COME TO STAY.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 214, 10 September 1928, Page 14

COME TO STAY.

LEAGUE GAME IN NORTH. NEXT SEASON'S PROSPECTS. SENIOR COMPETITION ASSURED. "Hikurangi, which was once a stronghold of the Rugby Union game, will be a League stronghold in the future," said Mr. E. Taylor, the secretary of the new Northland Rugby League, who came to the city with the Hikurangi team. "We expect that there will be four or five senior League teams'playing in the Whangarei district next season," he added. "We have fifty League players in Hikurangi alone, and if necessary, can put two senior teams in the Held. This season, after a number of the Hikurangi players came over to the League game, others carried on and won the Union championship up our way. Bnt in future it will be all League as far as Hikurangi is cerned." Mr. Taylor mentioned that there were four Northjand reps, of last season in the team who played in Auckland on Saturday. One was E. Meyer, formerly captain of the Auckland Training College team and an Auckland representative, who was playing his first League game. "The Rugby crowd up our way gave us a bad drubbing .for years," added Mr. Taylor. "However, we have now taken up the League code and both the Northland players and spectators are quite satisfied that it is much the better game." PLAYERS FOR TRAINING. THE OTAGO MATCH. ' The Auckland representative team will play Otago at Carlaw Park next Saturday for the Northern Union Challenge Cup. The following players have been selected for training:— Backs.—Dufty, Brisbane, Hardgrave, List, L. Scott, Wetherill, Prentice, Delgrosso, Peckham. Forwards: Somers, O'Brien (North Shore), Hutt, Hall, Clark, Payne, Ruby, Moisley, St. George. These .players will practise at Carlaw" Park on' Thursday, at 7.30. Any member unavailable is requested to notify Mr. E. Asher immediately. . 7(i i a GAMES IN THE SOUTH. ' >. GHRISTCHURCH. Canterbury 41, beat Otago 20. HEW ZEALAND PLAY CRITICISED!* DAVE MURRAY CUTS LOOSE. SYDNEY, September 9. Dave Murray, who trained the last three English Rugby League teams, utters a scathing indictment of the New Zealand League code. He says: "If a New Zealand team were brought to Sydney it would: be playing curtain-raisers within three weeks. Do not be deluded by the results of our matches In >'cw Zealand. The play was bad, the administration was worse, and the refereetng was atrocious. '• "In the first Test match the majority of the English players refused to return to the field, but were persuaded by the an< * the captain to do so. The h„. r »i CI !h Test match was a bloody . Burgess had his nose smashed to off u»e «pm° ,< £L lnß x° lt to ln -l WM sent a free ew Zealand team had :spf. .£"• * nd U was merciless. Dominion olr y *. £ ?? od Players in the were fronts* i !f. e the Eugli&hmexi a ureadful timo." 11 but on lt «W -ome oVhlifltat^K*Sr ml , Br^ reßentedta of distortion of at teast 5*w 1 . 8 w,lt y For Instance the r*,LtL m V f hl " f*ctsland. Everyone present «« tK Auck- * Plain recollection of the °En*n2h players bustling the referee to restart tw , a o er half-time when thwe .several New Zealand players off the 22? Again, the second Test, at Dunectln, was il fereed by an English player from \Varrta£ i?" had become a resident in Dunedin. He sent Burgess off the field and Australians must remember that 'no same Burgess was «ent off twice during lie tour In Australia. Of course, Murran ' '• w of the calibre of New Zealand pUy ' *"utled ll *" l " op,nlon t0 he Is