Farrell to Union...

[Hazy]

I was doing a bit of 'research' comparing SBW and Andy Farrell mainly to compare why SBW is 'too small' and Farrell is not for RU, and came across this on the Wigan site...

Statement from the RFU and Wigan

The Rugby Football Union and Wigan can confirm that discussions are taking place regarding the possible signing of Andrew Farrell.

Although the talks have not been concluded and an agreement has not been reached, discussions are continuing and all parties feel it is now the appropriate time to respond to the speculation surrounding them.

The RFU and Wigan can confirm that Andrew Farrell is the only player under discussion.

Any agreement will be subject to the approval of the two boards, Andrew Farrell, Premier Rugby Ltd and a Zurich Premiership club to contract the player with the RFU.

The Wigan club are currently discussing the matter with Andrew Farrell and no time frame can be given for any talks to be concluded.



.. and just out of interest Farrell is 194cm tall and 110kg.

SBW is 191cm and 102kg.

 

[Copa]

They're desperate if they want him... old, creaky knees and in his twilight years in RL. He should take the money... easy money ..... so Wigan can get someone better with all the freed up funds.

I'd have expected the RFU to have more player depth than they appear to have. It just doesnt make sense to go for Farell. IIRC he has never even played RU before.

Creaky old born and bred RL player at the end of his career being considered for the elite of the elite of RU just don't make sense.

 

[rugged]

England have been woeful in their first Six Nations games. Just showing the depths of their dispair.

 

[Matt M]

Well after the extreme high of 2003, they have had to balance it out with these latest performances and signing rugby league players once their careers are practically over. I guess they are hoping they will reach a high again in 2007.

 

[lockyno1]

England have been woeful in their first Six Nations games.

Well it shows when they actually have to win by scoring TRIES they suck at it! Without the drop goals, penaltly goals from Wonerboy, they will struggle to beat Italy! :lol:

 

[bayrep]

They will not sign Farrell. He would not last until the next world cup. Every team that has won the cup has gone through a slump. Eng got them selves so high for the cup that its only natural that they are not showing any intensity now.

 

[weasel]

England have been woeful in their first Six Nations games.

Well it shows when they actually have to win by scoring TRIES they suck at it! Without the drop goals, penaltly goals from Wonerboy, they will struggle to beat Italy! :lol:

They actually scored two tries to zero in their loss to France on the weekend...

 

[taipan]

They will not sign Farrell. He would not last until the next world cup. Every team that has won the cup has gone through a slump. Eng got them selves so high for the cup that its only natural that they are not showing any intensity now.

Tell that to the English rugby union,they wouldnt have a clue.They have a code with hundreds of thousands of players ,and still have to try for a older league player with sus knees,and hope he will be ok by 2007.
Their development programme must be a joke.

 

[Tighthead]

Their development programme must be a joke.

I disagree. It is their administration and management that is a joke.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

They will not sign Farrell. He would not last until the next world cup. Every team that has won the cup has gone through a slump. Eng got them selves so high for the cup that its only natural that they are not showing any intensity now.

Tell that to the English rugby union,they wouldnt have a clue.They have a code with hundreds of thousands of players ,and still have to try for a older league player with sus knees,and hope he will be ok by 2007.
Their development programme must be a joke.

I dont remember Aussie and UK league development been a joke when they sign all those rugby players back in the late 80s early 90s .
But I think the RFU are joking themselves if they think Farrell is going to do well in rugby .
But he must be a good player if he is still getting pick for the British rugby league team .

 

[Copa]

They will not sign Farrell. He would not last until the next world cup. Every team that has won the cup has gone through a slump. Eng got them selves so high for the cup that its only natural that they are not showing any intensity now.

Tell that to the English rugby union,they wouldnt have a clue.They have a code with hundreds of thousands of players ,and still have to try for a older league player with sus knees,and hope he will be ok by 2007.
Their development programme must be a joke.

But he must be a good player if he is still getting pick for the British rugby league team .

Yes... as a rugby league player. He carries a few dodgy knees and a body that is getting worse though. IIRC he has never played rugby union before either. If he was still a young player... i could see some sense... but at his age and condition.... crazy idea.

I reckon it is an attempt at a PR stunt of some kind or another.

 

[taipan]

They will not sign Farrell. He would not last until the next world cup. Every team that has won the cup has gone through a slump. Eng got them selves so high for the cup that its only natural that they are not showing any intensity now.

Tell that to the English rugby union,they wouldnt have a clue.They have a code with hundreds of thousands of players ,and still have to try for a older league player with sus knees,and hope he will be ok by 2007.
Their development programme must be a joke.

