What does that even mean? If Wigan have signed him for off-field purposes, it will so they can tap into the Welsh area, which in the past has provided some unbelievable talent.

What has this signing got to do with the RFL?

It has but that was in the past and it's just irrelevant now. Wales has given the likes Davies, Gibbs, Quniell and many others to RL but you might notice one thing in common with those players. They were established International RU players looking to make earn a living from sport when they could not when Welsh RU was still amateur. If you think signing Thomas is going to see the modern likes of those players switching codes I think you are mistaken. If signing him is to try and lure Welsh players who can't make it in the top flight Welsh RU sides why we we even looking?



The rumour is they will pay his wages, he won't count on our salary cap and in return the RFL want Wigan to promote RL in Wales.

If there is anything in this rumour it seems a total distraction to me.

Only you could think that Wigan opening a door to the massive reservoir of Welsh rugby talent is a distraction rather than an advantage.

I'm sure that Ian Lenagan, Shaun Wane et al are going to be massively distracted from their day-to-day Wigan RL activities because they now have scouts based permanently in Wales (as opposed, to example, to the scouts they already have based in Cumbria, Yorkshire etc).

I can just imagine the frustration of yet again - sigh! - having to go and cast an eye over yet another incredibly talented kid who nobody else has picked up on yet. Things like that are such a distraction that it hardly bears thinking about.

And are you telling me the answer is hidden away in Wales currently playing 2nd string RU?



Any Londoners playing the game as a result of the pro RL team down there or the Skolars or any other RL side are welcome to do so. It's great they are. The fact they are playing the game and some of them may well turn out to be very good at it has nothing to do with Wigan but whatever development work has already been done locally. It is not Wigan's job to get them playing the game and the "We" who should get them playing the game is the RFL and the expansion clubs in the locality.

If having booted the Crusaders out of SL the RFL are concerned about what that means for RL in Wales perhaps they should have pumped as much time money and effort into the club as they have London over the last couple of decades. Not come up with a (rumoured) hair brained scheme to foist Thomas on us for a season in the hope that is going to make up for it.

As I said in my other post the rumour is Wigan will have to undertake development work in Wales for this to happen when we simply do not need to do so. And that isn't anti-expansionist at all. It's just common sense that it is not our job. If Wigan want to send a scout into Wales looking for players as they do into Cumbria or Yorkshire that is fine but this is rumoured to be far more than that.

What "massive reservoir" of Welsh Rugby talent?

I am very familiar with RU in North Wales and believe it or not, it is not the religion it is down south. My son has spent the last decade playing against Welsh clubs as a junior for Chester. And Chester 1st team plays at a level that the best North Wales club play to. It is not a very high level. Wrexham, Mold, Llandudno and so on do not play at a high level.

If we are talking South Wales well that is even more impractical to do what is being suggested.



That is not what is being suggested. As I said in my post prior to this the rumour is Wigan will have to undertake development work in Wales not just scout.



Widnes came and watched a game of Chester v Winington Park last year so I am sure other RL sides maybe including Wigan already go and scout around just as Sale will watch amateur RL sides around Wigan, St Helens and Warrington. There are bucket loads of RU sides just south of the M56 and any RL club can go an scout at if they wish. English as well as Welsh. Have they been missing a trick by not doing so? Given the standard RU is played at, probably not.

Perhaps it is

The thing is though, you are totally wrong there. Absolutely wrong. Why should every aspect of RL profile enhancement be left to the shower at Red Hall?. Should it not be duty of top flight teams like Wigan, Saints, Leeds etc to try to and invest in RL development throughout the whole UK (and Ireland is desired). Why should that be left to the governing body? what a narrow minded load of old ar£e. We should have our grubby little hands in every pipeline we see fit. Either that or WRLFC could maybe stick a flyer on a lamp post in Swinley advertising a training session and cross there fingers that some bugger turns up?
I fail to see what the fate of Crusaders has to do with this conversation, so nip that in the bud
Well it might not be in our "Terms of reference" but i would be made up if the famous Wigan Rugby league club set up training camps, scouting exercises etc in the heart of "rugby" playing land. It could turn out to be a goldmine!. I get exited thinking about our club spending a few quid now that could pay off in maybe 5-10 years.

We could be the RL equivalent of Man utd who have set up scouting and development structures all across every continent and reap the rewards like they have. We could be on to a winner. I am sure that would you of anyway

Some players are more suited to League than Union. Wire have signed Rhy Evans from Union as a youngster and hopefully he will do well. There are surely more knocking around.


With due respect, and I know it is not your rumour, but it sounds nonsense. Why would the RFL do that? Surely they can hire him themselves with the remit of developing youth in Wales. If they are then to allow him to play for Wigan exempt of the cap, there would be uproar from the other clubs. If they were to do this kind of thing, I would only expect in it exceptional circumstances (ie maybe at London Broncos).

Reading this post has got me thinking. Thomas does have a lot of links in Welsh rugby in union and now league. With Harris also on board i can see a link to a Wigan legend taking over the coaching reins. Nothing has been announced yet because he is commited to the WRU world cup bid. Shaun Edwards would be a perfect replacement. If Ian Lenagen can pull this off it would go down well with me and every other Wigan fan on the planet. This solution would save imports from overseas and will keep us on top for the future. Ian has got something up his sleeve believe me.

While I broadly agree, which name is likely to have a bigger pull? the rfl or wigan rugby league?

Which is a reason for Wigan RL to pay for him. Other clubs wouldn't agree for Wigan to be funded to develop the game in Wales. It doesn't make sense on any level. If the development through Thomas was succesful, Wigan would get the benefits (as well as Wales RL), so they should pay.

It is one of the strangest rumours I have heard tbh.

there are alot of St Patricks in South Wales, amateur clubs with shining lights dying to get out... not as much chance to jump into Pro RL, so they jump ship and go to RU.

The wife has a cousin who played for a good few years in an ARL club in South Wales, and eventually gave it up.

Your not wrong there.

Regardless if he does/does not sign, i still think that the big clubs should be heavily involved in Wales. It could be a goldmine

This would be the most sensible strategy to pursue. I certainly hope this is what IL is thinking with this signing.

No. They simply can't afford to do it on a permanent and committed basis. We make a small profit these days. Saints are loss making. No RL side is in a financial position to make the big and permanent investment proper development work entails. So I think I am absolutely right when I say it is the governing bodies job. If they want to fund Wigan to run a training camp or two, fair enough but they should fund all the SL sides to do so then the burden does not fall on one club alone.



It has got everything to do with it! It is blindingly obvious. If the Crusaders were still in SL the RFL would not be (or should I say rumoured to be) trying to persuade Wigan to take on Thomas and any development work in Wales.



North Wales is not the heart of Rugby playing land. That is South Wales. The WRU also recognise it isn't and are trying to get the standard of RU up and increase their sports profile there as well. So just in case you thought we might be about to benefit from some untapped playing resource even the WRU recognise it isn't some sort of hotbed of talent.



And we pay for this how? Sorry but I think your ambitions for the club are ignoring the reality which will be governed by money.

I agree with Dave T when he says this rumour about Wigan getting involved on this scale is a very strange one but from my point of view a big reason for being sceptical is the cost and effort it would take for the club to do it. I really don't think the off chance we might find a gem justifies the cost when we already have such good local junior player development structures in place that have produced the likes of Sam T already.