You will remember most of it was handed out after the ARL/NRL war as well then to keep them Wigan players not ARL or NRL players. He didn't give 'em the money and then send them off to play in the league he had just prevented them joining. That is is real parallel here.

Back in the 80's and 90's before SL came along and before the game went fully pro players would do an off season in the ARL and we would see the likes of Kenny and Sterling over here. That would never happen now even if it could (if we still played in winter) because both leagues are fully pro and its accepted that players need an off-season and full pre-seasons preparation. You also won't see any NRL side letting its players play other sports because they fancy it either because that would risk injury. That is just how it is in professional sport and what IL and Sam are doing is just unprofessional.

No he won't. Just how much do you think they are going to pay? My guess is they will pay insurance for Sam and nothing more. What is your guess?



What he does in three years is up to him. What he does now is what the debate is about.

maybe we should get everyone who has his name on their shirt to burn the kit outside the ground as a public demonstration of their displeasure

The RFU will be insuring him.

Or maybe everyone could just boo him?


oh, wait a minute

He could have been injured playing in the Four Nations but nobody bothered about that.

Poor form from Sam and IFL. This just looks like the RFU taking the p1$$ and Wigan pandering to it. The training camp will be interesting in terms of how the rah rahs take to Sam. Do they spend the week telling him how great it is in front of 80k people watching a ball going back and to over your head and earning mega bucks for it, or do they think "who's this upstart that hasn't even played our sport before coming in here when there are experienced international full backs still at home. Makes a bit of a mockery of whatever the selection process is.

He is basically playing as a guest, its great publicity, whats the big deal?

My guess is enough to make it worthwhile. Presumably Sam will be rewarded financially as well. Maybe he signed his new deal on the premise that he could take advantage opportunities such as this.

So people are against this because he might get injured, Is that it?

He's playing for the Barbarians not Sale.

Spot on. Its obviously worthwhile or we wouldn't do it.

Because union is the devil

Believe!

Thats a great excuse for not wanting him to play.

Talk about mountains out of mole hills, jesus, he's the best player in OUR sport, playing as a guest in another sport and possibly ripping them to pieces, WHATS THE PROBLEM!

Well I'm gonna enjoy watching him play. Hogan's right though, the timing of this couldn't be much worse.

Who knows he might play so well, that Addidas wish to sign him as ambassador for the brand. Not that he'd be able to sign the deal though, well not without declaring it on the cap, at which point it'll be turned down.

You can't call Sam the best player in our sport the four nations proved that he has a long way to go before he can match Slater.

Well i'm afraid thats how many feel.

i personally think its going to be great watch sam represent wigan and RL.

Yeah, that's all Sam is thinking. I can't wait to get out there and represent Wigan and RL . . . .

Unfortunately, all Sam seems to care about is Sam, and this is just one more step on his road to playing union. IL has rolled out a red carpet all the way from Wigan to Twickenham for him, which seems ludicrous.

Can you imagine the RU letting one of the England elite squad play in a RL friendly on national TV the week after a World Cup final or 6 Nations decider which they lost? They wouldn't give us the time of day, and rightly so.

It's laughable and makes us look incredibly small time that we go out in the press making grandiose statements about what a huge stage we are letting one of our players play in, for a meaningless RU friendly the week after he represented England against the Aussies.

We are that small time though! He will go wherever he can get the best deal for himself no matter if Wigan let him play in this or not.

www.loverugbyleague.com/news_665 ... rs-us.html

www.loverugbyleague.com/news_665 ... rs-us.html

That's completely different, and you know it.

Playing for your country at your sport vs Playing for the Barbarians at another sport.

If he's injured on International duty, that's the perils of producing top players. If he's injured having a fanny about with the rah-rahs when he should be focussing on Wigan then that's a completely different matter.

So don't let him play then, problem solved and criticism avoided.

Dont really care what you think to TBH.

I trust IL and sam todo the 3 years he's agreed to..until i get evidence that his contract is a pile of e then i'll start worrying.Until then Sam tomkins is a wigan player whos had a invite to play for the baba's. nothing more nothing less.

Which he could have turned down and gone into the press saying "I had an invite to play for the Barbarians and was flattered, but I've just come off a tough 4 Nations series and see rest and getting myself in shape for 2012 as more important than a union friendly. I'm 100% focussed on RL for the time being."

Job done.