+1

its complete madness

Why? If he is going to leave in 3 years time then we may as well get as much as we can for him. Him having a great game in Union will put up his value by a long way especially at the level he is playing at on saturday!

Like someone else said. He is not bigger than the club. No player, coach, chairman, kitman, physio, fan or anyone else will ever be bigger than the club.

Quote ="MattyB"Not just Wigan RLFC, the RFL are also delighted with this: www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 626&type=1 '" jesus wept ................................................... RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood believes the selection of Sam Tomkins by the rugby union Barbarians testifies to Rugby League's proud track record of developing skilful, world class athletes. .................................................... just tag on the words..." to supply the RU with the best players from the north"........and thats more like the truth. nigel woods a clown..sack him

Quote ="MattyB"Not just Wigan RLFC, the RFL are also delighted with this: www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 626&type=1 '" jesus wept ................................................... RFL Chief Executive Nigel Wood believes the selection of Sam Tomkins by the rugby union Barbarians testifies to Rugby League's proud track record of developing skilful, world class athletes. .................................................... just tag on the words..." to supply the RU with the best players from the north"........and thats more like the truth. nigel woods a clown..sack him

Someone must know something we don't.

I must admit, I'm struggling.

Nigel Wood is a fool though so i'd take what that idiot thinks with a pinch of salt.

Could the be more to this than meets the eye? With Wigan teaming up with saracans etc?

Rugby on TV in the USA is usually on a niche channel, in the same way that you can watch collegiate Lacrosse or NCAA Basketball in the UK. It's not in the bloodstream or consciousnesses of the vast majority of people watching Sports on their TV.

Oi. You leave Roy out of this.

I had to throw it in there

i see where your coming from, but dont agree.

if the RU want him, they should buy him "cold" ..ie..not had a trial (like Joel, etc).
its up to the club to get the best price, and if he fails at Union, he'll be an expensive mistake.
letting him play in this game gives the RU an insight into his ability.

Quote ="MattyB"Not just Wigan RLFC, the RFL are also delighted with this: www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 626&type=1 '" Matty I am glad that someone as at last picked up on what I have said a few times today,it is very clear to me that the RL have been involved in the negotiations from the begining. They and Wigan have been hand in hand all through this,Wigan announce Sams involvement,the RL give it their full backing within half an hour.

Quote ="MattyB"Not just Wigan RLFC, the RFL are also delighted with this: www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... 626&type=1 '" Matty I am glad that someone as at last picked up on what I have said a few times today,it is very clear to me that the RL have been involved in the negotiations from the begining. They and Wigan have been hand in hand all through this,Wigan announce Sams involvement,the RL give it their full backing within half an hour.

Compare the RFL and Wigan's reponse to the NRL when Benji was offered $1m to play Union in Japan during off-season couple years ago

Quote ="St pete"Do the be more to this than meets the eye? With Wigan teaming up with saracans etc?'" www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... &type=news thats some of what lenagan has said about this link up with sarries. who knows whats gonna happen!

Quote ="St pete"Do the be more to this than meets the eye? With Wigan teaming up with saracans etc?'" www.wiganwarriors.com/WContent.a ... &type=news thats some of what lenagan has said about this link up with sarries. who knows whats gonna happen!

I disagree. I can't see anything in what Wood's said that isn't the truth. Our sport produces world class sporting professionals and he's right to sing our praises.

Spot on.

I don't often agree with you, but you're right.

I think it's even worse than just moving closer to losing our best player, it's patronising, its RU condescending to RL, it's turning RL into a quaint novelty of a sport - oooh look, one of those uncouth northerners is being inducted into the hallowed ranks of the baaa-baaas.... one day the oik might be permitted to play for a rugger club.

Disgusting.

This is bad for RL and an embarrassment for Wigan, the proudest club in RL should hang its head in shame.

Disgusting.

IL and all the other RL club owners and the RFL should be embarrassed at the pathetic spectacle they have allowed RU to make of our sport.

Disgusting.

Not sure why people care that much tbh. It's a one off game and he's with us for the next 3 years which is probably 1 or 2 years longer than most had expected.

It's not like he's going to get injured either. He'll basically be a spectator just standing on the end of the pitch instead of on the terraces.

Really not fussed about this. In fact would be interesting to watch. Hope he goes well - imagine how embarrassing it would be for the RU diehard fans to have someone who's never played the game giving them a rugby lesson.

I hope he's sucessful, vindication for the 100+ years of bigotry from the RFU, mind you it should have happened when we played Barth at Twickenham. I still think to myself if only we played the game with League tactics, chips over the top, kicks to the corner for Offiah, we would have had a much closer result.

But then Bath could have stifled the game with mauls and rucks but instead, to their credit, they played an open game.

How many touches of the ball do we think he's likely to get?

Fair enough, but i hope we scared the hell out of the RFU

I'm miffed about this, it's like your bird catching you cheating and saying you want to stay with her and won't do it again then the week after go to Bangkok for a week.

In one way I'm happy for Sam to get the recognition but then again it's a sneaky way of snatching him from under our noses, if he wants to go then we shouldn't stand in his way, after all he might hate RU. If he likes it then we should sell him for a £1,000,000 and put that towards buying the DW in a few years time.

Just put sky sports news on to see Sam running through the Bradford team at home earlier this season.

Not often Rugby League clubs get coverage like that outside of the season. Interviews with the Aus RU captain and coach talking about him, along with clips of him training with England RL. In a normal week after the season has finished, there would be NO Rugby League coverage at all.

Fab.

Perhaps we can send all our best young players over to play union games, then we can pat ourselves on the back about how much coverage we got for a couple of days whilst reminiscing about the time when we used to be a proud sport that wouldn't stand for this patronising bollox and had some good young players that we tried to keep in RL rather than rolling a red carpet to Twickers to allow them to have glorified trials?