16 Oct 2006

New Zealand rugby league looking for apology

11:49 am on 16 October 2006

New Zealand Rugby League would still like to get some sort of apology from Australian forward Willie Mason after his outburst during the opening Tri-Nations match in Auckland on Saturday night.

An expletive mouthed by part Tongan Mason during the Kiwi's haka was caught on TV and some commentators are putting particularly ferocious play later in the game down to revenge.

The New Zealand Rugby League chairman is Selwyn Bennett.

"I don't think we should ignore it, I think Willie does owe the people of New Zealand an apology. Look you know he's a local born boy from Auckland he should know better, if that's his normal language well then we accept that, the Kiwis were offering out a challenge he obviously took it up."

However Bennett doesn't believe the bruising nature of the match won by Australia 30-18, was because of Mason's actions during the haka.