The Argies didn't lnow what had hit em when Eastmond scored and had no answers to Yarde's power and pace out wide either.
There's certainly much more depth and quality available to Lancaster than in recent years it will be interesting to see how many get into the squad for the Autumn tests and 6 nations fitness and form permitting.

So Folau has played League, AFL and now union. What's next in the ashes squad this winter?

Lancaster has said he sees Eastmond as an inside centre first and foremost because of his creative handling skills and already Yarde looks the business. Many of these young players are well know to Lancaster during his former role so exciting days ahead.

I wonder if Australia will move Folau to fullback next week where he could be a big danger to us. They will have to make some changes in their backs due to injuries and the failure of O'Connor at FH. While we need to work on our lineout and get to the breakdown quicker. So there could be changes to our back row.

Beale will come back in at full back for the Shackle Draggers next week. Wouldn't be surprised to see them shift Barnes back up to fly-half if he recovers from being hit by the cement truck that is Israel Folau, have O'Connor as a game breaking option on the bench.

Both Folau and North are good players. I think Folau has the edge in pace and footwork, but there's not much in it.

Folau has only played 14 games of union, and not on the wing before Saturday - he didn't even have a full pre-season as there was every chance he'd sign for the Eels (which was messed up by the NRL). Once North really got moving he was good, but he was stopped easily a lot due to the time it takes him to get moving. The defence in the line for his first try after he took the kick was dire.

BTW lets not have any of this 'North could make a SL winger' stuff, as though the rest of the outside backs wouldn't make it. History clearly shows that in all likelihood if the Lions threequarters moved to RL most/all of them would quickly be playing for GB. The lack of RU signings to plug gaps in GB/England's backline is only now starting to be addressed IMO. The threequarters Tony Smith had for GB a few years ago would have been walloped out of sight by their union counterparts, let alone Inglis and co.

Two things

1. I wasn't having a go

2. I don't mind Union so don't give me that

Be interesting to see what Folau will be like when he fully understands Union

Which team is GB these days?

I grant you they'd get in to the current Welsh and Irish RL sides but then again so would G1 ..... possibly.



You can't prove that and I would still doubt it even if you tried.

Jason Robinson had pretty much passed his sell by date in League before he joined the Union but absolutely ripped it up in that sport when he got there - despite Stuart Barnes' opinion. That doesn't say a lot to me for the quality of Union outside backs at the time. Eastmond is now earning some plaudits (according to this thread) and his value in League was pretty debatable. Difficult to judge as the requirements of the two codes are often quite different.

Games shouldn't be fre-flowing at the expense of the rules. Reffing of the rucks was appalling.

RU is also killing scrummaging at the moment.

Folau is a freak (in a nice way) athlete who appears to be good at any sport he turns his hand to. George North is almost as good physically but knows the game better.

Jason Robinson had pretty much passed his sell by date in League before he joined the Union but absolutely ripped it up in that sport when he got there - despite Stuart Barnes' opinion. That doesn't say a lot to me for the quality of Union outside backs at the time. Eastmond is now earning some plaudits (according to this thread) and his value in League was pretty debatable. Difficult to judge as the requirements of the two codes are often quite different.'"

He was well past 26 before he made his Union debut for Sale (after his full-time switch) and yes in my opinion he'd ceased being the threat he once was on a Rugby League field. Perhaps that's a relative judgement in his case and he was still earning his place at Wigan but his days of terrorising the Leeds defences were seemingly over.



Greenwood perhaps is worthy of inclusion in a discussion about quality outside backs but Dawson would have been a RL hooker and Wilkinson could tackle (when not injured) but possessed a passing game that made Rob Burrow look like John Holmes.

In purely physical terms, today's RU backs are a different animal to the ones Robinson played against. He was a phenomenal player in either code, but would probably struggle to make people look quite as sluggish on a modern day field in either sport. I suspect that the athleticism of other players in RL hadsimply caught him up a little (and he was still one of the best wingers in league, so 'past his sell by date' might over-state rumours of his demise a tad) rather than his own ability waning in his mid-20s.

Eastmond to be fair is earning no more plaudits in RU than he was in RL before he left. In both cases he was getting international call ups, but in both cases probably not quite first choice. In both codes he was/is a huge threat in attack, but had/has questions to answer defensively.

I still think RL is a touch ahead of RU in terms of handling skills, but the gulf has become a small gap, and the days of resting on laurels are gone. Players are still switching codes and going well, but it isn't as if a background of success in League automatically makes you a superstar in Union. For instance, I'm pretty confident (of course I can't prove it) that Joel Tomkins would be a fixture in the England RL side by now, but remains (for now at least) a little way down the pecking order in RU.

Mike catt, Ben Cohen, Josh Lewsey & Mike Tindall were all good backs playing for England at that time. I think your initial comment about the quality of Union backs at the time Robinson crossed codes was harsh.

Robinson appeared to very quickly become a dangerous attacker at International level in an alien sport after losing much of his ability to terrorise even SL defences, IMO. That was the context for the earlier Union back comment - harsh or not.

