Rugby Union World Cup: Is English rugby union just for posh kids?

[WiganWoman1968]

That doesnt mean that their education was any better than the other 18% of us!

Great joke!

[doc]

I thought Owen Farrell was at John Fisher before the family moved South

[Wintergreen]

I thought Owen Farrell was at John Fisher before the family moved South

Not sure, I just know he was on the list of "privately educated" that I saw.

Probably went to private school once he went south (same one as George Ford iirc).

[Owd Codger]

I thought Owen Farrell was at John Fisher before the family moved South

Not sure, I just know he was on the list of "privately educated" that I saw.

Probably went to private school once he went south (same one as George Ford iirc).

Owen Farrell was a Goal Kicking Prop Forward for both St John Fisher and Wigan Schoolboys,

Like Francis Cough, a immense talent lost to the game.

But, unlike Clough who went because of going to Cambridge University and playing Amateur for Wasps, Farrell went for money!

[Owd Codger]

I take reports like this with a pinch of salt.

We all know the strengths of Rugby Union and we all know the strengths or Rugby League.

One has the cash to continue and develop the sport and pay into schools to develop the sport

The other is floundering sport that has a governing body who are more concerned about interfering in all facets of the sport rather than developing it

One thing is for certain the RWC 2015 will return a huge cash windfall for the whole of the sport expected to be in the hundreds of millions

I understand your pov, TEW, and when I look around, I see the same things as you do and am tempted to draw the same conclusion, but . . .

. . . then I look back at over 50 years I've been a league fan, and ask "When were things ever different?": clubs going bankrupt, poor crowds, lack of press coverage etc etc.

What the article says for me is that, for all its financial muscle, press bias, old-boy network and so on, Union isn't in such great shape really - it's still largely stuck in its traditional public school rut and fails to engage the general public apart from 2 or 3 weeks in the year.

And League? Despite the fact that we have been given little chance of survival since 1895, despite the bias and hostility from the influential and powerful media and others, we're still here after 120 years! We're producing more of our own players than we've ever done (plus a few for the RU and NRL). Progress may be slow but survival is worth celebrating and is our two-fingered salute to the posh boys who have spent 120 years trying their damndest to kill us off.

All in my humble opinion, of course!

Go outside the top divisions in RU and will find that many clubs do not like professionalism as they cannot afford too pay players.

Not all in RU are happy with its betrayal of what it stood for a century in regard to the paying of players which considered obscene!

[cpwigan]

I thought Owen Farrell was at John Fisher before the family moved South

Not sure, I just know he was on the list of "privately educated" that I saw.

Probably went to private school once he went south (same one as George Ford iirc).

Owen Farrell was a Goal Kicking Prop Forward for both St John Fisher and Wigan Schoolboys,

Like Francis Cough, a immense talent lost to the game.

But, unlike Clough who went because of going to Cambridge University and playing Amateur for Wasps, Farrell went for money!

Owen played stand off at Fisher for his own year and the year above. His year also had an excellent player at that age Liam Thompson, an England schoolboy international loose forward who played for our academy before being released and now plays for Oldham.

Owen originally planned to commute back to Wigan and continue playing for Pats in the age group above. He did so on a handful of occasions once helping win a final playing at prop. Both Owen and George obviously moved onto a private school when they followed their fathers down Sarf.

[josie andrews]

But, unlike Clough who went because of going to Cambridge University and playing Amateur for Wasps, Farrell went for money!

It wasn't Owen who went for the money, he didn't have much option IMO!!

[cpwigan]

But, unlike Clough who went because of going to Cambridge University and playing Amateur for Wasps, Farrell went for money!

It wasn't Owen who went for the money, he didn't have much option IMO!!

EXACTLY Josie. He had to move with Andy and the family. Originally, he intended commuting back to Wigan to play RL but success in Union even as a junior ended that idea.

[Owd Codger]

But, unlike Clough who went because of going to Cambridge University and playing Amateur for Wasps, Farrell went for money!

It wasn't Owen who went for the money, he didn't have much option IMO!!

EXACTLY Josie. He had to move with Andy and the family. Originally, he intended commuting back to Wigan to play RL but success in Union even as a junior ended that idea.

Come on, Andy knew what he was doing when at the end of his career he moved to Union, not only for himself, but with Union having gone professional with massive TV contracts he could see a greater future for his son, both in prestige and financial rewards as well as a future for himself as a Coach.

Very astute was our Andy!

[cpwigan]

I am not saying anything of what you say is wrong WW, far from it and to add to that Andy / Owen initially covered their options by Owen briefly playing for St Pats.

The other flip side and yes he could afford it but Andy was generous in his donations to school / amateur RL and never sought publicity for it. Far from it.