I dont remember Aussie and UK league development been a joke when they sign all those rugby players back in the late 80s early 90s .
ABut I think the RFU are joking themselves if they think Farrell is going to do well in rugby .
But he must be a good player if he is still getting pick for the British rugby league team .

There are ten times as many rugby union players in the UK as there are English league players,and twice as many players as rugby league has in Australia. In Oz even in the 80 and 90s it was at best 3: 1 in favour of league players.Which only reinforces what I said about UK rugby union development.If you think rugby league supporters in Australia were all thrilled about buying high profile rugby union players,you are dead wrong.
As far as juniors go many play both union and league at school and weekends,but they are not established union players.
I remember well that in France there are 10 times as many union players
than league players,didnt stop the French rugby union in the 60,70,80 and 90s from signing league players when the game was supposedly amateur. ;-)
Suggest you check the reason they want Farrell is for the 2007 world cup and as a backup kicker in case wee Jonny is not on the paddock.He will be 32 at best.Whilst he is a good player now,he has a sus knee and has been off the field a fair whack.For the ERU its a gamble,when they have many supposedly talented yougsters coming through(maybe they dont).
Its still a smack in the face for any up and comer.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

so they want Farrell as a goal kicker ? Is he a better kicker than Henry Paul ? Im not a fan players switching codes .
But if this had been Sam Tuitupou (All Black) switching to league . You and your mates would have seen it as a coup for league .
Not a bad joke developments by league .

 

[Hazy]

I cant see the RFU attracted to Farrell as a goal kicker. When was the last time a national side had a forward as a kicker?

J. Eales was good (brilliant maybe) but never, ever a first string goal kicker at international level.

Farrell is an excellently skilled ball playing forward, and would fit into a union side no problem, but he is a little too slow to be a back, too small to be a lock and definitely too old to play as a 'modern' loose forward.

 

[taipan]

so they want Farrell as a goal kicker ? Is he a better kicker than Henry Paul ? Im not a fan players switching codes .
But if this had been Sam Tuitupou (All Black) switching to league . You and your mates would have seen it as a coup for league .
Not a bad joke developments by league .

Yes he is a better kicker IMO than Paul .
I dont know what you are on about PW.I thought Tuqiri was a coup for union and so did just about every one who follows rugby union.If Tana Umaga switched to league it would be a coup for league in NZ.They are in better shape than Farrell and dont have the sus knee.
Seeing league development in the past in NZ has been pretty ordinary,I doubt they would (the Warriors) buy a union player who was 29, injury prone and expect miracles from him in some cup in 3 years time.
Mate I couldnt care less about converts from union,the best players I have seen in rugby league were developed within league ,Rogers,ET,Fittler,Johns,Daly and to throw in Wally Lewis who played league before he went to a union school in Brisbane and played at the same time league on Sundays.
I would much rather see a player come up through the rugby league ranks,than an expensive union convert which thankfully due to pro union not happening much now.Simply because of league's excellent development programme in Australia and now England is following suit(Danny McGuire ,Mat Diskin).
Even Scotland rugby union is starting to look at league players in England,they already got Ben Macdougall from the Storm who went straight into the Scottish national training squad.
Development your joking.

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

so they want Farrell as a goal kicker ? Is he a better kicker than Henry Paul ? Im not a fan players switching codes .
But if this had been Sam Tuitupou (All Black) switching to league . You and your mates would have seen it as a coup for league .
Not a bad joke developments by league .

Yes he is a better kicker IMO than Paul .
I dont know what you are on about PW.I thought Tuqiri was a coup for union and so did just about every one who follows rugby union.If Tana Umaga switched to league it would be a coup for league in NZ.They are in better shape than Farrell and dont have the sus knee.
Seeing league development in the past in NZ has been pretty ordinary,I doubt they would (the Warriors) buy a union player who was 29, injury prone and expect miracles from him in some cup in 3 years time.
Mate I couldnt care less about converts from union,the best players I have seen in rugby league were developed within league ,Rogers,ET,Fittler,Johns,Daly and to throw in Wally Lewis who played league before he went to a union school in Brisbane and played at the same time league on Sundays.
I would much rather see a player come up through the rugby league ranks,than an expensive union convert which thankfully due to pro union not happening much now.Simply because of league's excellent development programme in Australia and now England is following suit(Danny McGuire ,Mat Diskin).
Even Scotland rugby union is starting to look at league players in England,they already got Ben Macdougall from the Storm who went straight into the Scottish national training squad.
Development your joking.

