Gallows Pole being constructed for Sam Burgess.

[menpond]

WHY play RL on a quarter of the money The gin and tonic bigade are being wiped out by newcomers. You are as class blinkered as they used to be. Still watching Brass ,I suppose?Turn your ire on Farrells ,Tomkins for switching codes and being not up to it.

[RC]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyu ... eague.html

He's been playing the sport for less than a year. He's already scored multiple tries, made some big hits and got selected for the National Team. How the hell has he failed? I watched the World Cup, although he didn't shine like he did in League (As stated, he's been playing less than a year.), he's been solid. Performed much better than other people on that team.

I honestly hate Union snobs with a passion. They'll find any excuse to slate Sam Burgess, he's been the scapegoat this tournement because England RU are poor; hyped up by the media like the Football team was in their last World Cup. No matter how good Sam Burgess gets, no matter how long he stays, he'll never get the credit he desereves.

Bring him back to League. As long as it isn't St Helens.

[Panchitta Marra]

Any chance of getting Owen Faz to cross codes next season? Will take him a while to get back into it, but he id RL educated and could solve our kicking problems.

No thank you, yards too slow.

Was one of the best prospects we had when in our academy. He doesn't get a lot of chance to run in union.

Looking at the way he runs he looks way too slow Mike.
Like father like son.
My old man once spoke to Andy Farrell when he was in Cumbria and asked him how fast he could run 100m and Faz said just under 13 seconds.
I fancy Owen wouldn't be much faster and That is quite slow for a half back.
It's only my guess but I was brought up with athletics before playing rugby league.

[Mike]

No thank you, yards too slow.

Was one of the best prospects we had when in our academy. He doesn't get a lot of chance to run in union.

Looking at the way he runs he looks way too slow Mike.
Like father like son.
My old man once spoke to Andy Farrell when he was in Cumbria and asked him how fast he could run 100m and Faz said just under 13 seconds.
I fancy Owen wouldn't be much faster and That is quite slow for a half back.
It's only my guess but I was brought up with athletics before playing rugby league.

Its true, andy farrel was way too slow for wigan! just kidding.

I'm sure there's a position for a player like him in the side. Centre or loose forward maybe?

I thought he'd played in tge academy but I guess i was thinking of the under 16s scholarship? Or did he only play for wigan schools? I didn't see him play but I remeber hearing reports of a freakishly good passer.

[cpwigan]

He was Mike albeit strange as it may sound he was very mechanical; perfectly textbook wise. As a 14/15 year old his party piece was standing on the half way and hitting the posts with passes. I saw him as a junior throw amazing passes but equally ones that were ludicrous. For example, he had no concept of 'soft hands' and would fire wonderful looking but nigh impossible to catch bullet passes. He also had a bit of nastiness to his play (some good, some bad). The shoulder charge he got sin binned for was a carbon copy of what he did was a teenager. Playing tag and he throws a shoulder charge in. Once saw his shoulder charge either Brad Dwyer or Connor Faz in a play ground tag game on tarmac which was uncalled for, unsavoury and dangerous. Owen largely was a very nice young man albeit his famous father weighed heavily IMO. It is very hard for a child to grow up with everybody expecting you to be a mirror image of your father. He was targeted by players but moreso adults. It think Owen could play stand-off at league but may be a better loose forward.

IIR, Sam Powell was the same age in service areas teams, Ian Thornley was and Liam Thompson who was a fantastic junior and now plays for Oldham.

[morley pie eater]

WHY play RL on a quarter of the money The gin and tonic bigade are being wiped out by newcomers. You are as class blinkered as they used to be. Still watching Brass ,I suppose?Turn your ire on Farrells ,Tomkins for switching codes and being not up to it.

You make a valid, if unsubstantiated claim, Menpond. On occasions I've questioned my own attitude to union and to the class issue generally.

However, a recent report on the BBC website said that in last season's English RU premiership, 61% of players were public school educated (foreign players excluded). So are 20 out of 31 in the current England squad.

With an Eton-dominated cabinet, London Mayor and favourite as next London mayor, even an Oxbridge-rich Labour front bench until recently, I think it's a bit early to declare the class war over.

Now can we get back to players needing to be 2 stone heavier, please?

[Panchitta Marra]

Was one of the best prospects we had when in our academy. He doesn't get a lot of chance to run in union.

Looking at the way he runs he looks way too slow Mike.
Like father like son.
My old man once spoke to Andy Farrell when he was in Cumbria and asked him how fast he could run 100m and Faz said just under 13 seconds.
I fancy Owen wouldn't be much faster and That is quite slow for a half back.
It's only my guess but I was brought up with athletics before playing rugby league.

Its true, andy farrel was way too slow for wigan! just kidding.

I'm sure there's a position for a player like him in the side. Centre or loose forward maybe?

I thought he'd played in tge academy but I guess i was thinking of the under 16s scholarship? Or did he only play for wigan schools? I didn't see him play but I remeber hearing reports of a freakishly good passer.

Andy was a loose, 2nd row come prop so it didn't matter too much re his lack of pace in comparison to a half back that Owen is.
Owen Farrell is more than 10yds too slow for league as a 6 or 7.
Williams and Hampshire would give him 5yds start and beat him by 10 over the full pitch length.

[cpwigan]

Might sound off but Owen could be the closest to Sir Kev as a halfback. Sir Kev is a classic example of a brilliantly effective player with no great assets.

[morley pie eater]

Might sound off but Owen could be the closest to Sir Kev as a halfback. Sir Kev is a classic example of a brilliantly effective player with no great assets.

I know what you mean cp in terms of size, speed, power etc, but surely a brain, or the ability to read a game, are assets?

Players like Wilkin, Edwards to different extents didn't have all the classic attributes but their ability to read and control a game made them what they were/are.

Of course, ideally you'd want a player to have everything, but unfortunately there aren't many of them around.

As far as Sinfield goes, I remember as a kid hating a certain player with a passion. Later I realised that Alex .Murphy could play a bit! My point that the player fans of other teams deride is often the one they fear. One of my Rhino fan mates constantly reminds me that he "doesn't rate" Lockers.

(Before anyone jumps and says I'm comparing Edwards & Wilkin, I'm certainly not as far as quality goes!)

[cpwigan]

Very true MPE. I guess players like Sir Kev maximise every asset they have, particularly non physical ones. He is undoubtedly the best kicker in SL and the best at steering his team to victories.

A few pros in admiration sat he is not the fastest, not the strongest, not the most agile but he is the best leader directing his team.