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Williams would be great for Rugby League and Welsh Rugby League in particular - cant see it happening. I think he would love the game plenty of ball in hand but as his stage of his career think cash would be a big incentive to switch codes and that is not going to happen!

Scotland v Wales was a great game, thank God for England and Italy for a classic union bore fest! Hope Graig Gower is having fun zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

No doubt I'm very thick but why is Gower eligible to play for Italy? He's Australian and plays for a French club.

Shouldn't there be a rule to state that if a capped player converts from league to union, they can only play Test matches for the same country they represented in the other code?

Signing Gareth Thomas would be a bad move- i read Brian Noble recently saying that there was plenty of development in young players in wales to look at- what would signing a 35 year old Rugby union player achieve other than a few headlines in the welsh media

Fans bang on about journeymen aussies - at least theyve played the game

Terrible idea and an insult to all young players who would benefit long term from getting experience in Superleague

I'm glad you guys can aprecitae Shanes brilliance..it becomes incredibly boring to here english fans banging on about him being 'overrated' and 'not big enough for an international rugby player'

i don't no how many more games he has to single handidly win and how many more tries he has to score to prove himself to them. Of course the excitment in the england rugby team totally eclipses shane, i mean mark cueto certainly puts williams to shame!they really are deluded

anyway back to the point, i think shane would be stunning in league, his creativity is un-matched in union, but youll have a wrestle getting him of us:)

Surely the main problem for crusaders, even with a big PR boost they could get with a big union signing, is that North Wales has 1 other league club, whose players all seem to end up at Warrington. Why would all the south wales youngsters up sticks to wrexham for average money and no guarantee of first team rugby?

On a slightly different note to the current topic of debate is the issue of drug taking in Rugby League and sport in general after Terry Newton was caught doing the dirty deed. I'm in no way suprised that a top player has been caught, but I am disappointed in Terry because he has been at the top of our game for so long and you come to admire people who do it at the top level for their entire career. Now, I just feel a bit let down.

I remember when Joey was caught with a banned substance after his career finished. He was the world's best pivot for years; we simply loved watching him play. Then it came out that he was taking recreational drugs and whilst not 'cheating', the fact is we will always have that in our memories now.

I don't see how the RFL can come in for criticism for this either; the player should hold their own responsibility. All The RFL can do is continue with their campaigns against cheats and drug users to wipe it from our sport.

Good article, George!

Good article indeed, on a negative note - I think we have a good ambassodor for the game with George but I am a bit disapointed with the lack of commnents and feedback from the Rugby League community - this may be the hangover speaking so in a bit of a grump but is this another case of RL lethargy that holds the game back?

George, completely off topic here, but...dont you look like Derren Brown?? No offence mate! Good blog by the way...

Gareth Thomas would make an excellent League full back and already possesses the skills to do so as FB in both codes require a very similar skill set.

He is excellent; under a high ball, running the ball back, defending as a last man, joining the line, support play and picking running lines; everything that a League FB would need. Given that his fitness is still exceptional I see no reason why he won't be a success and a real bonus for the profile of the sport in Wales.

And also, I can only think it would be a bonus to younger players being able to train and look up to such a committed professional.

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Keep up the great work George, but don't forget there is life outside SL and the Challenge Cup. Some great games so far in the Northern Rail Cup (check out the last 5 minutes of Widnes v Barrow last week for cracking finishes - and a crowd higher than 2 SL games that weekend) and the Championship start isn't far away. Appreciate you need to concentrate on SL, but don't forget the rest of us!

Now that Terry Newton has accepted the findings against him I think the only thing he can do now is to help the authorities by telling them were he got the stuff, etc.. in order to help the fight against it. As a general comment, I also think a two year ban for taking performance enhancers is lenient. Perhaps that's ok for recreational drugs, but performance enhancing should be 5 years minimum, or even life ban. That might act as a better deterent.

鈥淭he Welsh were brilliant, and I certainly can't remember the last time a British rugby league team played in a contest of such thrilling excitement and intensity. Does that make me a traitor?鈥�

Yes, it makes you a traitor for several reasons. Firstly, when a true rugby league man opens a rugby league-related article, news item or blog, the last thing he wants to read is a lead about how jolly old 鈥榢ick & clap鈥� is just so super.

The fact that a Union match could hold your attention for longer than a tiddlywinks contest makes you a traitor.

The fact that you found an international kick & clap, roam-with-your-pack contest more thrilling and exciting than, for instance, Warrington vs. Wigan, Wakefield vs. Leeds, Castleford vs. Warrington, Hull FC vs. Huddersfield, Skirlaugh vs. Dockers, makes you a traitor.

The fact that you think two over-the-hill players - Shane Williams (32) and Gareth Thomas (35) 鈥� could handle the intensity of Super League after a career of being 鈥榯ickled鈥� in Union, doesn鈥檛 make you a traitor; merely ignorant of levels of impact. I鈥檓 not rating them as players, as I don鈥檛 watch that Code, but the fact that they鈥檙e both well on the wrong side of 30 and have never played a high impact sport like rugby league means that they simply couldn鈥檛 handle it. Ageing League players can retire into Union, because it鈥檚 not so intense and is a bit more, well, gentlemanly, but for that very reason it doesn鈥檛 work the other way.

Whenever comparisons are drawn between the two sports, I鈥檓 always reminded that one of the missions of Union is to marginalise (rugby league does not exist on 大象传媒 World) and ultimately destroy the Northern upstarts鈥� game. As far as I and any other non-public-school-boy from the M62 belt region is concerned, Union doesn鈥檛 exist. Anyone who watches it, plays it (unless living in South Africa and having no choice) and, particularly, sings its praises, is a traitor鈥� or maybe just someone playing 鈥榬ugby league man鈥� who鈥檚 actually a publicly educated Cambridge graduate who doesn鈥檛 really know what an 鈥榦ff-half鈥� or a 鈥榖omb鈥� are.

