rushend

Gubrats, whilst I might not be sure of how much it would ‘cost’ to transition some payers, I do agree that it would be more cost effective to use Union players...the only drawback is that many of the best ‘athletes’ in NA (and in some regards this will mean the best ‘sportsmen’) might not get a chance. And you’re right with the lip service given to the development of NA players in the first year or two with the TWP. Potential players (union, gridiron) would, I’d imagine, need to be ‘hothoused’ for at least a season to upskill/transition. Big Picture, the ones (players) I personally knew

It’s difficult to know whether gridiron players can convert as it hasn’t been tried. Or, to the point, not tried with any conviction. Using Manfred Moore from the 70s and Philippe Gardent (I think he played 5 games or so for Crusaders?) as examples doesn’t really say much about any potential development or crossover ability. A bit like the Dwain Chambers Castleford ‘experiment’ that lasted pretty much no time at all, there hasn’t been (at least to my knowledge) any concerted effort to develop players from gridiron over a reasonable period of time. And please don’t mention the TWP ‘trials’, ag

For me this is the nub of it. I have been a fan of RL for 23 years, and as a southerner watched with great interest the creation of SL. It had such promise. Yet this promise, one of a pan European competition with such stellar names as PSG (who had wonderful promise - and yes, they did- I lived in Paris at the time and can vouch for the attention they attracted - they were simply managed poorly) and the hope for a greater footprint in the UK, has not been actualised. Instead, the sport has, if anything, regressed in terms of print profile, sponsorship, innovation, and certainly a southern awa