In 1910 he played 2 matches for Britannia against the Bluff rugby league club, scoring 2 tries and kicking a conversion. Hughes then earned national selection and on 30 July 1910 he played for New Zealand in a Test against a touring Great Britain side. He scored the final try for New Zealand in a 52–20 loss. It was reported that in the hooker position he was "securing the ball n nearly every scrum... Hughes played brilliantly from end to end of the match and justified his reputation in every way".