LEEDS HIT OUT OVER VISA HOLD-UPS Super League.

Leeds have accused the UK Border Agency of discriminating against rugby league players.

Angered by their inability to give new signing Weller Hauraki his debut in last Sunday's Engage Super League opener, the Rhinos have asked their local MP, Greg Mulholland, and the Rugby Football League to investigate the hold-ups in applications for work permits and visas.

Leeds chief executive Gary Hetherington said: "It is our belief that rugby league players appear to be treated differently to other professional sportsmen when applying for work permits and visas and we have asked our MP to investigate on our behalf.

"The treatment of Weller Hauraki has been disgraceful. He has been waiting over two months and was denied an appearance at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium last Sunday in the opening round of Super League.

"Weller already had a work permit to play for Crusaders RL when he transferred to Leeds Rhinos in November and this required a new-work permit.

"I cannot believe that his application should take this long and, when compared to other sportsmen, there is no doubt he has suffered at the hands of bureaucracy and red tape."

Leeds were also frustrated by red tape two years ago when new signing Greg Eastwood was initially denied a work permit and his arrival at Headingley was delayed by 12 months.

Hauraki has now received his visa and has been registered with the League ahead of Friday's trip to Hull.

Hauraki's old club Crusaders have also been affected by delays in processing visa applications which have left three players, Frank Winterstein, Rhys Hanbury and new signing Hep Cahill, stranded in Australia.

The UK Border Agency have yet to comment on Leeds' criticisms.

Crusaders chief executive Rod Findlay supported Hetherington's comments, revealing that former Plaid Cymru president Dafydd Wigley raised the subject in the House of Lords on the club's behalf today.

"Our MP Ian Lucas also wrote to UKBA before Christmas but it doesn't seem to have made a difference," said Findlay, a former in-house lawyer for the RFL. "I wrote to them again yesterday.

"What is particularly frustrating is that our players were advised it would be better for them to return to Australia and apply for their visas from there, which they did at the end of December.

"But that can't be right. Our government ought to be able to process them quicker. I don't understand why there are so many delays.

"You only have to look at football, where players sign for a club one day and play the next. We don't seem to be getting the same treatment."

And what has this got to do with rugby union ??

Nothing. It's also a cut-and-paste of an entire article without even crediting the source, which is contrary to the AUP.