Kiwis league tour will attract crowds

Press, 24 June 1985, Page 24

Kiwis league tour will attract crowds

NZPA staff correspondent London New Zealand’s rugby league team will create big interest when it returns to Britain in October for the first time in five years, a British league spokesman said. “They’ve gone from strength to strength in recent years, and that includes this week’s 20-26 loss (to Australia),” the British league public relations olficer, Mr David Howes, told NZPA.

Spectator interest is a major reason behind the refusal by British administrators to change the date of the last game, against Hull on November 17.

The New Zealand league wanted the game moved to immediately before the third test. Hull’s four Kiwis — Dane O’Hara, James Leuluai, Gary Kemble and Fred Ah Kuoi — have to be available for the tourists in test week and therefore would not have played against New Zealand had the date been altered.

But the quartet will now still be free to play for Hull. Mr Howes said if the Kiwis win the three-test series there would be added interest in a tour finale which had O’Hara, Leuluai, Kemble and Ah Kuoi in the opposition. The British league wanted a "good quality game after the test” and Hull would be an excellent last match for television coverage.

New Zealand will piay in Yorkshire and Lancashire for the first time in 20 years when the team arrives in four months.

The 24-strong tour party will play county matches there. Two ol the three tests will be in Leeds - a controversial decision in Britain. The first test will be at Headingley on October 19 and the third at Eiland Road on November 9, sandwiching the Wigan test on November 2. Leeds will also play the Kiwis. The Kiwis match is the first test at Eiland Road, the home of the Leeds United soccer club and Hunslet rugby league club.

The tour schedule is the shortest for the Kiwis — the 13 matches being one less than in 1980-81.

Some venues still have to be arranged by county committees. The itinerary for the Kiwis tour of Britain: October

Sunday 6: v. Wigan. Wednesday 9: v. Great Britain Under-21s, Bradford. Sunday 13: v. Hull Kingston Rovers.

Tuesday 15: v. Cumbria. Saturday 19 v. Great Britain, Headingley, Leeds. Wednesday 23: v. Yorkshire. Sunday 27: v. St Helens. Tuesday 29: v. Leeds. November

Saturday 2: v. Great Britain, Wigan. Monday 4: v. Widnes. Saturday 9: v. Great Britain, Eiland Road, Leeds. Wednesday 13: v. Lancashire. Sunday 17: v. Hull.