My most heartfelt apologies if there's already a thread for this. I had a (very) quick look but I couldn't find one: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 892287.stm Personally I reckon this is a pretty t**d idea. I prefer the one where clubs invest that money (I'm not sure whether £50k is a mis-print, wouldn't get you many RU stars!) in developing our own youth players. It's not very "Wigan" though I suppose.

My most heartfelt apologies if there's already a thread for this. I had a (very) quick look but I couldn't find one: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 892287.stm Personally I reckon this is a pretty t**d idea. I prefer the one where clubs invest that money (I'm not sure whether £50k is a mis-print, wouldn't get you many RU stars!) in developing our own youth players. It's not very "Wigan" though I suppose.

An idea but how many top RU players would want to seeing as we have no real, compared to Union, an international scene ?

What?

the international game aint great.

Thanks, my Cas isn't great

Quote ="El Diablo"My most heartfelt apologies if there's already a thread for this. I had a (very) quick look but I couldn't find one: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 892287.stm Personally I reckon this is a pretty t**d idea. I prefer the one where clubs invest that money (I'm not sure whether £50k is a mis-print, wouldn't get you many RU stars!) in developing our own youth players. It's not very "Wigan" though I suppose.'" Daft ramblings from Nobbie. He said this on an interview on the SLS, I've just watched it on the I-Player. He used £50K as a rough figure and wants to see union talent in every SL club, to develop our international game. What's he been smoking? So to solve the problem we ship in other code stars? That's not solving the problem, it's moving it. I agree these funds would be better spent devloping our youth systems and try to create quality of our own. It's not even a sensible option, we can't compete with union on the money front, and what's £50K gonna get? Wilkinson's other boot? So Nobbie's trying to ingratiate himself with the sister code, wonder which job he'll take up there in a few weeks?

Quote ="El Diablo"My most heartfelt apologies if there's already a thread for this. I had a (very) quick look but I couldn't find one: news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_l ... 892287.stm Personally I reckon this is a pretty t**d idea. I prefer the one where clubs invest that money (I'm not sure whether £50k is a mis-print, wouldn't get you many RU stars!) in developing our own youth players. It's not very "Wigan" though I suppose.'" Daft ramblings from Nobbie. He said this on an interview on the SLS, I've just watched it on the I-Player. He used £50K as a rough figure and wants to see union talent in every SL club, to develop our international game. What's he been smoking? So to solve the problem we ship in other code stars? That's not solving the problem, it's moving it. I agree these funds would be better spent devloping our youth systems and try to create quality of our own. It's not even a sensible option, we can't compete with union on the money front, and what's £50K gonna get? Wilkinson's other boot? So Nobbie's trying to ingratiate himself with the sister code, wonder which job he'll take up there in a few weeks?

me and the old man was talking about this on our nightly run round Batley (and no its not because most of the folk that live there are a bit strange).

I read all the RL news I can each week and always like to read the letters pages in the back of the League Express. We have both spotted that over the past 4 or 5 weeks there has been in one form or another a letter or article concerning a wigan fan or club member that has spoken about a possible way of increasing the salary cap. I laugh every time i read one as no other clubs fan etc really talk about it. Wigan still cant handle the cap and now with Nobles comments he is just continuing it.

As for what he actually said, I think a lot of it was a straight reaction to the buffoon down at the Millennium stadium. But seriously what RU current internationals would suit RL? We discussed this while nursing stitches and been out of breathe but we reckon the only RU positional players to transfer over would their FB (Alan Tait was possibly one of the finest FBs i saw as a kid at Headingley), wingers (I'd have that Habbana lad at Leeds), centres and poss their inside centres as second rowers. Their stand offs are purely for kicking and their scrum halves are their just to do spin passes out of the rucks. As for the pack, they couldn't handle the typical 20 minute spell of a prop and certainly couldn't do a SR stint. But then something else did come up, we are taking RU lads on already. Leeds have Worrell who came from Donny RU, Ashton was at RU before he went to Wigan. The fact is we are taking their rising stars but we take them to RL while they are young to stop them getting the kick and chase game into their heads for good.

As said by others, 50K wouldn't get you much of a RU player and even if it did it would be completely counter productive to RL.

Noble seemed to be saying that you could pay them what you liked but only £50k would count on the cap.

It's a stupid, lazy idea that, at best would bring 14 new players into the league. Oh yes, that will solve all our problems.

Noble has a poor track record with junior development. He has a stated prediliction for veteran players.

I used to like him and really respcted what he acheived at the Bulls. In retrospect I am beginning to think he mioght've just been in the right place at the right time.

or

it would fit in with our penchant for innovative payment structures.

I can't understand people miss-understanding what Noble has suggested re the 50K.

I've only seen the SLS version of his comments but he clearly (or so I thought) stated that the 50K was within the salary cap and the balance of the convert's contract would be unlimited and outside of the salary cap calculation. That element would come from sponsorship, image rights, a benefactor or such like.

As his idea has no (theoretical) top limit on the amount a union convert could be paid then the relative wealth of the games is not an issue.

The whole idea is bonkers mind.

Edit: Although G1 beat me this time, I'd tried to explain in [url=http://viewtopic.php?t=393668&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=60here[/url previously in the other Noble thread.

That's that part ironed out then. But still, £50K on the cap, can be spent better and give us potentially, in the long term, better results and prospects. 'Bonkers' about covers it also.

The only salary cap exemption or part exemption scheme that I would like to see is something to do with academy players breaking into the first team.

the only reason the International scene is such a big thing is because thats where all the money comes from, I doubt prestige is important as they make out

I agree. Mr Noble has shown little sign of sympathy with academy prospects so far though. He might not vote for it!

I agree and it's hardly ideal for team spirit if you get a yawnion convert on mega-money with only 50k counting on the cap and the rest of the squad fighting for what's left under the cap.
Not only that who's to say they'd be a success??
Noble=Bollox IMHO.

Someone ought to point out to Brian that there's nothing stopping him scouting for & recruiting young, talented union players and developing them into decent league players before they start earning megabucks. Then again, there's little recent evidence of him doing this even with league players.

I can't see how taking players from the only set up in world rugby that makes England RL look exiting would help. Englands current union side must be the most negative attacking team ever to grace Twickenham.

[url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/london_wasps/7893734.stmgiven there is barmy money on offer in french RU at the moment[/url - I don't think we''ll be seeing this happen.

Which is why Noble is suggesting Home Nations rather than just England.



That's a huge statement to make when you look at what it's up against.

He was hinting at the Welsh. He said he wants to see characters like Davies, Gibbs, Devereux et al.

Maybe that's why they are targeting players like smithy.

That's not what motivates Noble.

He appears to be seeking to inflict damage on Union by enticing away their top stars just as Union have sought to do to league via Robinson, Farrell, Harris, Paul, Vainikolo ect

to be fair i think some of the current crop have greater attacking insticts than previous, more successful generations, but there is a lack of leadership (on the pitch) and a lack of spontaneity.

For all the hype, Cipriani is an exciting player, there are some good runners and some genuine pace in the backs and on the periphery of the squad - not seen much of him in the last year but Geraghty looked very comfortable with ball in hand and could react to what was in front of him.

Flutey is lively has good feet and a nose for a gap (that sounds wrong)

But it's all a bit shambolic on the pitch, don't know if the valiant defeat to wales will be something of a turning point.

Have any of our players that have gone to Union inflicted any damage on our sport?

or, for that matter, did any of the converts from Union inflict any damage on them in the past?

As long as the Union is prepared to throw silly money at the likes of Karl Pryce and Chev Walker we should be shouting to the rooftops that the way to get ahead in Union is to play League.