If I rememeber correctly (and I probably don't)...I think his brother played League in the Northeast. Gateshead?

Wakefield are more deserving at present as they have been awarded a SL license for the next three years whereas Leigh have not. Did Leigh even apply for one this time around?

Meh, these secondary trophy winning Lancastrian clubs are all the same to me

A couple of things help to prevent poaching by Union. Contracting your brightest stars on long-term contracts, and if things are working out, looking to re-sign them well before they run out. Seems to me that GH is doint this very well after the Walker/Smith experiences. Showing loyalty to young players can't but help when they consider options as well. That's why I hope Leeds don't sign another centre for next year but back Watkins and Hardaker instead.

Secondly, with respect to Leeds players, we have our very own Lee Smith who can testify that the grass may well be anything but greener in Union. We also seem to have a very tight-knit bunch of players - that will sway some people as well.

Union will probably always be able to offer more money - but the more failures that cross the better. For every Chris Ashton there's at least a couple who didn't make it.

Sparks is an animal. Did conditioning and fitness work for many teams in the North East. Tall, rangey, strong. Nails hard.

Johnny. If League could ever afford him, would be a success in League. He's scary quick over the first five yards, has a game brain I have only seen equalled in any form of rugby maybe twice, and he tackles like a steam train. Ask any of the Leeds Rhinos players who trained with him.

It amazes me that League fans talk of Union as this inferior game for girls and Southern types that League would dominate. And yet simultaneously talk of a game in which League players can't make it.

It's either dead easy and you go there to extend your career. Or it's not, and you go from a Great Britain League career to mediocrity having failed to make an impact. The only exception being Steve Myler. Who is frankly awesome and a pair of wingers.

Or they're two separate games where the skills required overlap to a certain extent, but in essence don't always translate from one to the other.

I think that most converts (in either direction) have the ability to make it, but never stick it long enough to make a good go of it

Think someone like Joel Tomkins has the skill pace and size to do very well in union. Agree with the above often the conversion of code takes a bit of time and people don't always give it long enough.

Personally I find it amazing that this guy has racked up so many caps. It think he is poor as an open field player, and there have been better fly halfs during his reign. He's in the team for his kicking and kicking only, which is hard for anyone else to match.

Not true. He also controls the game better than anyone who has challenged him and his defence is probably the best I've ever seen from a 10 in Union.

He no longer takes on the line as often as he used to. He's a conservative England selection - Toby Flood will go to the line more and make things happen, but he won't structure the midfield. Personally I'd like to see England take the shackles off, but until they do, Wilkinson is the best man for the game plan.

Flood is the first credible challenger to him in a long time. The likes of Hodgson, Cipriani etc were nowhere near good enough.

Being scary quick over five yards would mean he'll run out of gas about the same time a League defensive line meets him.

I'm no big fan of Union but I have watched a bit of it in preference to football during the winter and I have to say Wilkinson is a great kicker an OK defender when he gets there (didn't one or both French tries go through him at the weekend?) but ball in hand very limited in terms of pass selection and accuracy.

It could just be the game though.

Wilkinson also was 'scary slow' over twenty yards or so 4 years ago. I suspect he's even slower now. He also looked dreadful for England at the World Cup, espeecially when asked to actually act as a playmaker (his passes nearly all missed the mark by a disctance). Not saying he's not a good rugby player, but I seriously doubt he'd ever have torn it up in league.

One thing that strikes me as well is that RU has often gone for RL players for the wrong reason. The games are different, and whilst some players would be equally effective at both, there are definitely players who's natural game suits one more than the other. Henry Paul and Iestyn Harris did OK in Union, but to me they were archetypal league players. The same used to be true when RL was signing Union players.