The suits in rugby union would love to sign the best player in the NRL, but it is doubtful if the brilliant Jonathan Thurston would fit in to the robotic team environment of the 15 man game.
Rugby league is a more attacking game that lends itself to the flare and brilliance that Thurston offers. He is not someone who you would harness and give directions on how to play.
It will “kill” him and be more wasted rugby union money on leaugies.
Rugby union is very much a team game, much more structured than rugby league and requires more discipline. Thurston often has no idea what he is about to do, but he generally makes the correct decision, leaving the opposition in awe of his rare talents.
Often his team mates don’t know either and he is left in the clear on his own.
Thurston’s signed his initial NRL contract with the Canterbury Bulldogs aged 18 for free, but his next contract regardless of who it is with and what code, is likely to be a record.
One thing is certain, that he will leave a huge hole in the North Queensland Cowboys if he walks out on them when his current contract expires at the end of the 2010 season.
He is the greatest player the club has ever had and totally dominates most games he plays in. They would be like a boat without a rudder if he moves on.
I do not profess to be a rugby union expert, but from limited observation, I would have no hesitation in declaring Jonathan Thurston a superior footballer from either code than Naas Botha, Grant Fox, Michael Lynagh, Hugo Porta, Gareth Edwards, Nick Farr-Jones, Joost van der Westhuizen, George Greagan, Matt Giteau and Jonny Wilkinson.
When god handed out talent, JT was in the same line as Ken Catchpole and Mark Ella.
So if All Black champ Dan Carter can grab 35,000 pounds per game, it will be an easy decision to replace the Cowboy hat with a French beret.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
No argument, but people like to see tries.
PastHisBest
Roar Guru
Plenty of dropkicks around here SS...you and I not included of course.
Siva Samoa
Guest
Including penalties and dropkicks. They are points as well.
Onceinawhile
Guest
" average Joe Blow can understand it and it is generally won by the best team who scores the most tries or kicks the most 6 pointers" Most sports are decided by who scores the most points
rugbyfuture
Roar Guru
i don't think there is a common consensus on this site that RU doesnt need to change, quite the opposite, more that it is fixable from its current placing in the football code rankings
Jerry
Guest
Yeah, but the fact that Union is more international is exactly the reason why the ARU can't go messing around with the product. The NRL and AFL essentially control the game - they have carte blanche to do whatever they want, but other than the ELV trial (which was sanctioned by the IRB remember and also required the approval of the NZRU and SARU) the ARU can't play by different rules to the rest of the world.
Siva Samoa
Guest
Fair point SW.me but I wouldn't want super 14 to be playing with two refs while the rest with one. The sooner the IRB has a independent structure the better. Australia's rugby union problem is they fail to win any titles and they haven't done that for a while in both super 14 and tri-nations.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Jerry, My reference was in Australia. The Executive of both AFL and NRL have no problems making changes for the game if they consider it is for the greater good and the consumer approves. They seem to have their finger on the pulse and their respective games are going ahead in leaps and bounds. Maybe I have missed it but has John O'Neil done anything worthwhile in recent years? His "patch" are running 5th at the moment in Australia behind the NRL, AFL, Soccer and Cricket. One of the biggest problems is that many of the readers of this thread doesn't think RU in this country has a problem.
Jerry
Guest
I honestly don't see how anyone can argue League is LESS structured than Union. It's a set play every play in League. Union is largely played off the cuff from the 2nd phase onwards.
Jerry
Guest
"With all the private school education available to RU" You do know it's played outside of England and Australia don't you?
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
James as for being educated the term you used "You yourself" is tautology. Pull your inflated head out of the sand. I enjoyed RU when my son played for Trinity Grammar, but at the highest level is totally depended on the Ref. The most popular game in the world is soccer and it is also the simplest to understand. The reason why AFL and RL is dominating free to air and Pay TV in Australia is because the average Joe Blow can understand it and it is generally won by the best team who scores the most tries or kicks the most 6 pointers. With all the private school education available to RU you would think the penny will drop and they would make some key rule changes. My dad loves RU and in fact broadcast it for a living with the ABC and even received a telegram the the Prime Minister of South Africa complimenting him on his "unbiased" call when the Wallabies played the Boks in Perth, but with all that history he still concedes that RU is a "good game spoilt by a few dumb rules"
Jameswm
Guest
One word Scott - lifestyle
Jameswm
Guest
More uneducated responses. It's like arguing with a child. You yourself say you don't know much about rugby. Not all games are simplified to increase their appeal to the lowest common denominator.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
The unpredicatability is that no one knows why the ref keeps blowing his whistle. Games should be decided largely by tries and not goals from penalties that only the ref knows what it is for.
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
James the answer is YES to most of your questions including the fact that I have a son who is 50% French. Not sure what all that has to do with the price of fish. You are on drugs if you think that the majority of high profile RL players did not go to RU because of money. e.g * Mark Gasnier * SBW * LT * Rogers * K. Hunt * Sailor If Thurston could get $1m in the NRL there is no way he would even consider the switch, and $ was THE only thing that could have got Andrew Johns.
reds fan
Guest
I wasn't comparing the intellect of two players. My response was regarding your regular use of the term "robotic instructions".
ScottWoodward.me
Roar Guru
Reds please dont compare one players intellect with another and the ability to adapt. Larkham would be brilliant in any code because I believe he could adapt, I cannot say that with any certainty about JT.
reds fan
Guest
Regarding structured v less structured. I think both games are mostly structured (thats why they have coaches with clipboards!) with semi-regular outbreaks of spontaneous unstructured play. And the crowds generally love both aspects. Nothing like seeing a well thought out backline play result in a try - in either code. Its a thing of beauty to see a highly structured move executed perfectly. But then the unstructured off-the-cuff play can be exhilarating. For me union's continual contest for posession gives it an air of unpredictability and also introduces a whole new level of team work that isnt present in league.
reds fan
Guest
Robotic instruction?? Hmmm... was that Rod Macqueen giving robotic instructions to Stephen Larkham to "ghost" through defenses when the opportunity presented itself, and after he opened them up by sending all the attack down the outside channel with his long pinpoint passing game?
reds fan
Guest
A lot of talk of JT's precise kicking game. One important thing to note is that in union kicks have to go up before they go long. This is because the defence is so much closer, as there is no 10m rule as in league. I have heard Barnes and Rogers both talk about this difference. I have also noted Bob Dwyer decry the trend of RU players adopting the drop punt. This started in AFL but has been picked up by RL as it provides great precision and distance. However it is also a low trajectory kick. Bob notes that Gits has been using it alot and as a result is getting charged down with some regularity. It is small differences like this that can make the conversion difficult. Where once a player acted without conscious thought, they now give away precious moments to think before acting. The ruck is another place where having to think before acting means that the advantage can be lost and the ball turned over. Not many league converts ever get the hang of it. I was watching Gaz playing in Ulster the other day and the ruck is still a foreign concept to him. Cross adapted well but probably cos of his junior involvement. Same with Barnes. I think at times union fans become indignant when RL fans say their players could make it easily, as union is the little brother when it comes to the rugby codes in Australia. And often RL fans make the claim without great knowledge of RU, and without the self awareness that their game is played in very limited locations. I for one am glad the ARU have reconsidered the league convert strategy - at a professional level. If a league player genuinely wants a new challenge then great, but none have proven to be worth the marginal expense they cost the ARU.