“NO COMPLAINTS” BY R.L. TOURISTS ON REACHING WELLINGTON

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23315, 26 July 1950, Page 8

“NO COMPLAINTS” BY R.L. TOURISTS ON REACHING WELLINGTON

(P.A.) WELLfNGTON, Juty 25.

“No complaints ” This remark by the manager, Mr. Tom Spedding, summarises the general attitude of the English Rugby League players who arrived in Wellington from Auckland this morning. Despite the defeat of the side in the Australian test series, a lastminute hold-up in Sydney, and the rush from the plane to catch the Limited express and the subsequent tiring journey. the tourists were remarkably bright. Thev are looking forward to the New Zealand engagements. The visitors were met by officials of the Wellington Rugby League and a batterv of press cameras. After breakfast at their hotels thev had a training run at Anderson's Park.

Mr. Spedding discounted certain Australian reports of the team’s alleged unpopularity and said there was nothing to comolain about in that respect. “The sensationalism and exaggeration of some of the Australian papers has been dreadful,” he said. Among those who met the English Rugby League team on arrival in Wellington todav was the Wellington representative Rugby full-back. J. A. Phillips. An offer of £2OOO for three seasons has been made to Phillips to play in professional League in England. He is still considering the nroposition. Phillips was mot by Mr. Hornby, the millionaire patron of the Bradford Northern League Club, who is travelling with the team.

Mr. Hornby said that newspapers had distorted the purpose for which he was travelling with the team. They had ppved up the football angle, he said.

He was looking for enterprising young men whom he could help in their vocational careers. He thought that football should only be a sccondary consideration with such young men.