RUGBY LEAGUE TOUR.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 307, 28 December 1935, Page 5 (Supplement)

RUGBY LEAGUE TOUR.

Trouble With England Over

Arranging Itinerary.

With the evident desire to place club interests in front of an Australian tour, insular-miuded Rugby League officials in England have caused a considerable upheaval in Australia, but there is no danger of the tour next year being cancelled, writes Claude Corbett in "Sydney Sun."

Difficulty has been experienced in extracting from the English authorities the date of its departure from Australia to New Zealand. Until that is known the programme for next season cannot be completed satisfactorily.

From the outset it has been apparent that English club officials desired to delay the departure of the team until the playing of the Challenge Cup final on April 18, and to have it back in England prior to the start of club matches next year. It "was first suggested that the Englishmen should sail by the Otranto, which would not get them to Australia until June 3, two days after the King's birthday.

This is the best date of the season and on "which, in the last tour; over 70,000 people saw the first Test played in Sydney and out of which, as their share, the tourists received £30.51 13/0.

Even that huge gate was unable to attract those men in England who wanted full use of their players in club matches.

On the last tour the fourth match was played on June 3, so it will be realised what the delayed departure of the visitors wouUl have meant.

Mr. H. R. Miller, secretary of the Board of Control, soon became busy on the subject, pointing out the loss of the King's Birthday date and giving alternative sailings which would enable tho Englishmen to play the first match here on May 30. It was then decided by the English League to send the team by the Cathay, the players joining it at Marseilles, arriving* at Melbourne on May 25, and then coming overland to Sydney as had been done in 1032.

With that question settled, Mr. Miller next discovered that it was the intention of the Englishmen to leave Xew Zealand on August 14. He cabled Mr. Wilson, pointing out that that meant the curtailment of fixtures in Australia or New Zealand and asked for an extension of the sailing date.

Mr. Wilson replied that the owners were agreeable to put back the departure of the Akaroa from New Zealand one day, thus giving New Zealand another Saturday date.

A further' cable asked when it had been decided that the team should leave Australia for Now Zealand, to which the reply came: "Departure date Australia be mutually arranged between New Zealand and. yourselves as previously."

This was news to officials here, and Mr, Miller sent a further cable, reading: "Departure date Australia never been mutual arrangement New Zealand and ourselves. Your League always dealt direct with New Zoalan. We never been consulted regarding their itinerary. Absolutely imperative we know prior to December 20 date you leave Australia for Xew Zealand. Board meeting sped'

ally convened to complete programme for next season on date named. - Please advise."

The attitude of the English officials is beyond comprehension, for Australia has been a. gold mine to their League and curtailment of matches would mean consequent large losses in revenue, which in tdio past, has been utilised to build up the strength of the weaker English clubs.

On the 1932 tour, England played 18 matches in Australia, equally divided between New South Wales and Queensland. The English share of the gates was £11,001 10/3 in New South Wales, and £5025 10/ in Queensland, a total of £10,087 0/3.

On the last tour the team left England on April 13 and got back on September 22. This time it sails on April 23 and returns on September 17, thus shortening the trip by 15.days, compared- with that of three years ago. Necessarily, some matches will have to be cut out in either Australia or New Zealand with that difference in schedule.

England will bo sacrificing a large amount of revenue, and how easily it is obtained is shown by the figures here and of the last Australian team on tour.

Eighteen matches Were played by the Englishmen, bringing to them £10,087 16/3, while 38 matches were played bv the Australians, returning £18,831 10/3. In other words, the Australians played 20 matches more than the Englishmen for an extra £2744.

Had tiie Englishmen played as many games hero the figures would have been colossal. The visit to Australia is much shorter than the sojourn in England of our team.

That money was obtained in Australia between May 28 to July 20; the Australians theirs in England between August 20 and January 13. Further, we send 28 players against the 20 from England, and our men were paid £4 a week, while the English scale ranged from 30/ to £3, according to the family calls of the individual players.