It's not Rugby League coverage though. It's Rugby Union coverage.

Beautifully put.

It is RU coverage.

The message RU are getting across here is: look, the best player from that small northern game aspires to play on the big stage and be part of our fabulous rugger tradition....

It makes me sick.

First post, so please go easy!

This is how I see it: If we make the assumption (as I do) that Sam is a man of his word and will see out a minimum of 3 years at Wigan, then we potentially have a player to build the Wigan brand around for the next three years.

Looking at it purely from a business perspective, surely people can see how we can begin to exploit the potential commercial opportunities of having one of the most exciting , talked about players in world rugby (league or union) in our team.

People like Robinson and Ashton have benefitted hugely from the union propaganda machine in the past – like it or not RU know how to get the media and fans talking about players. I think IFL is being very clever here by trying to piggy back this and use it to our advantage by getting Sam the profile he deserves, whilst being committed to Wigan for the next three years.

If we are to grow the Wigan brand and build up a fan base that is nationwide, and perhaps worldwide then we have to somehow get the interest of the casual sports fan.

How many people all over the world are now Man Utd fans because as kids they watched David Beckham play for them?

How many union fans just need a reason to start taking an interest in following a league team? Surely having one of the world’s most exciting players at the club gives them a reason to watch.

I really don’t see a downside – Sam gets to raise his profile and potentially Wigan get a huge transfer fee in 3 years if he decides to go. Wigan and consequently RL get to use the RU media machine to our advantage – we can’t just moan that RL players get zero coverage and then continue moaning when we get a chance to start changing things.

Agree with all on the coverage front - we're prostituting one of our most talented players. I'd feel as aggrieved if it was Roby, or Hall etc...

We are getting crumbs from the table in terms of coverage. It won't result in ANY benefit for Wigan or RFL - in fact it will probably result in more approaches.

I can understand on a personal level why Sam wants to do it, and I hope he goes really well (and doesn't get injured!)

I'm extremely uncomfortable though with the whole Sam saga.

I work in a role where I ensure that people's T&C reflect the contribution they make, and people understand why someone gets paid more or less than them, but what's important is a sense of fairness in the differential. Am not sure we have that if the rumours on pay are true. ATEOTD how many other players would we be prepared to sacrifice to keep Sam? We know from experience that one player does not make a team.

And the message the RL and us supporters need to be getting across, is this: www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... rians.html i.e. Union has no up and coming talent, one of its poorest national sides ever with poor discipline, and that League is the code to watch... I agree it feels slightly uncomfortable and if it starts to affect his performances next year, i'll undoubtedly be saying let's show him the door, but until then let's assume it won't. You never know he might actually hate his first experience of the game...

And the message the RL and us supporters need to be getting across, is this: www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyl ... rians.html i.e. Union has no up and coming talent, one of its poorest national sides ever with poor discipline, and that League is the code to watch... I agree it feels slightly uncomfortable and if it starts to affect his performances next year, i'll undoubtedly be saying let's show him the door, but until then let's assume it won't. You never know he might actually hate his first experience of the game...

Kin ell

I agree with Deano!



This at the end of the day is just getting League fans to watch union.

Great.

Interview with Wish FM. Fair comments IMO www.wishfm.net/news/local/listen ... erview-32/

Interview with Wish FM. Fair comments IMO www.wishfm.net/news/local/listen ... erview-32/

Thanks!



I felt the same way when I read FTV's excellent post of yesterday evening!

Though I'm not happy about this development with Sam, that it's turned into 46-page moan-a-thon is a tad embarrassing.

Let's be honest. The Barbarians game will be over in a few days time, and will quickly recede into history. Then, theoretically, Sam will be a Wigan player again, as he said in his interview, committed to us for the next three years at least, "maybe the next five".

Shouldn't hang fire now and rather than continue to attack our star player in the most vociferous terms, wait and see if he's as good as his word?

Most of my posts are excellent. I'm an all round excellent character.



So anyway, what channel is this game on? Where will they play him? If he's on the wing he probably won't touch the ball, if it's full back I hope he has his catching hands on.

Well thank God someone else can see the obvious. There is certainly more interest in the Ba Baas game (which these days are far from what they used to be in importance) in RU circles due to this so we have done a fine job of promoting it for them.

Will he be has effective as people think in Union, the easiest way to stop Tomkins is go for he legs, league players don't do this as often because of our better skill, if you go around the legs the player will just offload it so what you find his the first man tries to wrap up the ball and Sam is great at evading that. In union the majority of their guys tend to go for legs rather than wrap the ball up because if the man is still on his feet you get all his team mates pushing him forward in a big daft union maul.

It all depends on whether it's one of those Barbarians games, like the one with the famous Gareth Edwards try, which look spectacular because no-one's actually doing any tackling at all. Sam would shine easily in a match like that one.

Correct but RL has ambushed RU for the coverage.

If Sam was not playing then there would be no mention of him or Wigan, or RL.... but he is playing and there is clips of him playing for Wigan and scoring tries... the commentators will be talking about him and Wigan. Something that would not be happening normally.

Rugby League is the talk of the RU news despite there being a big match on saturday.

dont cloud the issue with reasoned arguments!

