Rugby Codes Collide

[cpwigan]

I find Inverdale more loathsome.

[Owd Codger]

I find Inverdale more loathsome.

Do you mean more loathsome than Wane?

[jaws1]

After the Bath matches played in league and union and Wigan winning the 7s at Twickenham was the start of Union going professional and pinching our players and coaches. Wigan after being well down in the final Twickenham sevens and all union fans singing sweet chariot to come back and win the final with the fitness level we had made Union officials think twice about their game and IMO Union took off after that game.

[Owd Codger]

After the Bath matches played in league and union and Wigan winning the 7s at Twickenham was the start of Union going professional and pinching our players and coaches. Wigan after being well down in the final Twickenham sevens and all union fans singing sweet chariot to come back and win the final with the fitness level we had made Union officials think twice about their game and IMO Union took off after that game.

They went professional before the Bath games were considered and did so in 1996 as a result of getting a massive contract from Sky on the condition that they introduced League and European club competitions which until then did not exist like they do now as most clubs arranged their own fixtures.

Until then, the RFU and their game from 1895 regarded professional rugby as a evil and would have nothing to do with the 'official' paying of players until Sky came on the scene with the massive contract and like Judas, the RFU sold out for the 30 pieces of silver.

[Blackpool_Pie]

You can hardly blame RU for going pro. They had problema for years including during the 91 & 95 RWC where players were wanting to be paid for taking time off work. It was an inevibility. Green eyed monsters methinks. Some of the comments on here are so childish. If you dont like RU then fine, but calling people like Barnes (who I cant stand) a cock is just childish. Ive never understood league fans mentality of Union. Constant sniping in lots of threads. I enjoy both and attend games in both codes. You wont find a Union fan bad mouthing League.

[jobo]

You can hardly blame RU for going pro. They had problema for years including during the 91 & 95 RWC where players were wanting to be paid for taking time off work. It was an inevibility. Green eyed monsters methinks. Some of the comments on here are so childish. If you dont like RU then fine, but calling people like Barnes (who I cant stand) a cock is just childish. Ive never understood league fans mentality of Union. Constant sniping in lots of threads. I enjoy both and attend games in both codes. You wont find a Union fan bad mouthing League.

Stuart Barnes constantly bad mouths RL and so do a good few RU fans. In the past I've argued the toss with some. I do understand your sentiment though. I too enjoy both codes but can't help making comparisons.

[Blackpool_Pie]

I dont mind the comparisons. I enjoy both codes. I have never heard ru fans spout bile against league they way ive seen on here.

[DaveO]

You can hardly blame RU for going pro. They had problema for years including during the 91 & 95 RWC where players were wanting to be paid for taking time off work.

That might have been true in Wales which is why most union converts to RL were Welsh in the late 80's and 90's but English players like Guscott were well provided for.

Even regarding RU in Wales I remember the lengths they went to in order to try and keep John Deveraux including a plum job outside of the game.

It was an inevibility. Green eyed monsters methinks. Some of the comments on here are so childish. If you dont like RU then fine, but calling people like Barnes (who I cant stand) a cock is just childish. Ive never understood league fans mentality of Union. Constant sniping in lots of threads. I enjoy both and attend games in both codes. You wont find a Union fan bad mouthing League.

Actions speak louder than words and for years RU banned anyone who had played league never mind got paid for it for being "professionalised" which is why many a trialist was listed as A.N Other on the team sheet!

Deveraux himself was banned from setting foot in his old RU clubs clubhouse when he went to Widnes. Now THAT was childish.

[jaws1]

I posted earlier about changing the way RU looked at their game and Wigan started the revolution after the Twickers sevens.
http://www.espn.co.uk/onthisday/rugby/story/96532.html

[Dobby]

You wont find a Union fan bad mouthing League.

Surely you can't be serious. Whilst at University and subsequently through work I have met plenty of Union fans that bad mouth League and show an extremely condescending attitude to the game and its followers.

On Union on its shamateur days there were plenty of players that didn't go to League because they would be far worse off. Was it Tim Rodger that said he could never go to League because it would mean never getting promoted again? Then of course you had the likes of Guscott who upon making it in Union went from working on a building site to a very lucrative PR role. Others were given jobs in the city which they didn't have the skills, experience or qualifications for. Hence why very few England Union players ever switched because they would be far worse off. Irish and Scottish players were similar and didn't switch because it was a predominantly elitist sport there too. In contrast masses of Welsh, Australian and NZ players switched because it is more working class in those places and it was more worth their while. Even here there were notable exceptions like Campese who openly admitted that he got paid more in Union than he could ever get in League.