Sinfield strengths are more based around those "intangibles" that people don't appreciate, like game management and decision making. As a Saints fan, we suffered more than anyone at the hands of these as he guided Leeds past all those GFs against us.

It's because to way too many League fans a turn of pace and a bit of fancy footwork is worth far more than having a great brain, tactical nous and the ability to utterly control a game. When he won the Golden Boot this place was awash with people saying that the likes of Ben Barba were better Rugby League players. I enjoy flair like everyone else, but while the likes of Barba might win you points and even the odd game, the Sinfield's of this world win you championships.

Whatever the performances a re like, next season will be weird at Leeds without our two figureheads.

A good watch if you've got an hour to spare, and says as much about Sinfield as any game clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0tO_SQCAcM

A good watch if you've got an hour to spare, and says as much about Sinfield as any game clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0tO_SQCAcM

Apart the obvious lack of pace I've always found some of the comments towards Kevin Sinfield a little patronising. His lack of pace is obvious, however is all round skill set for the most part has been superb. Excellent kicker, superb hands, and an intelligent runner. All this coupled with his superb ability to read the game have made him one of the best players of his era IMO.

Absolutely. Speed of thought should never be underestimated either.

This is a great day for England rugby league. It cements Gareth Widdop's position at No. 6.

Good luck to the lad, he’s put enough shifts in at the top, nice for him to slow down as he heads towards retirement.

I think he’ll do ok, he’s got a great rugby brain, & has got to be in the top three all-time players for Leeds, he’ll be a big miss.

He'd already retired from Internationals you utter bell

Depends what you class as the best I suppose, I wouldn't have him in the top 10 players in SL, maybe not the top 20.

Fair enough... I'd be genuinely interested to know whom the 20 better players are

Didn't see this coming. Little bit of me is disappointed that he'll end his RL career by gifting some positive headlines to the RFU, but he doesn't have many games of RL left in him, so I can hardly begrudge him the chance to increase his pension pot in a less physically demanding game.

The big question now is who will fill the very significant gap in leadership which he leaves behind at Leeds. He's been instrumental in their success over the last decade, and I don't see an obvious replacement.

It's going to be a very tough transition for Kevin. Union's rules are so much more complex. It will take him quite some time before he can referee a Union game.

More player drain to Union.

Can I be first to suggest an OAP cap to keep players like this in the game.

I too would be interested in those other 20 players.


If I could retrospectively pick a player from SL I wish we'd had at Hull over the past 10-15 years, it'd be Sinfield.

I don't think any other player in the SL era has had such a positive effect on their clubs success as he has.

No great loss.

A one trick pony at best!

Probably should have gone to union sooner with his "talent", far more suitable to that inferior game with all it's inane kicking.

Quote ="Richie"A good watch if you've got an hour to spare, and says as much about Sinfield as any game clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0tO_SQCAcM'" Thanks for that - very interesting and it confirmed a lot of things that I'd suspected about his character.

Quote ="Richie"A good watch if you've got an hour to spare, and says as much about Sinfield as any game clips https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0tO_SQCAcM'" Thanks for that - very interesting and it confirmed a lot of things that I'd suspected about his character.

I won't put the list on here (did it at work today when bored), as it will derail thus thread but I easily got 15 players who I think are better individual players than Sinfield, so maybe 20 was too many. As I've said I believe he is maybe the most important player to a team since SL started, but had his limitations to be as good an individual player as some others.

There is no denying Sinfields contribution to Leeds Rhinos.
A great servant of the club and a fantastic club captain.
There are better players in the game but, the guy has made Leeds tick for many, many years now and without him in their team
it is unlikely that their level of success would have happened, a great leader.

Hasn't really had the same impact at international level but he will be a massive loss for Leeds Rhino's.

Cant really see the benefit of changing codes so late in his career, especially to ply his trade in the second tier of RU.
Surely he would want to test himself against the best that Union has to offer ??

Claire Balding will be devastated.

Why? She's a lesbian.

Already seen some Union fans and so called knowledgeable writers saying he'll be another Rugby League legend who fails to hack it at Rugby Union.

He's 34 FFS!

They're making comparisons with Andy Farrell who left Rugby League as a recent Golden Boot winner and the best Rugby League player on the planet yet failed to make an impact at Rugby Union

He was a semi crippled, over the hill front rower who played for England RU as a centre, jeez!

This is my only worry about Sinfield going to Union!
We know he's retiring but the Union hacks will spin this to make their inferior game look too difficult for a League legend.

Good luck to him though, he deserves to do whatever he wants.

For my part, I think he's a bigger, better and more skillful version of Jonny Wilkinson and had he switched 10 years ago he'd be a World wide household name!

Sinfield never really had the chance to cement his place as the England/Great Britain RL Captain like he did during his Leeds career due to coaches selecting others ahead of him. If he had Long term captaincy for his country then he could have paralleled what he has done for Leeds.

Sinfield's retirement from internationals was probably because he knew that his treacherous transfer to the dark side was impending.

In any case retirements from the international game are like club playing contracts -- utterly nullifiable, only more so.