You haven't mentioned Jodie yet? Salfords very own wing wizard, you feeling ok?

I'm good thanks, just treated myself to a new aquarium so I've got something to look forward to at long last. I try not to mention Broughton unless prompted by others to do so. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ep-3186588 a few of the current top clubs were circling but haven't heard anything further just recently.

I'm good thanks, just treated myself to a new aquarium so I've got something to look forward to at long last. I try not to mention Broughton unless prompted by others to do so. www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ ... ep-3186588 a few of the current top clubs were circling but haven't heard anything further just recently.

This post doesn't say a lot to me about your judgement either. Robbo's best season for tries in League was 1996 I think with 24. His next best 3 years were his final 3 years in League with 23 tries in 2000, 19 in 1999 and 17 in 1998.

Eastmond's value was not debatable IMO. An excellent and outstanding talent who was troubled with injury before and after he joined Union. He looks a class act and could well remain in the England squad when their Lions return.



I am pretty sure he was nearer 26 than 27 when he made his debut for Sale Sharks and was about 22 when he played for Bath RU.

Not a "relative" judgement just a poor judgement. Didn't he win the Harry Sunderland Trophy in 1998 (just 2 years before switching to Union) against.....err Leeds I seem to remember. And as I said his 2nd best season for tries finished just before he switched codes



Not "harsh" just wrong. A unique rugby talent like Robinson had together with the speed that he retained made him lethal in either code.

There are no facts here just opinions.

As ever mine are offered without ever feeling the need to tell anybody their's are wrong.

Robinson was a fading force in League (for whatever reason) by the time he left and yet was able to make an almost immediate impression elsewhere. Whether that was through a change of environment, a new challenge or whatever I don't know but as a League player he'd clearly diminished IMO by the time he left.

The position of wing in Union v League is somewhat different, you have much more space in union to work with and as the defensive lines are usually more stretched in Union you can have more attacking options as a runner v a direct run in league.

Robinson was not past his best in my opinion, but his foot work and acceleration was easier for him to exploit in Union. For the comparison lets take Ryan Hall, in Union I think he would be a solid winger but also have a weakness for quicker and more agile (Robinson Style) wingers to atttack him. So to do a direct comparison is not really accurate in my opinion.

Robinson was outstanding during his last RL season in 2000, his combination with Renouf was the stuff of dreams. Unfortunately - for Wigan - our idiotic coach decided to play him at full back in the grand Final and that poor performance may be skewing your recollections.

Id say the opposite really, Hall would go fine in Union, just like Lomu did as a big, strong, fast direct runner. I think Hall would be an absolute revelation in Union. Robinson on the other hand would have struggled as League changed as a game with a clear move away from the smaller speedsters, to larger wingers, this was only two years before Big Les remember. Also as the game has change Robinson would have been kicked to death in League, Imagine him trying to compete for kicks with Hall or Richards or Charnley. Robinson was a great, great player, but of his time, im not sure how much of it was down to Robinson losing anything or the game just changing around him and him coming up against bigger players who as professionals were better equipped to deal with him, but I don’t think we will see another of his kind. Only two like him have come through since him imo (by that I mean short. Agile, speedster wingers, the first Ainscough was great going forward but a huge defensive liability, and the new one Keiron Dixon is a try machine who cannot defend.

What we have seen is those types of players pushed to half back to cover for those issues, like Burrow and Eastmond.

I would agree that Hall at his peak would have done well in Union. Robinson was still at his peak when he left League and I feel sure he would have continued to "terrorise" for many years to come. As you point out League made a move to bigger wingers and indeed bigger centres with the kick becoming a more important attacking option.

IMO this has been one of the reasons for the decline in attacking skills from the backs in SL. Centres these days have little more to offer than back rowers, indeed many of them are back rowers. The news of Tomkins SL exit is not good for those that enjoy seeing a running back with silky skills.

Thanks for the civil response - not always a given on here unfortunately.

My recollections are formed from the viewpoint of an opposition fan over several seasons. Perhaps it was particularly noticeable in the games V Leeds, perhaps he'd set an incredibly high benchmark V his home town team in the pre and early SL seasons that was impossible to maintain, perhaps Leeds had worked him out to some degree and devised plans to shackle him but for whatever reason/s (and purely from my perspective) his threat as a League player had diminished and I was no longer expecting the worse when he got hold of the ball for Wigan.

I expect there are opposition fans out there who feel likewise when the last couple of season's versions of McGuire and Burrow are in possession compared to how they felt a few years back.

Probably most fans know we turned down the chance to sign Robinson , he came to the club as a half back,unfortunately the club claimed they were well covered for half backs.
By a strange quirk of fate one of the senior coaching staffs son was at the club as a half back. This player never reached the heights of Robinson .

Apologies for wandering off thread, you are right about Mc Guire and Burrow , when younger together they were sensational , Danny's had bad luck with injuries and lost a bit of pace . Whilst rob has been asked to play various positions in the team not all of which suit him. It's to his credit he gets on and does it without any serious complaint .
It would not surprise me if somebody came in with a decent offer he would leave.