RUGBY RIVALS.

Auckland Star, Volume LVI, Issue 224, 22 September 1925, Page 13

RUGBY RIVALS.

P.. J. Shannon's warning: "If the players are loyal to the Rugby Union and refuse the challenge of the Queensland League team's manager they will no doubt be called 'windy' and bad sports, etc. But. on the other "hand, if they disobey the union* decision and play League, they w-111 fall into the trap- so cleverly set by the League manager and be excluded from the Rugby international team. He knows they wilt not be permitted to play, but yet he tries to tempt them by indirectly calling them bad sports." "Rugbyite" declares : "In my opinion this is a ridiculous proposal. Why do the League propose 13 players? Simply because it is to their advantage. Give them two more men and see what would happen. 1 am afraid that they would be in the way. Would they play so well if they had a great rover like Porter pitted against them? If our Mr. Sutherland controlled the game I could hear only one tune on the whistle, "-Off side. Queensland.' Our Rugby refs. do not let much off-side play pass. There are various other reasons. which I cannot give here. It is high time that all the League and Rugby argument was squashed. We conquered the jtvorld at Rugby and are satisfied." Digger's Idea : "I fail to see, in the first place, what good this match would do. other than advertise the League game. I don't think any first : class Rugby Union players would tarn over to the League unless they were paid to do so. and it would be a sorry day for football in New Zealand if we accepted as our national game a code which would use these methods. I think that most of the spectators at tlie match on Saturday, New Zealand v. New South Wales, will agree when I say that the League game has never produced football in New Zealand to compare with the game by the All Blacks in this match." H. P. Reynolds remarks: "Mr. Sutherland In his challenge still shows the shrewdness of the League when he offers to play the All Blacks 13 a side and presumably under League rules. Why not 15 a side and Rugby rules, and say Mr. Sutherland referee? Big money would be on the All Blacks. But the fact remains, commercialism and Rugby don't go hand in hand. Forget your spectacular play. D your gates. We play the game for the game's sake, and what it teaches us. If we don't, then let us chuck it. Rugby has nothing to fear from League. Let those who wish to play League and those who wish to see it do so. The Queensland-New Zealand debacle in the last match will ever be their portion." Frank C. Reardon (Marist Lpague Club) states :—"As a Rugby League player, and one who loves fair play in all branches of sport, whethpr amateur of professional. I crave a little space to advance what I believe to be the opinion of the large majority of League players regarding the alleged secret moves being made by the I-eague to put the Rugby Union game on the scrap heap. After reading the articlp in Monday evening's "Star," it would seem that

the New Zealand Rngby League and all connected with that progressive body were little short of being conspirators In an utterly unsportsmanlike alliance, whose avowed object seems to be the bringing about of the downfall of the Rugby Union game in New Zealand. Apparently the writer of the article hat rushed to seize pen and paper rather prematurely and attacks the Rugby League very unfairly. Before I proceed any further I would like your Rugby supporter's to know that, collectively, League players bear no ill-feeling towards the Rugby Union or its players, and we are the first to ungrudgingly recognise the superiority that the New Zealand national fifteen has over ; all other international teams —Rugby or League. Now we are reading of the Queensland league team's challenge to the formidable 1024 Rugby Union All Blacks for the world's championship title. I hate to think how the Banana-landers would fare against this team of Maoriland's super-foot bailers. Candidly, one can see the All Blacks' score reaching double figures to nil : and the wonder of it is that the Rugby Union does not accept this challenge from would-be world beaters, aud show the rest of the world that the supremacy achieved on the Rugby Union playing fields of Great Britain. France, America and Australia, is just as absolute under Rugby League rules. In conclusion, let mc say we League players are real sportsmen, we play our own game, play it because we love it. play it in the best of spirit and play it as true New Zealanders —a football loving nation."