It was awful and that's being nice! No wonder Thayer get paid a lot cuz there is no other incentive to play! Utter caaaack!!!

All the talk from union fans about how their game is more skilful and more technical, well that is rubbish. The props don't know how to play rugby, they just know how to scrum and ruck and maul, the second row's don't know how to play rugby, they just know how to do lineouts, rucks and mauls, the flankers don't know how to play rugby...etc etc etc.

Even the players from Australia showed some pretty poor player. James O'Connor is supposed to be a young superstar but he doesn't even know how to pass a ball properly after making a break!

How can so many players not know how to pass or tackle?

I'm so glad that Sam played in that game because it gave me an incentive to watch and my appreciation for rugby league has reached a level I wasn't sure existed.

I meant to catch this, kinda glad I missed it now!

Something most of the barbarians squad spent the afternoon saying to themselves too

Bit O/T, but I was talking to a RU coach last night. He spent time coaching the junior set up at Sale and has now moved on. Very interesting comments on why they are trying to get young players to switch as well as experienced players. The money being thrown to kids to switch over is enormous and it isn't all about talent sadly. He quoted £50k a year being offered to kids to play in the academy at Sale just for one thing. Apparently the RFU pay clubs to run an academy set up. The RFU go around the clubs and if its not up to standard they pull the money on offer. Sale where on the verge of loosing their money as the set up was shocking. Hence the move for the Wigan Kids over the past few years. They can offer out huge contracts because they get that and more back from the RFU. He quoted players names who I cant remember who where on £40K a year and never made it and at the age of 22 just left the sport altogether.

The money ?

I was so against Sam playing in this game but after watching that dross it could be a masterstroke.

How much money do you need though, given his current wigan wage and him being young he will be more than comfortable in league money wise

Remember the money isnt going to be much more now as we are paying him 300k a year anyway. Which is alot baring in mind that reportedly Joel is at Saracens on only £250k.

If he went from 300-400k a year it would in real terms be a jump from around 162-210k after tax. Now thats a big sum of money I agree but he may feel that the difference isnt worth the whole change. Remember cost of living is much more expensive in every way than living up here and he may have that difference reduced by upto 10k a year just in renting a different place down there to the same standard as wherever he ends up living up here (believe he still lives with his parents atm.) Either way I think this match he looked bored and I dont think he is going to want to go as much now. I know he wasnt really certain about it anyway and I think this game has served the purpose I wanted it to and want the Saracens link to. I think it will have put him off.

to be fair he wasn't going to get involved much stuck out on the wing. his contract at wigan will be on a par roughly with union anyway. the only thing after that is whether sam needs to test himself in the nrl. it will be that or stay his entire career at wigan. after today he should have made his mind up not to get involved in caveman rugby and stick to the skillful game.

With the England camp finally exposed as the bunch of overpaid, over-indulged, underworked toffs-on-a-jolly that we all suspected they were, Chris Ashton named and shamed as one of the worst behaved (was his recent book really entitled SPLASHDOWN: THE STORY OF MY WORLD CUP YEAR - talk about a premonition!), and now that absolute joke of a match today, I'd suggest it's been a very informative few weeks for anyone contemplating the big switch.

Unfortunately it's too late for Joel. Though perhaps he may now have learned that all-important lesson: careful whose advice you listen to.

Surely one of the important things for a sportsman is to actually enjoy playing the sport. He seems to enjoy himself playing rugby league but his first taste of union can't possibly have been enjoyable, and there's a lot more where that can from.

I've never seen Tomkins look so bored during a game and I can sympathise with him. It was like watching paint grow.

Or grass dry

The Aussie stand off (10) looks a class player.

any highlights anywhere? missed the game, nothing on youtube as of yet