Rugby League: Referee upsets Goodway

The Great Britain coach, Andy Goodway, has criticised the approach of the New Zealand referee Phil Houston in the lead up to last Saturday's first Test.

Goodway said Houston had turned down his request for a meeting to discuss interpretations of rules before the match and clearly believes that the official's handling of the play-the-ball favoured the Australians in their convincing victory.

Disagreements around this area between the two countries are nothing new, but Goodway's Australian counterpart, John Lang, said: "I thought they interfered with play more than us.

"There were times when both sides could have been penalised, but I would dispute any suggestion that we were favoured."

Lang is waiting to see whether Bradley Clyde, who missed the first Test with a calf injury, will be fit before naming his side for Old Trafford. Ryan Girdler and Gorden Tallis are others carrying slight injuries, but both are expected to be fit.

Ticket sales for Saturday's game have topped 30,000, with the gate likely to exceed Wembley's 41,000.

Leeds have signed Marc Glanville of the Newcastle Knights. Glanville, who played loose forward in their winning Grand Final team last month, has agreed a two-year contract and will arrive to start pre-season training in December.

- Dave Hadfield