Have I missed something? Is there a chance Les may come back?
Or is this just speculation?

For a start, reserve level is nowhere near SL. An 18st winger (albeit a Union convert) would be able to power in for a couple of tries against any team. Apart from K.Pryce, I don't think there's a back in the reserve grade who gets close to Rudd's size.

His fitness was lacking (I know it can be worked on, but imo he didn't look like he would manage 80 minutes at SL level).


I would have signed him up to play prop whilst Scully's out though.

Because there's more to the game than just attack?

You can score 10 tries in 2 games, but if your defence is terrible and you concede 12, then you shouldn't be in the side.
There's also the fact that a winger scoring lots of tries doesn't always mean it's great work by the winger. Look at Cudjoe's hat trick last weekend. All he really dad was catch the ball and dive on the floor 3 times. The great work was done by others (Hodgson, Robinson...). Also look at Ade Gardner at Saints and how much more he scores when Gidley is inside him.

I don't know what Rudd's defence was like or what his tries were like. Just making the point there's more to a winger's game than just how many tries he scores.

Had to do a double-take on that...

Fair points guys.

What I was trying to say was that I didn't see the point in the trial. The reserve grade is nowhere near SL level, so playing him and him scoring plenty tries wasn't going to help his cause.

Point taken on his defence, no idea it was like either.