I am coaching both RU and RL at the moment and I can categorically state that the core skill levels in RU are massively behind those shown by juniors and youths in RL.

Interesting article that, I take his point about Union being a far more intelligent game but League still wins hands down for me.

He seems to begrudgingly admire the skill level of the players, but even the most ardent Union fan couldn't fail to be impressed by Origin. He should have taken his mate Stephen Jones from The Times along to see what he thought.

I don't mind RU when it is played well but most of the time it is slow, too much kicking and not expansive enough or in other words it is usually crap.

Absolutely right. You can't use RU played in schools as a yardstick for how the game is played. There are differing scrummaging restrictions for various age groups, and it's the same with the lineout. The biggest problem in both games is the scrum, in RL it's laughable, I've even seen referees tell sides not to push. In RU the scrum takes far too long to set these days and players can get severely penalised if the opposition Prop has a better technique. As a result teams hunt penalties rather than tries and the game becomes stifled.

It's a poor version of RL.

The likes of Stuart Barnes and his ilk cannot see the difference in class because he doesn't want to see it,typical union hack.

I think a lot of the issues league fans have with union is the traditional class divide, and league's underdog status and mentality that goes with it.

The reality is they're different sports. I don't play any sport, but I don't watch union for the same reason I don't watch, for example, cricket. The odd time I have seen it, it hasn't appealled to me. Simple as that. Nothing to do with league.

I like League.

I don't like Union just like I don't like swimming, showjumping, snooker or motor racing.

I don't think I'm going to worry about it.

I have played both when i was in the forces , however give me league over union anyday.

I played hooker in both codes I can vouch for the scrums being rather different. I have never in league had a stiff neck at full time which was caused by the battering from the opposition front row in the scrums.

it was quite an experience to play there in union, but however much it hurt my neck and shoulders the game isnt physically demanding like in league when your blowing smoke out your backside on your own line and the defenders are in your face like a pack of mad feckers and you crawl in to dummy half looking a for a willing forward to pass it on to and you hear those awful words .."take a scoot..!!"

in union the ball would simply be booted up field and into touch upon which you would offer your applause to the kicker and all go on a nice walk up field

This might be heresy but the best Union games can be better than League as when the ball is kept alive and based around a running game it has a flow to it that RL can't match. Unfortunately because skill levels in RU are so low, fitness levels patchy and the inevitable fact that forwards can easily kill the ball it proves to be a real rarity.

I tried to watch the Heineken Cup Final, and actually fell asleep after 20 minutes. I could watch a game of Union all day long back in the 90's, rushing home from school to watch the '95 world cup.

Now since I've discovered RL, I've finally realised how dull Rugby Union really is.

As for the article, I wouldn't waste my team reading anything by Stuart Barnes regarding RL, because I already know what the content will be. He's of a similar ilk to Stephen Jones.

Just to say, one of the best union players grew up playing league. Enough said

This is one RU view on State of Origin, not that I rate Barnes as an impartial expert on the matter.

This will run and run. The main issue is that the things most liked by Union fans ( heaving scrums, line-outs, 50 metre penalties ) are the diametric opposites of the things liked by League fans ( passing, running and scoring tries ). I've spoken to many of them and there's no getting around these facts. Barnes is right that top-class Union is a rarity. He is wrong that top-class league is inferior.