Tahu quits Wallabies, back to NRL

I watched the Broncos move a hooker to five eight this weekend. When will that ever happen in union? I saw Queensland move a fullback into the second row, it seems like a very simple game to me if these pieces are interchangeble. In Chess and Union the pieces are not interchangeable. Highly specialised. Brad Thorn took a long time to become a good Union player. He was moved to number eight and admiitted he was never going to be able to play that position, hence a return to second row

After viewing the exhilarating exhibition of running rugby where the EEls smashed the Dogs last night on TV,methinks Tahu is well satisfied with his decision. Sharkie. I think you will find those who play both codes as youngsters,are ready to commit to the rugby code that gives them an opportunity,rather than loyalty to one code. At least st Stanislaus Bathurst gives students the opportunity to try their hand at both rugby codes:perhaps GPS and Associated schools can now drag themselves out of the 19th and 20th century,and do likewise.

Westy I never stated that any of them weren't league players, however it's hardly a case of league players converting to union. In many respects alot of players who are playing union now weren't contracted to a league club and vice versa. Nowdays i'd say a very large proportion of players who take 'rugby' seriously are playing for the school and their club in games of league and union over the weekend.

Gower plays in the Top 14, btw.

True Tah Not exactly what i said. I am aware of his(Tana) trials with the Knights,and him being homesick.You will note my comment many(MANY) not (EVERY) player with a rugby league background played union at high school. I will say this that the overwhelming majority of high schools in NZ at the time,and they are still in the majority play union not league. You therefore don't disagree with my main point, he(just like many others) came from a rugby league background.

What seems to be lost tin the Tahu debate, is that he is merely looking to exercise the clause in his contract (THAT HE NOT HIS AGENT NEGOTIATED) that he can seek a release if he is not selected to represent the Wallabies in a given season. This put's the ball back squarely back in the ARU's court and on present indications they seem happy to let him go...i find this puzzling as all the commentary i've read from Tahu's coaches, teammates and officials is that he was making a good fist of his transition and was certainly part of future plans for the Wallabies. If that is the case then all the ARU has to do is decline his request. I sense that John O'Neill has probably played a bigger role in this than has been made public.Parramatta by the way have not officially tabled a contract waiting until the release is formalised. Reality is the true story will probably never be known.

Crosscoder you are wrong about Umaga taking up union at high school, he actually went to a league high school and end up having a trial with the Knights, but he didnt like being away from home, so he went back to Wellington, where some of his mates talked him into playing club union.

Link - I wasn't talking about post-doctorate degrees! Yes I meant uneducated in the finer points of both Union and League. Sharkie - at U10 level, you get 13 club games per season, plus semis if you make it. If you make reps, it's another 3-4 on one weekend. At school, it's only 8-10, and even in the High School 1st XV, it's only about 12 games I think. Not too many play club rugby when they get to High School, but I'm trying to change that. I recruited about 11 from my son's school for this year and we'll be aiming at another 6 or so next year, making it over 20 boys (4-5 were already there) from his year playing club rugby as well as school. The Friday night home games at the club are a big hit with the parents!!

westy - a lot of U10 boys in our rugby club play League too. The private school boys have neough on their plate with school and club rugby (that's a total of 3 training sessions and 2 matches a week), but a lot of the public and Regional Catholic shool boys play rugby on a friday night/Saturday afternoon and League on a Sunday. We have quite a few in our rugby club who play soccer as well as rugby. As I just said on another thread, those who play League do tend to tackle better at a younger age, but the impact lessens every year.

As it is a league site and the discussion seems to have switched over from Tahu ,to where rugby(union and league Steffy's got it right)played their junior football. Sharkie Cross ,Wing ,the Ellas,Fairfax,Giteau,Walker,Hoiles all played junior rugby league before they attended union playing schools.Mat Rogers was a rl junior and ball boy for the sharks before he atteded a union playing Southport School.Some of the same private schools still maintain a discriminatory one rugby policy(union) today in the age of full professionalism.Finally after decades rugby league is now being played in St Stanis in Bathurst.The school team is now in the final 32 teams vying for the arrive alive Schooboys cup.It was noted many of the students came from rugby league backgrounds. Heaven help the day Joeys plays rugby league(more chance of me becoming G.G.) Greg Russell The reason Gower and Gasnier have made successful debuts in France is simply because the standard and intensity is nowhere near that of the S14 in the Sth Hemisphere.Gower (playing in a lower division)made the comment according to Greg Alexander on 2UE ,that he does a handul of tackles at the most in a match,and he would have a longer career in French union than back here in Oz . I just find it interesting that of the 1,100 players in the top tiers of French ru,330 players are imports.It would appear the so called depth of French ru,"aint " what it used to be,and some of the locals from what i have read are getting restless. Westy Agree I get fed up with people in ru ,who continue to chest beat Joe Blow was a grassroots rugby player,when he has a grounding in rugby league.The Lomus,Umaga,Kirwans,Jerry Collins of AB fame,played junior rugby league ,and once they hit high school many had to play rugby union,and from their it is history.

