Id say its a real problem he is going, from what ive heard we didnt exactly do our best to keep hold of him and I think he should be england and Leeds starting fullback

another season of an international leaving, hope we actually find a "replacement" this year

A quality utility back who has failed to make any one position in the threequarters his own. Finally settled down after some tumultuous seasons including negatives on and off field issues.

We'll desperately miss his utility value but his absence from the 1st 13 will barely be noticed.

Better wingers and full backs at the club already and the club are hopefully sourcing a better centre, if he's not here already.

A shame for league that he chose not to sign for another league club but good news for his bank manager.

I expect him to be back at a lesser club in a few years a lot richer but a poorer league player.

Thought Smith had his worst game of the season on Friday TBH but as you say Gareth it’s his ability to drop from centre to full back or to the wing midst game that we’ll miss most.

Good luck to the lad I say, IMO pro League player get paid fekk all in relationship to what they do and have nothing much in the way of career longevity. Make hay while the sun shines.

For the player and for England, the ideal would probably have been that he signed as a first choice full back for another club. Leeds would have got a fee then too I guess.

Would you care to state the reasons for your opening comment?
I disagree entirely although he did make one terrible error that I can recall dropping the ball on the 1st tackle.

Personally, I think that Smith is one of the few RL players who could, quite easily, make the grade at RU.

Unlike the likes of Chev Walker and Shontayne Hape, he's actually got the sort of skills that suit a rugby union centre. He's got good feet, pace, he's creative and he has a extremely good kicking game - all much more than the 'size and strength' value that previous converts have been bought on.

I'd compare him to somebody like Stephen Myler, who has made a very good career for himself at Northampton Saints with similar skills to Smith - although I think Smith is better than Myler at what he does.

Hape has been excellent for Bath RU by the way. Smith will be an interesting one at RU, can't see him being as good at it as he is at league, mind.

I hope that with Sean Edwards to coach him that Lee makes a very successful transition to RU & becomes a successful & integral aprt of England's back line in whaever position, God knows they need him.
As I've said on other threads he reminds me of Josh Lewsey I hope he enjoys a similar career.
Good luck to him. I'm sorry to see him go but it gives an opportunity for someone else to take his place.

RUs fortunes are one sport in this country i really could not give a t0$$ about .
while i say to Lee Smith good luck to you i stop at hoping england RUs fortune improves because of him, although if he is a success it will be interesting hearing what all the lord smuglies saying how hes develped into a first class rugger player

If that bit is correct then fair enough, but it will have a big impact if we don't sign a specialist centre to play alongside Keef.

This is the down side to the salary cap: it's been at the same level for some years now, meaning that league teams can't pay anywhere near what union teams can and that promising league players will continue to be enticed away from the game by the lure of big union money. Surely this can't be good for league in the long run.

spot on, was just going to mention Lewsey, similar in stature and versatility, I like Smithy, never plays the game by numbers, just what he sees in front of him and isn't afraid to try things.

Listen to the last Bulls podcast. Mind you, he's not going to come out saying that this move was the worst thing he's ever done.

Where do i find that then?

[urlhttp://www.bradfordbulls.co.uk/podcast[/url

Just going to say the same thing. Imo Smith will do well in Union he has skill, pace and is a good kicker, what more do you need

There's not many 22 year old English backs who have the skill set to play all the positions Smith can play. He's probably out performed Webb at full back this year (I don't think there're many full backs in SL as good as him), and is starting to make the right centre position his own. He's a big loss IMO.

I say i say you are foghorn leghorn and i claim my £5

Agreed. The salary cap has to be looked at. I think there should be assistance given to clubs to poach from union (as Noble said not long back) and also to fend off RU from poaching our best young talent. Not easy to do i know, but we must do more to stop RU poaching our players.

The dire state of the international game is another factor. Improvements have been made but we're still a long way off. We need more top international games and (propper) Lions tours etc imo.

The salary cap is doing a fantastic job. We shouldn't over-react because one player has gone to RU.

If the loss of Andy Farrell, Jason Robinson, Iestyn Harris, Henry Paul and their like didn't kill Super League then the loss of Lee Smith will barely register a scratch on its' skin.

Where will the Lions tour now that the seasons here and down under run concurrently?

Agreed, problem is SL is hardly awash with quality strength in depth at international level. I'm just fearful that more players may go...

On your last point answer is it can't really be done... which is a damn shame and imo damages the game. don't really know what the answer is but we must have a better international game.

The only way to get a better international game is to get more nations who are competitive at the top level, and in particular get a northern hempisphere nation able to compete with England so as to give us a meaningful mid-season test.
Thats why teams like Catalans and Celtic are so important and why they deserve a franchise place at the expense of heartland clubs.
Making the likes of Wales, Ireland, France, PNG and one of Tonga/Samoa/Fiji competitive against England, NZ and Australia is the key, and the only way to do that is to have a domestic team playing at the top level such as Catalans or NZ Warriors.
A PNG team in the NRL would be great, as would an Irish or another French team in SL.

No, the key is for England to be competitive first. If England continue to lag miles behind then there's no point even talking about France, Wales, PNG etc.

The real key is to raise a flicker of interest amongst the Australian team to play anywhere outside their own country, to raise a flicker of interest in the Australian supporters to want to watch anything that happens outside of their own country, and to raise any interest, even a flicker, amongst British supporters who have a track record of almost zero interest when it comes to internationals - and I include myself in that number.

Well for the games profile to be raised in the press we must have a better international game. Doing this will lead to more people playing league (hopefully in schools) and the sport going from strength to strength.