Lets all hope and pray that rugby onion dies a slow and painful death like it almost has in australia.

Not sure that will ever happen, but some unions fans aren't happy...



Saracens chief executive Edward Griffiths has criticised fans who booed during Sunday's win over Gloucester.

Supporters jeered and slow handclapped during a lengthy passage of second-half kicking at Vicarage Road, a reaction Griffiths described as "astonishing".


[urlhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/my_club/saracens/8278528.stm[/url

Kyle Eastmond is another one about to announce he is leaving. Been offered mega bucks by 4 union clubs, wants to stay in league but said would be an idiot to turn money down. Looks like sale sharks is the destination

Something has to be done to stop the younger players leaving.

Should the RFL offer our best young players a central contract to prevent them going to Union. With players already gone and rumours of Sale sniffing around Eastmond maybe the RFL should step in and centrally contract some of these players (perhaps one per club) and not count it on the cap.

While the cap may very well balance up SL into an even playing field, it will do nothing for our chances at international level if our best youngsters are bought by Union because the cap prevents clubs from paying them what they are worth.

no, quite simply!

tried before and failed, all it does is push price up to union clubs, who frankly can afford to come and get who they want if money is the only motivator.

and where would the central money come from?????

we dont lose that many anyway and mostly they fail!

Yes, for the good of the game.

We must stop this crop of 2nd rate convicts at centre/wing/half back stopping our lads getting a game at an age when it matters

^^ this.

We can't really afford this as a sport at the moment.

Whichever club the player plays at they should ahve a top up payment for the 30 highest rated players, maybe a performance team could assess this. Problem being when one wants it they'll all want it.
I've no doubt that eastmond would be staying if he had another few grand tapped on.

Maybe the top ten players under 24 regardless of where they played could have a central contract, assessed every year

What would this achieve other than a lot of hassle, a less even playing field, and making us look desperate as a sport? All the players that have already gone to Union and all the players that ever will go are instantly replaceable.

You are kidding right?
They're only interested in our best, yes they might leave plenty behind but we'll never compete with aus if our best crop get cherry picked

I must have missed all these outstanding players that have left and damaged the national team then, or left big holes in their sides that haven't instantly been filled with no detriment whatsoever.