NORTHERN UNION FOOTBALL

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 182, 31 July 1912, Page 2

NORTHERN UNION FOOTBALL

PROSPECTS UN" THE SOUTH. Mr. D. XV. McLean, president of the New Zealand Council of the Rugby League, who has been on an organising tour of the South, returned to Auckland by the Main Trunk express yesterday morning. In conversation with a "Star" representative, Mr. McLean spoke very enthusiastically of the way the game had been taken up in the South, especially in Wellington and Canterbury. In Wellington there are already four clubs firmly- established, said Mr. McLean, and if tho ground difficulty could be got over, and there was every prospect it would be shortly, the game would go ajiead in leaps and bounds. The League "were under a great obligation to the Wellington Football Association, who had given them the use of their ground for August 24, when the New South Wales v. Wellington match -was to bo played, and had also offered it for the proposed match between New Zealand and Wellington on July 20, which unfortunately fell through. In Wellington thc officials were very keen, and were confident of placing a team in the field that would give Auckland a great fight for the Cup. "The surprise to me," contßrrned Mr. McLean, ''was my reception In Christchurch. My League fully expected to have some difficulty in starting a branch there, but by the way a number of the leading players have taken the game, •it is a certainty that a sf.rong team will be available to meet New South Wales. The public meeting -held to consider the matter was a big success, and included a number of the _lugby Union officials, and also a big proportion of senior players. The meeting of the committee of the Canterbury Rugby Union was held the previous evening, when, after a lot of discussion, in which several of the committee spoke strongly in favour of the Northern Union game, a motion was earned to circularise the whole of the Rugby Clubs, asking them to send delegates to a special meeting to consider the whole position. During the discussion the chairman, Mr. G. H. Mason, spoke rather disparagingly of the Auckland Rugby Union, which he inferred had assisted players, and at the public meeting I reproached him for having -the knowledge and not bringing the matter before the parent body. "At Dunedin no branch of the League was formed, but everything was arranged to make an early start next season." Mr. McLean speaks very highly of the treatment accorded him in the South, more especially by the Press, all the leading papers giving him every facility to place the views of the League before the public.