be done in. New Zealand. However, he thought that the majority of Rugby players would not entertain the proposal for a moment. One or two prominent players in Auckland, notably A. E. Cooke and K. Ifwerson, had changed from Rugby to League, but the latter had afterwards been reinstated in the Rugby code. In recent years some players had been attracted to England, but the difficulty of obtaining work in New Zealand probably had a lot to do with that. The general tendency in New Zealand in the last year or two had been for players to swing back to Rugby from League. "I am quite sure," concluded Dr. Seed, "that there are very few prominent Rugby players who 'will think of changing over." Apart from any other consideration, it is considered that the possibility of a trip to England with the All Blacks will be sufficient inducement to keep candidates for New Zealand honours in the Rugby code. When the All Blacks went to England in 1924 the first match of the tour was played on September 13, so that if approximately the same dates are followed this year the trial matches will be played about the time that the organiser for the New South Wales Rugby League is m New Zealand.