LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 128, 23 February 1939, Page 6

LEAGUE FOOTBALL

N.Z. Team To Leave For Britain In July BRIGHT PROSPECTS FOR 1939 The New Zealand Rugby League football team will leave on it.s tour to Great Britain and France in July next. Particulars of the tour were outlined nt a recent meeting of the Wellington Rugby League Board of Control by Mt. J'. W. Watson, Auckland, a member or the Council of the New Zealand Rugby .Mr. Watson said that the Non' Zealand team on its tour would play about two matches a week, and would consist of 2b players and two managers. Great, care would be taken to see that every man selected was physically tit, and ol good character. Tlie standard of the game tn England, lie said, wa.s very high, but with careful selection a New Zealand team should more than hold Le own. Mr. Watson predicted that 1939 would see a big advance in the Rugby League game in New Zealand. In Canterbury and on the West Coast, lie said, tho game was taking on strongly, ami both provinces would Held solid representative sides this season. . In Wellington also it .was obvious that a bumper season was in prospect, and Wellington, he said, would form a strong eonneciing link between Auckland and the South Island districts. Tlie annual meeting of tin; Wellington liugby Football League will be held on March 17. and at this meeting Meserrf. Leese ami Wilson, of Hie New Zealand council, will be present. The Wellington hoard is eager to get Mr. J. A. Uedwood. chairman of tlie New Zealand eouneil. Io atiend tlie annual meeting, and intends to make strong repi'esentlll ions to the council Io seeurt 1 tlie presence ar tjie Wellington meeting. The 'Wellington board i.- hopeful that, 'a Wellington man will be appointed as one of the two managers of the Kiwi team for Britain this year. At a recent meeting of (lie board, Mr. G. H. Bassant moved that the candidature of Mr. W. T. Holland, chairman of the Wellington board, lie su)>porte<l. Tlie motion was welt received, am) carried unanimously. Mr. Holland lias been chairman of tlie Wellington board for four years, and has had a long connexion with the game both ns player and administrator in Auelilnml and Wellington. He has done valuable service for the Killin' in Wellington and was one of the founders of the present St. George club. He gained valuable experience on a trip to Australia toward I lie end of last year, during which he studied Hie systems of control of both Hie leagfic anil the Australian rules game in Sydney ami Melbourne.