So where is Ben MacDougall ? I haven't seen him play a club game yet .
Mark Carter and John Kirwan went straight into the NZ Superleague squad without playing a club game and so did Mark Robinson with the Warriors 7s team .
There are league clubs all over who signs league players who are injury prone .
If you know the different between both codes . You will realise that the national body controls rugby while the clubs control league .
When the ARU , WRU and RFU etc sign a player from league . Its is with the intension of him turning out for the national team .
Even if the league player is useless (Harris,Sailor,Paul,Roger etc) it is their investment not the clubs.
When their contracts finish then they can go back to league or the rugby clubs can sign them .
In league the clubs sign the rugby player and if he is useless they then get rid of him by transfered him back to rugby or another club .

 

[lockyno1]

They actually scored two tries to zero in their loss to France on the weekend...

Well maybe they should have tried to score 1 more instead of going for 6 penalties and a drop goal! It is typical England thinking! Without Wonderboy England are rubbish :lol:

 

[taipan]

so they want Farrell as a goal kicker ? Is he a better kicker than Henry Paul ? Im not a fan players switching codes .
But if this had been Sam Tuitupou (All Black) switching to league . You and your mates would have seen it as a coup for league .
Not a bad joke developments by league .

Yes he is a better kicker IMO than Paul .
I dont know what you are on about PW.I thought Tuqiri was a coup for union and so did just about every one who follows rugby union.If Tana Umaga switched to league it would be a coup for league in NZ.They are in better shape than Farrell and dont have the sus knee.
Seeing league development in the past in NZ has been pretty ordinary,I doubt they would (the Warriors) buy a union player who was 29, injury prone and expect miracles from him in some cup in 3 years time.
Mate I couldnt care less about converts from union,the best players I have seen in rugby league were developed within league ,Rogers,ET,Fittler,Johns,Daly and to throw in Wally Lewis who played league before he went to a union school in Brisbane and played at the same time league on Sundays.
I would much rather see a player come up through the rugby league ranks,than an expensive union convert which thankfully due to pro union not happening much now.Simply because of league's excellent development programme in Australia and now England is following suit(Danny McGuire ,Mat Diskin).
Even Scotland rugby union is starting to look at league players in England,they already got Ben Macdougall from the Storm who went straight into the Scottish national training squad.
Development your joking.

So where is Ben MacDougall ? I haven't seen him play a club game yet .
Mark Carter and John Kirwan went straight into the NZ Superleague squad without playing a club game and so did Mark Robinson with the Warriors 7s team .
There are league clubs all over who signs league players who are injury prone .
If you know the different between both codes . You will realise that the national body controls rugby while the clubs control league .
When the ARU , WRU and RFU etc sign a player from league . Its is with the intension of him turning out for the national team .
Even if the league player is useless (Harris,Sailor,Paul,Roger etc) it is their investment not the clubs.
When their contracts finish then they can go back to league or the rugby clubs can sign them .
In league the clubs sign the rugby player and if he is useless they then get rid of him by transfered him back to rugby or another club .

Macdougall is in the Scottish training squad full stop.
I am fully aware that the ARU centrally funds national players.
However McGoldrick,Blacklock,Elsom were signed by the Waratahs not the ARU,so the provincial S12 clubs do control some of the buying and then release the player if he doesnt perform.
Mate there is a big difference in being injury prone at a relative young age ,than being injury prone at 29 intended for a WC in 2007 by a player who has never played union.
Harris was brought up on league,so when he switched to Wales union he had to start from scratch,ditto Sailor and Paul had not played union for years before switching.
Kirwan at least had a background in league in NZ,although he wasnt much chop in the Warriors.
You are partly right the NRL clubs do sign and pay the players,the NRL clubs do not control the league,the NRL board does.The clubs provide input
and vote on issues,and they are not always keen on NRL decision making such as the night G/F,or keeping Melbourne in the NRL,or even expansion.
The NRL clubs have no control in the TV negotiations,NRL sponsorship,PR,
affiliated states,test matches,or SOO.
"Even if the player is useless" your looking silly mate.From todays Sydney Morning Herald"Mat Rogers spent most of last season nursing an injury on the sidelines.You would not have believed that last night,with the NSW fullback starring in the Waratah's pre -season win over the Auckland BLlues". If he is useless heaven help the standard of the Blues :lol:

 

[rugged]

You have to remember that these top league players are handpicked because they have the attributes that experts think would make them good in the RU game.

 

[taipan]

You have to remember that these top league players are handpicked because they have the attributes that experts think would make them good in the RU game.

As you and I know even the so called experts get it wrong.