Recently the news about the game appears to be about Cipriani and Pocock (unless you are talking about the BBC but they appear to be obsessed with ST), the RU fanbase appears to be talking about domestic fixtures and latest rounds of the European Cup. Once the initial story broke there has been little comment on the story. Most of the talk seems to be RL articles and mostly fans this thread is a clear demonstration of that.

Quote ="Mr.No.It.All"Interview with Wish FM. Fair comments IMO www.wishfm.net/news/local/listen ... erview-32/'" Listening to that I think I was right. He want's the adulation, recognition and publicity that player of his caliber deserves, and who can blame him. Particularly when his own sport doesn't even have any international fixtures set for next year, the year before a WC. Very poor do.

Quote ="Mr.No.It.All"Interview with Wish FM. Fair comments IMO www.wishfm.net/news/local/listen ... erview-32/'" Listening to that I think I was right. He want's the adulation, recognition and publicity that player of his caliber deserves, and who can blame him. Particularly when his own sport doesn't even have any international fixtures set for next year, the year before a WC. Very poor do.

Get a grip of your emotions. He hasn't suddenly left. This is a brilliant opportunity to get one over RU. All the publicity will be focused on Sam, Wigan and RL. This is a master stroke of publicity and Sam is still a Wigan player.

At least someone else gets it !!!

If you have a great product to sell (RL) surely its really good to get it on display in Harrods front window for the weekend !!!!! or am I beeing too simplistic

It's not even mentioned on today's Telegraph RU Internet page.

Front page news today is the Samoan Coach who has been fined 100 pigs for misbehaving at the World Cup.

The only place this is big news is in RL circles where some are ascribing much greater significance to this game in terms of its media profile than there is to try and justify the farce that him playing in it is.

All the Welsh Internationals chosen for the Ba Baas team have pulled out to train before they play a real International v Australia as has veteran Welsh half S Jones because his club have a league game on. That shows you how important this fixture is (not). The RFU have pulled a fast one in that they are using Sam T to bolster a flagging concept but it still isn't big news.

And that is before we even consider what a crazy idea trying to publicise RL via playing RU actually is.

Don't worry. I don't plan to waste more time



Doing a marketing degree and talking to experts about this exact issue means nothing as well

Ok, RU fan here in peace (although I watch and enjoy a lot of RL as well, my wife is from Wigan and a Warrior born and bread!)

Have been following this story with interest.

It seems to me that IL has probably thought he can’t lose on this. If we accept that currently Sam is thinking that he is definitely off in three years time then either:

1. He has a poor game, doesn’t enjoy it and maybe decides it’s not for him after all and all this move to RU talk goes away…

Or…

2. He has a blinder, and he stock rises even further – he’ll make money out of the increased exposure as everyone will be talking about him and when he does leave in three years IL will get as much as he can for him.

Although I could be completely wrong – It could just as easily be a publicity stunt to get more people watching/going to the game as it’s in England but only two English RU players in the Baa Baas squad (certainly I wasn’t planning on watching the game but I will now as would be very interested to see how he gets on).

Or maybe Sam just wanted to get one up on his brother by playing a game of RU before he did!

And say to the Sarries fans "See what you could have had"

Interesting point that sir. One great RU game in forty years is a great track record don't we think? lol. I'm glad that our sport doesn't have to continue going backwards to recall memories of forty years ago for our sport's last great game. Each month we seem to get one, two and sometimes once per week. Given the demographic of union supporters I'm amazed more of them don't complain about lack of value for money or is that they've accepted compliance to the Eton set many moons ago?

We have ambushed the RU for the coverage ? How do you work that one out ?

It's Union and the 'baa baas' match that are getting the coverage.

It's looking more likely than ever that Sam will be 'going to the darkside', but only for the money.

This unfolding story is showing that Sam and the top RL players desperately want to play the 'real' Rugby and that is not RL.That is what the media are really saying here.

Unless and until Sam goes to RU he won't be getting the mass media and red carpet treatment. The media aren't going to continue to give RL any better coverage than they do at the moment.They never have. I suppose you would have to go into media ownership to understand why that is.

Too many on here are being blinded and seduced by the bright lights of acceptance by the mass media.

The barbarians match will be another 'bore-athon'. Some have already forgotten when Andy Farrell defected. The matches were still bore fests.

Unfortunately money talks and bs walks.

Find it amusing that people are continually mentioning the media attention RU get. It gets about a page three quarters more than RL at best. Apart from Johnny Wilkinson and Gavin Henson and Tindall i can not think of anyother RU players that get big media attention. Henson for the wrong things and Wilkinson tends to shy away from it. And Tindall for his late nights in NZ. RU and RL are both very small sports in the minds of the media.

Football rules in the UK it has 10 pages on average a day in every paper. Whilst RU and RL combined will struggle to make a page. Even horse racing has more media attention than Rubgy. I have yet to see any single rugby union player since Johnny Wilkinson used in a major advertisment campaign And that was due to winning the World Cup. Which England will not do for a while again. Seems o be this hysteria if he gets media atention will rise his profile. Biggest Rugby players with the biggest profiles atm are. Matt Dawson, Martin Offiah and Ellery Hanley. All in common Dancing shows.

Even Dancing shows have a bigger profile than Rugby union and League. Its not the media attention players need its parity in pay. Or at least the chance to earn close to the highest earners in union.