Let鈥檚 just agree that Union should not be mentioned, unless being ridiculed, in a proper Rugby League blog. Let鈥檚 put an end to this rancid 115-year attempt to assimilate. It will never happen.

George, if you can seriously tell me that any Union game will get near the Wigan/Warrington game tonight, then I will give you 50p.

I didn't see the ruggah, but the odd intersting RU match does not mean RL has anything to learn form RU on the pitch..........far from it!!

TV was so bad I ended up watching the Wales Scotland game. I must have watched a different game as for the first 70 minutes it was a slow, mistake ridden bore. Am I wrong or were there more penalties in one game than in a whole weekend of Super League games and I have seen more tackles made by a single player in league than by both teams put together in union. Only a couple of weeks ago they showed some of the great tries from the 5/6 Nations and was gobsmacked because I see better every week on the SuperLeague show. If the clock stopped every time play stopped the game would have taken hours to complete. It was only made exciting by the last 5 minutes or so. If all you want is 5 minutes of tension and excitement then it was a true spectacle of sport. I however, want 80 minutes of intensity and displays of skill and vision so would rather listen to a radio broadcast of the Warrington Wigan game than watch 'the best of union'.

Sorry George, it's all snooze inducing to me, at whatever level...or is that a bit chippy? ;)

Re, 鈥渄o you not think that is the kind of attitude that makes people mock us League fans?? The old "league fan with chip on shoulder cliche" is hardly shot down in flames by what you've posted there !鈥�

I do not deny my chip and shall carry it as long as, for instance, 大象传媒 World continues to ignore the existence of Rugby League and the Telegraph鈥檚 site fails to offer a sport sub-section entitled Rugby League.

Rugby League still lacks the media attention it deserves, simply as a sporting spectacle, and one can鈥檛 help but think that this is because very few senior editors grew up playing or watching League.

You mustn鈥檛 forget that in League heartland cities like Hull, Leeds or Manchester it鈥檚 still a case of the public schools playing Union and the comprehensive鈥檚 playing League; if you have an accent, you play League and despise Union. If you speak RP, you play Union and don鈥檛 give League a second鈥檚 thought. It was once a single sport divided by class, but is now two sports of differing classes 鈥� League obviously being the top class sport.

As for the international game, I could rant about the legacy of the historical oppression and suppression of rugby league in places like the former Yugoslavia, South Africa or anywhere else for that matter, but I won鈥檛 mount that lofty steed right now.

Suffice to say that if the media helped to ensure that more people actually got to see rugby league worldwide, then the sport would quickly take root and spread 鈥� both among neutrals who find Union disjointed & somehow Medieval and Union players who are only such because they鈥檝e never been exposed to League.

As for the mocking: fans and followers of Union will always scoff and ridicule the League faithful. And I would expect nothing less. That would be like expecting Rovers鈥� supporters not to mock Hull FC fans whenever the chance arose. Let them. We know our sport is superior; our athletes fitter, scrum halves wilier and props braver. We know that our future is guaranteed by 115 years of professionalism, organisations like BARLA and the literally millions of die-hard fans who would never dream of watching Union. We just need the media on our side to make that future a global one.

HKRobin, I really think that this is a view that you have created in your head and stuck with, thick and thin over many a pint.

I am from Northampton with a family from Rothwell who has grown up supporting Leeds Utd, Leeds Rhinos and Northampton Saints. I enjoy and can see the merits of both League and Union through simply watching the sports. There is no possible way to say that either sport or sportsmen are 'better' than the other as both have moments of brilliance and extreme excitement and both have moments of sheer tedium.

The good backs in Union would all make good backs in League quite simply because the game is less about set moves and is more about playing what is in front of you, hitting good lines and having a solid defence.
Conversely, the good backs in League would all excel in Union given a few seasons warm up to understand the more complicated rules and plays but given that they generally are able to run better lines and can do the basic skills excellently.

I sincerely don't understand this 'chip-on-the-shoulder' attitude that says "I haven't watched rugby union but I know it's rubbish." I have friends who are RL and RU fans in RL heartlands Widnes, Warrington and Huddersfield who all are able to enjoy both sports.

The reason international RL doesn't get much press (and it does get some when the games happen) is because international RL is competed by 3 teams.

P.S - Don't read the Telegraph, The Guardian and Independent both have specific RL pages and you can't even begin to tell me that Sky Sports doesn't push RL.

Have to say I agree with George in that HKRobininBelgrade is being over-reactionary here. Of course most of us agree that RL gets scant media coverage in comparison to RU, obviously due to the media's Southern bias and (presumably) the high concentration of public school types brought up on RU in the media but is the place to make that point really in the comments section of a blog by someone who clearly loves RL? You're preaching to the converted fella, save it for an open-letter to the Head of 大象传媒 sports.

Like or loathe RU (I'm nearer the latter) it has a vastly superior international structure and the big 6 Nations and World Cup games can be enjoyable just for the sense of occasion alone. It's a bit daft to put a blanket ban on mentioning RU in an RL blog, of course there are times when it's appropriate. I thought it was a good read personally.

Also as an avid Hull KR fan myself can I advise that we're not all quite as uptight as that fellow up that way! ;)

I'm in total agreement with you about Shane Williams. I actually thought that before. I think League is just a superior game entirely. I can't wait for the Challenge Cup final in August! Sun and Rugby - can't beat it! Was thinking of booking tickets on this website - challengecuptickets.co.uk - but not used it before. Kinda looking for peoples opinions on these types of things... In any case I'll get my tickets somehow!