Come on mate,what have the blighters been up to now.

The RFL. Have actually done a great job in the NE with almost 60 schools playing RL regularly and over 800 kids playing RL as their preferred sport. The RFL assessments at U15s & U16s were very well attended with around 30 to 40 players being invited back to trial for scholarships.

All this growth hasn't gone unnoticed by the RFU and their development officers. As a result an instruction from the RFU has been sent telling all Union clubs that if they host RL games or run dual code teams their central funding will be cut. Some RU clubs have actually changed training nights to create a conflict with RL clubs, scholarship and Academy training schedules and when the RL changed to avoid it the RU clubs just changed again.

The RFU held an emergency meeting to discuss the impact of RL on the NE sporting landscape and RU in particular. Letters have been received by a number of parents threatening to cut their kids from teams and RU Academies if they play RL as well. The letter also states that RL will only be a short term option for the kids and that the RFL will soon pull out leaving their kids with no where to play, which is sheer scaremongering. They've also tried to create animosity between players and some parents by suggesting that some scholarship lads are receiving £5,000 to choose RL while others are getting nothing.

There are around eight full time members of RFL, Thunder, University & College staff working in the NE and they're doing a superb job which is rattling the RFU who know that their sport is in rapid decline in the region and the Falcons are on thin ice financially.

Might not seem like much but it's a specific, planned campaign to derail and undermine the growth of RL in the region and anyone who thinks the RFU have changed their spots needs to think again.

As I said earlier, if they could destroy our game tomorrow they wouldn't bat an eye before doing so.

I have been saying it for years mate and the times I have been ridiculed for it well let's put it this way I have lost count.

Keep up the good work in promoting RL and I have no doubt most people will see that we have the better game by a mile.

I would like too see all the pro union posters on here now and read what the Clan has just put into words.

Do you still believe that all is well between the two codes of rugby.

Do you still believe that RL gets no bother now from union,read the guys notes on what they are trying to do,it's like going back 20 years ago,I have always said they will try and kill our game no matter what.

Stop banging on about Union and get a life.

People who talk about rugby union don't have a life?

Not being funny but didn't you say that Sam Tomkins should go to the dark side,I smell a union troll.

I want Sam Tomkins out of our sport because his arrogance and attitude far outweigh his skills.

The fact he's the only England/Great Britain player in the 29 years i've watched this sport to be booed by his own fans speaks volumes.

The likes of Offiah,Hanley and Edwards were arrogant but they were never booed while on international duty. And all 3 were miles better players than this Tomkins.

I've been at England/GB games where Sean Long and Danny McGuire have been booed in very recent times.

Not disputing at times Sam has been arrogant.

Hopefully he has learned his lesson and get on with what he does best and that is playing RL at a very high level.

This kid has all the potential to be a world beater and his performance against the Aussies last weekend was very encouraging to say the least.

You go on about the likes of Hanley

,Offiah and Edwards and you say BOTH where miles better,you can't bloody count either.

Exactly FearTheVee,you should never boo any player playing for your country,you should get behind the lads 100%.

I think it speaks volumes about an ignorant minority of rugby league fans in this country.

Catalancs have you seen what Gutterfax has said on the union thread,if this statement is true it should get very interesting.

We're is your loyalty to your club? You should be delighted if your rivals lose their top player. Do you think Wigan fans be sad to see Roby go to Union or the likes of Jonny Lomax if it weakened Saints and give them a better chance of lifting trophies? No chance.

Methinks you should lose the hang up about the other code.

Evidence please.

And even if there is, it can't and won't have been on the scale Tomkins got at Headingley.

If I was a betting man I'd hazard a guess the treatment Tomkins got was because of the treatment McGuire got at the DW last time out. I was surrounded by Wigan fans booing McGuire all game during the 26-16 loss against australia.

Wasn't McGuire just cack that game, with the Cons running all over him and Smith?

I'd much rather Saints keep hold of players like Lomax and Roby than see them leave the sport altogether. I want Wigan to win every competition they enter but I want to see them against the best possible players when they do it. It's the World Cup in two years and we're going to need our very best players if we're to take the title of world champions from the Kiwis. Roby is world class and Lomax will be one of the best in Super League come 2013.

What rubbish.

You think I'd rather Saints lost Roby and Lomax so I could watch lower quality players instead? Crap. I'd sooner SL (an England) was as strong as possible. Apart from anything, if I'm spending my hard-earned cash watching teams I want decent quality.

RU in the UK would love nothing more to see RL die. I think we sometimes underestimate the size and depth of amateur RU in the country - almost every amateur RU set-up I know in the North-West has a clubhouse, a couple of pitches, floodlights, and several teams from juniors to open-age. How many amateur RL teams are playing at crappy shared or hired facilities and scraping teams together every week? Loads.

My team is lucky that we've built some ties with our local RU clubs, but it's been hard going and has involved us going and playing for one of them when we have a free week to help make up numbers for their FOUR open-age sides. That has got us a foot in the door to use their floodlit facilities, and perhaps a small level of player exchange. Several RU lads came to us this summer and some haven't gone back, whereas most of our lads find RU boring and do it for something to do on a free weekend, and to help the club out.

I don't want any rivals clubs losing their players to Union, I support league too much, and I'm sure anybody else would say the same, I hated seeing Eastmond leave, especially the way he did too.

I booed Sean Long at the GB vs Australia game at Wigan in 2004, However I was 14 at the time and wouldn't do it now.

Listen mate I have been watching Saints for over 30 years and I would say I am very loyal.

I have always said though the game comes first,club second,if there are some Wigan fans who think like this that is their choice but I would imagine the majority of any fans in RL would be gutted to lose any player to the dark side,we should all get behind Sam and the rest of the lads this weekend and beat the Kiwis,don't you agree.

I won't deny though if Sam went to the NRL it would weaken Wigan by quite a bit and I would be a bit happy about this.



But if he went to union I would be devastated and so should ALL RL fans.

Im sure the London fans thought the same

I'm no fan of Tomkins- bit too arrogant for me, but then I support a club that had Lee Briers at his worst for years- but he is undoubtedly a fantastic talent and I will happily cheer him when on England duty.

If he went to Union, he'd end up wasted on the wing, like a less talented former Wigan fullback we could all name.

Something else strikes me about the deal- this tie-up smells badly, as many of you have pointed out, and I wonder if...

1. Sarries smell blood in the water in northern RU? With Sale attendences down and Leeds almost certain not to resurface, and Newcastle looking really shakey, the cross-code match thing might be a chance to get in the faces of potential casual RU fans- and get them onto the Saracens bandwagon.
2. Wigan think there's the potential to do the reverse down south?
3. ...Ian Lenegan told you it was raining, you'd go outside and check?