How good did Kyle Eastmond look? Not just his footwork but his passing was beautiful to watch, perfect. I've seen him play for Bath a few times this year and it's his passing that's impressed the most he doesn't try to do too much - but if you leave the gate open he's through and gone. The pace in that England team is frightening, Joe Launchberry and Ben Morgan were phenomenal in the pack and Freddy Burns has the complete game, great to see him get a chance. It was really great to see Jonny May get his first cap because he came through our minis section. He comes back every year and hands out trophies to our kids - top lad.

The Argies didn't lnow what had hit em when Eastmond scored and had no answers to Yarde's power and pace out wide either.
There's certainly much more depth and quality available to Lancaster than in recent years it will be interesting to see how many get into the squad for the Autumn tests and 6 nations fitness and form permitting.

So Folau has played League, AFL and now union. What's next in the ashes squad this winter?

Lancaster has said he sees Eastmond as an inside centre first and foremost because of his creative handling skills and already Yarde looks the business. Many of these young players are well know to Lancaster during his former role so exciting days ahead.

I wonder if Australia will move Folau to fullback next week where he could be a big danger to us. They will have to make some changes in their backs due to injuries and the failure of O'Connor at FH. While we need to work on our lineout and get to the breakdown quicker. So there could be changes to our back row.

Beale will come back in at full back for the Shackle Draggers next week. Wouldn't be surprised to see them shift Barnes back up to fly-half if he recovers from being hit by the cement truck that is Israel Folau, have O'Connor as a game breaking option on the bench.

Both Folau and North are good players. I think Folau has the edge in pace and footwork, but there's not much in it.

Folau has only played 14 games of union, and not on the wing before Saturday - he didn't even have a full pre-season as there was every chance he'd sign for the Eels (which was messed up by the NRL). Once North really got moving he was good, but he was stopped easily a lot due to the time it takes him to get moving. The defence in the line for his first try after he took the kick was dire.

BTW lets not have any of this 'North could make a SL winger' stuff, as though the rest of the outside backs wouldn't make it. History clearly shows that in all likelihood if the Lions threequarters moved to RL most/all of them would quickly be playing for GB. The lack of RU signings to plug gaps in GB/England's backline is only now starting to be addressed IMO. The threequarters Tony Smith had for GB a few years ago would have been walloped out of sight by their union counterparts, let alone Inglis and co.

Two things

1. I wasn't having a go

2. I don't mind Union so don't give me that

Be interesting to see what Folau will be like when he fully understands Union

Which team is GB these days?

I grant you they'd get in to the current Welsh and Irish RL sides but then again so would G1 ..... possibly.



You can't prove that and I would still doubt it even if you tried.

Jason Robinson had pretty much passed his sell by date in League before he joined the Union but absolutely ripped it up in that sport when he got there - despite Stuart Barnes' opinion. That doesn't say a lot to me for the quality of Union outside backs at the time. Eastmond is now earning some plaudits (according to this thread) and his value in League was pretty debatable. Difficult to judge as the requirements of the two codes are often quite different.

Games shouldn't be fre-flowing at the expense of the rules. Reffing of the rucks was appalling.

RU is also killing scrummaging at the moment.

Folau is a freak (in a nice way) athlete who appears to be good at any sport he turns his hand to. George North is almost as good physically but knows the game better.

Jason Robinson had pretty much passed his sell by date in League before he joined the Union but absolutely ripped it up in that sport when he got there - despite Stuart Barnes' opinion. That doesn't say a lot to me for the quality of Union outside backs at the time. Eastmond is now earning some plaudits (according to this thread) and his value in League was pretty debatable. Difficult to judge as the requirements of the two codes are often quite different.'"

He was well past 26 before he made his Union debut for Sale (after his full-time switch) and yes in my opinion he'd ceased being the threat he once was on a Rugby League field. Perhaps that's a relative judgement in his case and he was still earning his place at Wigan but his days of terrorising the Leeds defences were seemingly over.



Greenwood perhaps is worthy of inclusion in a discussion about quality outside backs but Dawson would have been a RL hooker and Wilkinson could tackle (when not injured) but possessed a passing game that made Rob Burrow look like John Holmes.

In purely physical terms, today's RU backs are a different animal to the ones Robinson played against. He was a phenomenal player in either code, but would probably struggle to make people look quite as sluggish on a modern day field in either sport. I suspect that the athleticism of other players in RL hadsimply caught him up a little (and he was still one of the best wingers in league, so 'past his sell by date' might over-state rumours of his demise a tad) rather than his own ability waning in his mid-20s.

Eastmond to be fair is earning no more plaudits in RU than he was in RL before he left. In both cases he was getting international call ups, but in both cases probably not quite first choice. In both codes he was/is a huge threat in attack, but had/has questions to answer defensively.

I still think RL is a touch ahead of RU in terms of handling skills, but the gulf has become a small gap, and the days of resting on laurels are gone. Players are still switching codes and going well, but it isn't as if a background of success in League automatically makes you a superstar in Union. For instance, I'm pretty confident (of course I can't prove it) that Joel Tomkins would be a fixture in the England RL side by now, but remains (for now at least) a little way down the pecking order in RU.

Mike catt, Ben Cohen, Josh Lewsey & Mike Tindall were all good backs playing for England at that time. I think your initial comment about the quality of Union backs at the time Robinson crossed codes was harsh.

Robinson appeared to very quickly become a dangerous attacker at International level in an alien sport after losing much of his ability to terrorise even SL defences, IMO. That was the context for the earlier Union back comment - harsh or not.