I think to say that because he's done it before he could do it again is a bit harsh. Any player, anywhere could, hypothetically, abandon their team.
I think the NZRU are producing some pretty good players on their own and will continue to produce players of a high quality. The fact that they are playing a poorer game(IMO) is neither here nor there

There is no hate here...

Just patience. He'll be back, so to speak....

Yeah the Kiwis clearly don't have enough chokers in their rugby league side at the moment. An All Black would certainly rectify that.





SBW - international rugby league trophies - NIL

Benji Marshall - international rugby league trophies - 2008 RLWC, 2010 4N

Wonder why SBW wanted to come back before Toddy said "Nah thanks..."?

they are all raving about his back pass, like it has never been seen before on a sports field!

Just never on a rah rah pitch.

About 115 years of it on ours.

Wierd why RL has consistently poached RU players with no skill for 100 years - bizarre what have they possibly seen in the likes of Offiah, Foster, Davies, Jones that makes RL clubs want to pay huge money to convert these guys into RL players?

I think you are a little off the mark there - RU produces plenty of very talented players they have poached very few RL players in comparison to the numbers they produce themselves. Over the years the flow of players the other way has been significant.

SA the world champions in that sport have zero RL players in their team, Australia have 1/2, NZ have 1 and France have none - so out of 60 starting players in the top four sides in the world 2/3 are ex RL players - RU doesn't have an issue with producing sufficient quality players.

It's nowt to do with ex RL players now playing union.
My point was our game teaches skills that they don't possess,like the $BW pass against Scotland the other day.
Apparently the union media where wetting themselves,raving about it when we have been more or less doing these skills for years.

To be honest, I remember Tony Ward doing it for Ireland in the 70's and have seen "flick" passes out the "back door' many other times in Union. The Welsh team of the 70's were the greatest Union side I have seen 'live' and they again were masters at the improvised play.
It's prety much a dead point anyway, as Union is changing its rules to make it more appealing and you will see more "run ball" in future....I posted earlier this year that my barber, a senior RU ref in the Wellington region had stopped going to Union as it was becoming more like league with lineouts. The drop in attending fans here in NZ would point to him not being alone.

2 different sports....with different skill sets. SBW is one of a few who can make the transition.....he is a very good all round athlete and will do well in both codes.
As for SBW at the weekend.......he was OK......but he was given more space and time in 1 game than he will see in the entire tri-nations and RUWC in 2011. I suspect that the Springbox will target him with a monster of a centre........the French will play around him and the Aussies will chip it over him....a sign that whilst he is learning Union, other nations take him as a threat already.

The RL media used to wet their pants about SBW?

Plenty of players equalled as skilled in RU as there are in RL - Brian O'Driscoll is as skilled as any RL centres in NRL as was Luke McAlister from the All Blacks

Yes they did. Didn't think you'd need to ask.

Saying that a rugby player is more skillful simply because he plays league rather than union is nonsense.

Brian O'Driscoll is a legend.

A good example of how an international sportsman should behave on and off the pitch