Tahu wasn't that good when he was playing League, he suffered too-many injuries. More hype than results which i believe Union found out the hard way. We kept hearing how he won a grand final with Newcastle Blah Blah Blah, but many players more talented than him have either appeared in or won more grand finals in their careers. Inglis and Hodges are better players with far better results to show for their efforts. Union's biggest problem during the earlier part of this decade, was there lack of discernment when trying to lure across Leagues best.

Sharkie I am not agin you but I baulk at dismissing Cross'S JUNIOR rugby league experience that started at U/6s in mini /mod and the international junior rugby league. His picture as a Balmain Tigers ball boy says it all.You obviously have not had the experience of playing rugby union for your school Saturday morning then rushing of to play rugby league in the district based competitions. tHIS IS THE EXPERIENCE OF SOME. Just ask Craig Wing Great Sydney High rugby union junior but please to ignore his decade of experience as a Souths rugby league junior is a little misleading. I agree this junior experience of rugby union may be critical in successful transfers but to the exclusively label these players as rugby union players only is very misleading. The roll call is the same for Giteau / Elsom ( even George Smith and Tyrone played junior district rugby league) Barnes quite a few Nudgee boys played rugby union for their school and junior district rugby league., Add Horan to your list to U/16. Beale was a rugby league junior until U/13 and still represented NSWRL U/15 and U/18 teams whilst at Joeys. Some of my rugby union bretheren are still mesmorised by "the school" they played rugby union for and conveniently forget the decade of participation in junior "district" rugby league. This junior district rugby league participation is especially present north of the border. The boys I deal with in my area prefer rugby league simply because it is better run locally and more competitive. However they do play rugby union for their schools and districts. Some of them want to be professional rugby players whether rugby union of rugby league and to their credit discredit neither

Maybe Tahu should have played in New Zealand originally, he would have been playing Air NZ Cup at the least, if not for the All Blacks

Andy - no, it's just that Steffy has made it his personal crusade to make sure that 'rugby' refers to League as much as it does Union despite common usage generally being that when someone says "rugby" they're referring to union. Does Steffy ever talk about anything other than Union vs League?

In 1895 the governing bodies of the sport in England split - the game they both played was rugby. Over time the games have evolved along different paths but both are still rugby. Rugby League and Rugby Union share a common history, neither can claim to be older than the other. If you look at the Super League logo you will see that the word "rugby" features prominently in the middle. Is there a Guinness Premiership team in the town of Rugby?

Greg Russell That's exactly correct. In T14, GPL there are so many games, the converts end up playing all the time, sometimes in very big games, other times against the also rans. Either way they learn. The improvement in Gasnier from his first few outings for Stade was obvious. Aussie rugby union is just top heavy - plenty of games for the wallabies (15), a few less in S14 (11) and nothing below. Not a way to create a competitive and successful production line.

Steffy - The name Rugby comes from the town and school of Rugby in England. It was used as the title for the laws that described the game that became known as Rugby. 100 years ago some chaps decided they wanted to develop an alternate game and changed the basis of said rules, and this became known as rugby league, therefore forfeiting any rights to the name Rugby. I wonder if there is a Super League (notice in the UK it is referred to as Super League) team in the town or school of Rugby?

MyGen - Thank you for pointing out that this article was under the "League" banner. I was wondering why the spelling, grammar and comprehension had suddenly deteriorated at an alarming rate!

I'm sorry, this seems to be coming up regularly - what is the issue with the use of "rugby"? Has the ARU tried to copyright it or something?

"Steffy, try telling an australian leaguie that he plays ‘rugby’ and see what he says. in australia rugby is rugby and rugby league is rugby league." Not so long ago Tahu wouldn't have been allowed to play union because he was a professional rugby player. Union has no claim whatsoever on the single word "rugby". To suggest that rugby league players aren't rugby players is ridiculous and I find unions attempts to misappropriate the word for its sole use to be dishonourable at best.