i think we should leave them alone and let them play their game and we can play ours

the Saints Sale game was a hybrid scoring system, cant remember exactly how it worked but it was the same in both halfs. Sale won the toss and we had Union first, they just kept it simple and played it effectively as one big ruck in the middle. Saints couldnt compete and it was just a mass of players rolling down the field followed by a penalty conceded by Saints. 41-0 at HT.

In the 2nd half, Saints got pretty knackered (it was pre-SL season, and mid-RU season) we got it back to 41-39, basically by chucking it round a lot, not really playing in our usual patterns. Long missed a conversion to tie it up in the last second.

Had they played RL first, I am fairly sure that Saints would have scored more than 39/41.

Completely pointless event - although the crowd was around 12/13k for a preseason friendly.

The nature of the games means that union players always find it easier to pick up league than the other way round. RL is a more simple technical game which focuses on the purer elements of union (running and tackling), so the union players that are good at those purer elements, have always done well in league throughout history. Sometimes league fans like to claim that league is a much tougher sport and that the union backs can't handle the physical side of it, but this is absolute rubbish, top level union players can quickly adapt to league and they have been able to do years before union went professional.

Here are some names to prove the point: Jonathan Davies, Allan Bateman, Scott Gibbs, Jon Devereux, Alan Tait, John Bentley, Martin Offiah, Frano Botica, Inga Tuigimala, Craig Innes, or if you look in Australia, Matthew Ridge, Michael O'Connor, Ricky Stuart, Daryl Halligan. All of these guys were fine players in league and some of them were some of league's greats. I'm only thinking of players of my own era of watching league here, the older fans might remember John Bevan, Mike Nicholas at Warrington....these guys were union amateurs and were league greats. And of course now you have Gareth Thomas who at 36 is holding his own in SL (against a lot of doubts), if he had come over aged 26 he would have been a GB regular for years, he would have been far better than any winger we've had in the past decade apart from Carney at his peak.

Problem for league players is that because union is such a technical game, being a great league player means no guarantee of how well they will go in union. The ratio of success from union players who crossed to league is mostly they made it, with a few flops, but from league players who crossed to union it is that a handful really made it, some flopped, and a lot were ok but didn't make the same impact they did on league. Embarrasingly a lot of them picked up lots of international caps in union because the authorities wanted to justify the big money they'd spent on bringing these players over.

Robinson, Rogers, Sailor, Thorn and Tuqiri are the only league players I can think of who really made it in union, and to a lesser extent Andrew Walker, Chris Ashton and Berrick Barnes have done well there as well. There are a lot of league greats who have been ok but not outstanding in union - Henry Paul, Sonny Bill Williams, Harris, Farrell, Gasnier, Tahu, Gower, Vainikolo, Schifcofske. A lot of the guys who went over with big expectations, ended up returning to league soon after, Blacklock, Raynor, Chev Walker, Carney, Lee Smith.

they do half and half an keep the point system of the first half so if was union first in second half when it is league u still get 5 points for a try or at least thats what they did at saints vs sale a few years ago

I still hate the b@st@rds though.

Ask the likes of Jonathon Davies and Scott Gibbs what the tougher game is.
They will both say RL.

No they wouldn't, they didn't say that in their books.

I am League through and through but I maintain that if you watch NZ v South Africa this weekend you will struggle to think of any League side, & I include Queensland & Australia in that as the two best League sides at the minute, who would cope with the All Blacks at the flowing and destructive best. At club level League probably would have the edge, right up to S14 when it would probably even out, but at international level League can't hold a candle to Union.

Magic Piano - not sure I quite agree.

The Green and Golds at their best are pretty formidable unit. I know international League is a bit of a joke, and they play far less often, but not sure they would struggle to cope (relatively speaking).

I always considered the State of Origin winners to be the best rugby team (both codes) around.

In terms of League players transferring to Union and vise versa. I always believe that more League players should be able to move to Union, but are limited in the amount of positions they can play. In theory, all League positions should be accessible to Union players, but most just aren't skilled or have the required physique.

Doing a Sale/Wire comparission at the moment I struggle to think of any players that could play League. Certain body parts of Charlie Hogdson and maybe Cueto. On the other hand I'd be happy to take a handfull of Warrington players.

Clueless.

They might not have said that in their books but believe me they have actually said they reckon RL is tougher than union which anybody with a bit of sense can see that.

Interesting comments.

I do feel compelled to disagree with the All Blacks, Queensland/Australia comparison, for two reasons. Firstly, I have never seen a side do as much running off the ball as Australia. Secondly, the ability to keep the ball alive in the tackle whilst attracting defenders, is an alien concept to virtually all RU teams/players.

The simple fact of the matter is; when it come to attack, Australia are without peers when it comes to maintaining the attack, but where they truly seperate themselves from the rest in any code, is their execution.

Can't disagree with someone with Papa Lazarou as his picture!

However, think to say 'most' is a little harsh. Last season in Union was an all time low, but most of the time some team can keep the ball alive, whilst attracting defenders. Certainly not England and Sale though!

Fedora v Pork Pie discuss ?

Nadal.

Saw that coming a mile off

Rather the opposite. Though your name indicates you are of the narrow-minded stature to have no chance of looking at facts before making an informed & well judged opinion based on evidence.

No mate you are clueless,if you are a fan of both games and you cannot see that the SOO(Queensland especially) and the Roos could not outplay the all blacks especially at what union call running rugby then I stand by what I say.
You say I am narrow minded but I have seen both games and I can quite easily say that RL easily wins in every aspect so to answer your question I have looked at facts and made an informed and well judged opinion.

That is exactly what I thought when I saw your quote about the unionists.

Went to the Saints Sale 'game'. First half was under Yawnion rules. At the first Line out the wags on the Popular side struck up with a chant of, "We don't know what we're doing!!" Classic.

Ah - insults. The last refuge of the one who has run out of arguments to back up their opinion. Out of interest when did you last go to or watch a top class international Union side or the Super 14/15? And by top class I'm not necessarily meaning the 6 Nations who are pretty lacking behind the TriNations side.

The whole concept is honestly flawed. The rugby league boys are (maybe!) better at popping people into gaps, running and tackling but any half decent rugby union side could injure players so easily in the scrum and maul their way (boringly) for 100 yards. It all depends on what rules exactly we are playing.
The RFU boys are much better in space than they used to be. Their game has changed so much since the Bath v Wigan games.
The best fun iI have had ever had was watching Wigan at the Middlesex Sevens (year back) ... what a great clash of cultures. But what a side Wigan had.

years back ... I meant

That Middlesex 7's probably highlighted to the Union chaps the benefits of full time professionalism and the ball handling game used by Wigan to win that tournament. 7's is great fun to watch but as far removed from Union as T20 is from Test Cricket.