There has to be money diverted from those causes to give to old RU players?

The RFL clearly see the benefit of having a high profile Welsh RU player come to play Rugby League. Andy Powell has played RU at the highest level internationally and is a high profile RU player. He's apparently agreed to come to Rugby League - when was the last time this happened? Gareth Thomas is the only other one I can think of. This is fantastic for the game. It sends the message out that top RU players can come over to RL just as RL players can come over to RU. Hopefully Powell is a big success and it might encourage more RU lads to try the game.

Wigan also have a direct partnership with South Wales RL and the nation's governing body - helping to promote and grow the game in Wales. Our former development coach Dave Clark is the head coach at South Wales, sharing our knowledge and expertise in bringing through young talent, which we're pretty decent at seeing as it was that young talent that massacred every team in its path over the Easter weekend. What is your club doing? We currently have Ben Flower, Gil Dudson, Rhodri Lloyd, Rhys Pugsley and now Andy Powell at our club who will all no doubt be a shoe-in for the Welsh squad. We also have the current head coach of Wales currently on our books as well. We share resources with South Wales as well as loaning some top young RL talent there way as well. We provide a pathway for young Welsh lads to aspire to make the grade to Super League. Helping the international game and helping the development of Welsh RL. Again I ask, what is your club doing? Andy Powell will no doubt spend sometime in South Wales on dual registration - that can only help raise the profile of the game in Wales. Don't we also have a a world cup coming soon? Do you think Andy Powell might, err, I dunno, help put some more bums on seats when Wales are playing a fixture in Bridgend in the World Cup? The RFL will more than make their money back in Andy Powell for the publicity he will bring to the sport, which hell, we bloody well need! If only every club made the same efforts Wigan make to grow the game. Perhaps if you developed a Sam Tomkins, perhaps if you signed an Andy Powell, perhaps you're club would get the same benefits.

Wigan have always been pioneers of RL. Both on and off the field. This is just another one of those times when you have to sit back and applaud Ian Lenagan, the RFL and Wigan RL for the outstanding work they do for the development of our game.

I haven’t seen him play in the flesh (I don’t watch any Union in the flesh!) but I’ve seen him on tv a couple of times

He went on the 2009 Lions tour to South Africa which means he’s not too bad (we have signed many Unions internationals over the years who were very good League players and this was before their game was pro)

One thing that sticks in my mind is that when I saw him play, my first impression was “this guy is a League player playing Union”. His game is all about running rather than the breakdown work and when he runs he looks to break the line while the vast majority of Union forwards go into the tackle with a low body angle to ensure they don’t get turned over which means very few tackles broken. Funnily enough, it’s his running to break the tackle that brings him criticism from Union people as he gets isolated and runs too upright... as I say, I think he could be a very good League forward. Or could have been, maybe 32 is too late

Good publicity for Wales and the world cup if it works out though

I think that the press and interest in the game generated by such signings will likely earn us more money than we put in, allowing those things to be paid for.

Think about the press a Catalans side with (for instance) Freddy Michalak, Aurelien Rougerie and Mathieu Bastareud in will get, and the increased attendances/sponsorship attachments that will become available to them with those names.

Similarly, a Five Nations competition where Scotland aren't whipping boys. Or a London side that suddenly has a host of well-known southern players in.

I'm all for expanding and promoting the game but the RFL should not be paying half his wages. Will they pay half the wages for one of our players please?

If the RFL are subsidising his wage then it could set a dangerous precedent. Would a side get support if they want to bring Eastmond or Ashton back to league? How about if Tom Briscoe goes to Union for a a year, comes back to Hull and half his wage is now off the cap?

So now we can no longer afford to take semi-retired Australians from the NRL, the replacement is to provide a pension pot for older RU players? Is a retirement home for RU players what we want to position Super League as?

I really doubt such players are going to bring us that much attention, fans, and income. If they do, why aren't the Craig Gower led London Broncos getting five figure attendances, blue chip sponsorship and significant news headlines?

Easily avoided - any player that's played more than 20 games of professional RL can't have there wages subsidised.

Produce a Sam Tomkins or sign a top RU player and maybe they will.

Take Andy Farrell as a classic example of why RL should do this. RU signed Farrell from Wigan. He'd been crowned the best player in the world a year earlier - he was a figurehead for the sport. Highly respected and admired throughout RL. His wages are subsidised by the RFU and he plays a few matches, a few international matches, but ultimately he was shot after years in RL and didn't do too much. Silly RU eh? Or not.

Owen Farrell, Chris Ashton, Joel Tomkins, Kyle Eastmond all moved over to RU. Owen Farrell and Chris Ashton current RU internationals. Sam Tomkins has already played RU, his brother is already playing the game and inevitably he will probably leave for RU next year. That's the most high profile player in our game I'm talking about and I'm readily dismissing (as are the majority of people) the likelyhood of him ever staying in our game. Andy Farrell's move set the precedent for RU clubs to poach RL players and it set the precedent for RL players to seek to move to RU.

Look at Gareth Ellis. He moves to the NRL. Massive success. The NRL then are keen on English players. English players are inspired by Ellis' success in the NRL. Sam Burgess and James Graham all move over. The entire Burgess brothers move over. And now Gareth Hock and Lee Mossop are set to moves to the NRL. Can you see the pattern occurring here?

How can it not be good for the game if a high profile name came the over way for a change?

Comparing Craig Gower is silly. He was an RL player who had a spell in Union and came back to League. He didn't have anywhere near as much as the profile as Gareth Thomas or Andy Powell. Two big names in Welsh RU. Imagine though if London had recruited Manu Tuilagi. London Broncos have been struggled for decades. We've tried everything. Maybe a few big name RU converts might attract some interest in what is primarily an RU stronghold?

Andy Powell is a big name in Welsh Rugby. Bigger than any Welsh RL player we have. Bigger than any RL player we have never mind whether they're Welsh or not. We have a World Cup coming up, Wales are in it. You honestly don't see the increase in PR generated from having Andy Powell playing as opposed to not playing? Wigan have a link with South Wales RL and the Wales Governing Body. Wigan want to help develop Wales as a nation and provide a pathway for Welsh kids to make it into Super League following the collapse of the Crusaders. Can you still not see the benefit of Wigan signing Andy Powell?

According to Sam Tomkins, in his Daily Mail column, it's not happening anyway.

The moves of Ashton, Tomkins, Eastmond had nothing to do with Farrell. You might guess from my location and sig that I've got a bit of an inside line on Ashton in particular. As to Owen Farrell, great, lets offer deals to retired players with good genetics between them and their partners, to live in RL areas, on the condition they procreate.



Was Ellis the first English player to go to the NRL? There has to be marketing, youth development, community coaching, etc i.e investment in the future, and a product to sell now.

Some of the best rugby players in the world aren’t playing in our comp. If we want the best rugby comp we need to bring some of them in.

We cant always be planning for the future, there has to be both investment in the future and in the here and now.

because Gower was a league player to start off with, who couldn't get into the Australian side and so became a mercenary for Italy? He also wasn't (and isn't) particularly good.

compared to some of the players mentioned who a) are high-profile, b) are internationals from where they were from, and c) aren't just RL players coming home.

As for saying SL would be a 'retirement home' for RU internationals.

1. Some RU players can still be succesful & make the transition at 30.

2. Large numbers of players mentioned previously are much younger than that.

3. The publicity from their signings is probably more important than how well they play.