news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_u ... 832994.stm Kyle Eastmond is one thing but if this comes off it could seriously damage the game. It would be like when RU signed Farrell when he was Man of Steel. I reckon we will face a struggle to keep Hodgson when his contract is up, the Wallabies would love a guy like him. Imagine Hodgson and Richards in the Wallabies side they would be points machines.

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_u ... 832994.stm Kyle Eastmond is one thing but if this comes off it could seriously damage the game. It would be like when RU signed Farrell when he was Man of Steel. I reckon we will face a struggle to keep Hodgson when his contract is up, the Wallabies would love a guy like him. Imagine Hodgson and Richards in the Wallabies side they would be points machines.

Surely Richards would play for Ireland.

Ironic really as pre season i went to Radio Five Live Super League preview at the piedome, Pat Richards was on the panel and kept quiet when RU question got asked, although Ian Lenagan was getting very irate around this topic and said he had no fear from RU!! Richards may be limping a little longer!!

Take the tongue out of your cheek, Sally
Hodgson will be in his mid 30's by then
Calm down. No one man going to the 3 point game will do ANY damage at all
The game will go on....IF it happens

as a wiganer Farrell to RU was one of the best pieces of business we did, yes he was the heart and soul of our team at the time but to get paid for a player (cant remember what we got) for someone who was injured at the time was a good deal

faz was no doubt inspirational but he was at the back end of his career and didn't make the impact that was expected, given he was a loose forward and they tried to play him as a centre

wrt Hodson, surely if you could get some money for him, cash in

My money's on this being another attention-grab for Sale.

i dont understand why the stockport (soon to be salford?) sharks are such as attractive option. Clearly its not working for them at stockport and in my opinion the move to salford would just end up with the reverse of the harlequins situation. In that the crowds would drop and drop as they fail to get the (league heartland) locals interested

i've said the same at work today

there having a c** season and trying to mask it by making loads of signings for next season

coupled with Mick Hogan being there also, he has a pretty good knowledge of RL

Hodgson will be 35, same age as Gareth Thomas was when he changed codes. It's perfectly possible especially for an outside back, its not like he's a forward who will have to learn lineouts or whatever.

From what I've heard, Sale wont be moving into Salford's new ground. Brian Kennedy (Sale's Simon Moran) is one of the most pig-headed people you'd ever meet. He has a huge dislike of our game, and as a consequence, wont want to be seen as a bedfellow of an RL team. He's settled at Stockport.

Back on topic, let's not start filling our trousers, yet, eh. So far, it's only a rumour. If it isn't, so what. We did it to union for decades, and they survived and still grew their own talent. I'm sure life will carry on.

I wasn't bothered when it was young kids who'd been in league 5 minutes and got their heads turned by a bit of cash, eg Ashton & Eastmond. Nobody knows if they would have made it in league anyway. But Pat Richards is a top class proven player whos been there and done it in the NRL and in Super League and won Grand Finals and last year was the best player in SL. It would be more of a blow to the image of SL to lose him than some 20 year old.

I'd be worried. Well, they could probably put a franchise application in in three years time, they have enough experience in the backroom with Mick Hogan, Adam Jude, Gary Tasker and Dave Swanton.

Come off it, Sal. You might fool a few on here, but.....

As I said, Hodgson will be 35. He doesn't need to switch codes
Thomas is a totally different case. Crusaders needed a marquee signing. Thomas (from what little I know of the 3 point code) had acheived virtually all that was capable to him. He had nothing to prove. He'd just come out of the closet, and (if you excuse the expression) wanted to keep his head down. He obviously wanted to stay in sport, but not get the attention. What better for him to do, than join a club with little support, in a sport that gets scant day-to-day coverage in the national media.

Again, some people are getting their knickers in a twist over speculation from the media.

If 10-20 top class RL players defect to the 3 point code in a season or two, then I might worry. Until then...well, we've got a big game tomorrow, haven't we.

wow. I'm poohing my pants. SO WHAT.

At the risk of speaking hereasy are they really doing anything differant to us that we spent a long time doing to them? players will always change codes either for the new challenge, the money or both. The point being players come and go and life (in both codes) goes on regardless