"Union is nore physical than League"...so says...

[Welski]

Shaun Edwards in the weekend press!

http://sport.independent.co.uk/low_res/ ... 18&dir=105

[DaveO]

Welski posted:
Shaun Edwards in the weekend press!

http://sport.independent.co.uk/low_res/ ... 18&dir=105

Just read it and given I am involved in Chester RU a little I get to see what the RU game is about.

Yes, there are great big piles of players scrapping for the ball but if Edwards equates that for hardness he has lost the plot.

The Union game still has the ball out of play far longer then League.

He also ignores the fact that since he left league has hardly stood still. It has moved on itself since he left physically and the players are fitter than ever.

Dave

[Welski]

There are certainly more one, two, three and sometimes four on one tackles in RL and the impacts are nearly always head on. It is true that crushing injuries (when caught at the bottom of a ruck) can be extremely severe although thankfully such incidents are rare.

Since both codes have become professional the gap has narrowed across all aspects but for me those first bone crunching tackles of any League match settle the argument.

[Mike]

Shaun has now said in League Express that he was misquoted by the media:

Great Britain and Wigan legend Shaun Edwards has hit out at a national newspaper which at the weekend purported to have him saying that rugby union players are now tougher than their rougby league counterparts.

The Daily mail carried the interview with Edwards, who is now the assistant coach with London Wasps, on Saturday, with a similar interview being carried out in the independent newspaper.

"The Daily Mail claimed that I had said that rugby union players were tougher than League players. But that was a total misquote, and I am going to seek an apology from them." an angry Edwards told Rugby leaguer and league express yesterday.

What I actually said was that there is more close physical contacts in union, but the collisions in league are bigger and the game is much faster.

I didn't comment about the relative toughness of the players. In no way did I come out with that statment. I think there are some good tough players in each game, and both codes have their own strenghts.

"It is a ridiculous misquote, and I don't want anyone thinking I would say anything I would say anything so stupid. People in Rugby League should know me too well to believe that I would make any such claim, but I just want to make my views absoloutely clear"

I will link to the story when it is available on the web.

[MrsLam]

Nice subject title Mike!
Didn't think it sounded like something our Shaun would say, good on him for not letting it go