When was last cross border challenge.?
When Union was still amateur or just changed that is the difference.. it would be a lot different now.
You say fielding a kick. whats so hard about that then. thats easy when you only have to take a tackle and play stops. What about the union back 3 with all his options and play doesnt stop.?

Shane Williams get hurt.? in league.? dont you think they have all tried it in union when in rucks and mauls etc where the cameras cant see. Or ruck all over him.
We all sayed he wasnt strong enough for union about 10 year ago but he has worked so hard on his strength, his core strength is immense, look how he brushed aside Andrew trimble i think it was when wales beat ireland to win grand slam in 08 and this year against scotland how he bounces tackles of with his pace, change of speed and core strength, amazing athelete really not just in rugby terms. if he was english are a football player he would of had an MBE by now.!

Absolute rubbish wales backline is up there with the best. we just need decent ball from our forwards and be better at the breakdown. hopefully the new rules that have come in down under will help us.
and what is this NRL you keep banging on about.?
who keeps talking about NRL i have never heard anyone talk about or be in a conversation about it.?

This is NRL www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjJZBN2erhs Cant figure out if your a troll or just deluded :S

This is NRL www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjJZBN2erhs Cant figure out if your a troll or just deluded :S

The difference being in Union the wingers/full back very often field the kick and punt it straight back. Too often. That never happens in League. Wingers need to be ready to field the ball and make yards against a solid defence hammering up the field. They also need to scoot from the ptb at the first tackle if pinned back on your own line - straight into a defensive line intent on keeping you there. And they need to do that, as well as making tackles on their own, many many times per game. Not once or twice as they do in Union.

I've played Union (prop, hooker, winger, centre, full-back and fly-half), and I've played League (prop, hooker, 2nd row, centre and winger) - and I can tell you League is the tougher game by a mile. Oh the rucks and mauls can be messy, but the repeated car crash collisions you take at League are something else.

Gareth Thomas is in for a rude awakening. Shane Williams may do well as a winger in SL, but he certainly wouldn't stand out. Wales has always had good backlines at Union but not known how to use them - and so they should, anywhere with a passion for the oval ball should produce good players.

Ask Jonathan Davies which he thinks is the harder code. And then ask him about NRL.

If you can't work out why the rules of Union stifle attacking ability, then you really must be blind. How many times to backs get the ball in good attacking position? How many times are good attacking opportunities wasted because the ball takes so long to come out of the ruck, or is picked up by a forward for a gain of 1 yard? You don't need to tell me about those Union players, it's hard to avoid it where I live. They all have attacking talent and maximise it in their code. Some of them would be suited to RL, some would struggle with the workload in both attack and defense. The nature of the sport means that what they can do is limited though. A lot of Welsh players are athletic and prefer to run with the ball. As league comes more into the public eye, I think a lot more players will begin to switch because it's a much more fun game to play and suits the Welsh style a lot more.

FWIW, here is a video of someone who is probably in the top 5 most exciting players in the world. Shane Williams? Give me a break.

just look up

imagine a game which is faster and more skillful than any union game, a game where elite athletes exert themselves for 80 mins, thats the nrl

The guys obviously a merkin and a dumb one at that.

The Wales backline wouldn't last 10 mins against Salford.

One word answer to that.....


'Mark'.


The player doesn't even need to take a tackle in Union.

I grew up with Union.....loved the 5 nations (now 6) and played as an amateur for a London Based club now situated in berkshire. I went to 1 game of League and thought....bu99er me...thank god I am retired!
Union....and I still watch it, has become so boring that they change the rules every 3 years. This years super 14 threw up a 72-65 scoreline....people in Aus/NZ/Safrica were creaming themselves over the new rules........
sorry, but was tackling made illegal in these new rules? 137 points in 80 minutes? That's basketball (another non contact sport BTW)
Union is still a good game and a good day out if you are lucky enough to be able to get a ticket to Twickenham to watch the Irish beat England....but league is streets ahead in fitness, skill and durability levels.....and probably always will be. Problem is, until the sausage buriers at the BBC and the rest of the UK media realise it, all we will be spoon fed is kick and clap!
Shane Williams would last 1 season in a good RL team......but to say the welsh back line could stand toe to toe with any league backline (and I include London Skolars in that) is just insane

i enjoyed reading that

what can you say about union except its s**t

the only good thing to ever come from union is RL.

union is less a sport and more a political movement aimed at keeping the game from being controlled by the working class

The biggest Rugby comp on Earth.

The comp that gets over 3 million paying spectators a year (more than the two biggest union comps on Earth combined)

The comp that get over 128 million TV viewers in Australian Capitals only each year

The comp that sells over $100 million worth of merchandise a year

The comp that gets paid over double a year what any union comp gets.

Do you need any more?

Quite funny actually, the NRL in Australia alone gets more people watching Friday night footy than the S14 gets in Aus, NZ and South Africa combined

Need any proof on that last one mate?

That's a little better...