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England winger Chris Ashton has commented on his former code in an interview with Paul Ackford of the The Telegraph. Part of the appeal to him of rugby union seems to have been the chance to meet and work with a wider variety of people.
You could put down to the restlessness of a young man keen to see more of the world rather than a judgment on the sporting difference between the codes.
He does go on to make some other specific points:
“With Wigan I was in a rugby league box. I had no idea of the numbers who watch union and how big it is in the south of France.
“Going to Twickenham and playing in front of 80,000 people is something that just doesn’t happen in league. There is far greater variety to union.
“That’s what I really enjoy. It’s not just six drives in and a kick. The dynamic is different. You don’t get the forwards/backs split.
“It’s more all one unit, and with league you tend to have a head coach and an assistant coach, whereas at Northampton we’ve got five coaches, all with separate responsibilities and jobs. There’s just so much more to it.”
Earlier in the interview, he also made this remark:
“I do feel like I fit in a bit more in union. Rugby league can be a bit harsh on people and you have to be quite a strong person to survive.
“I think that I fit in more with the kind of people and team we have in Northampton. League is a harsh environment. You have to learn quite quickly and it’s not like that in union. It’s a lot more relaxed. I don’t know if it was because I was so young playing rugby league, but that’s how it felt.”
The comment about the backs/forwards split surprised me. It’s clear that the gap has narrowed a good deal in union since the game went professional, but I still carry the idea that the roles are far more interchangeable in the 13-man code.
Perhaps I should show my hand at this point. I’m primarily a rugby union fan in England but grew up when I was more likely to be watching rugby league on television because club games were shown live every weekend. Even as I began to favour union, I still felt Mal Meninga rip my heart out with his late winning try in the second test of the 1990 Ashes series.
I’ve largely lost track of league in Britain over the last ten years so I’m not as familiar with the tactical side of today’s game but Ashton’s comment about coaching also surprised me. Again, my sense has been that a number of advances in union have been based on innovations in league.
Tackling and defence has greatly improved and Les Kiss, Shaun Edwards, David Ellis and Mike Ford, all former league players, currently coach that area for Ireland, Wales, France and England respectively. In attack as well, Ashton himself has been praised for running league lines.
I’m sure the last thing The Roar needs is another code war debate, and I’m not interested in putting either sport down or predicting the future for them. Ashton might just be wrong in his comments but, if he’s right, I suspect it says more about the difference between Britain and Australia than the difference between the codes.
Would a young Australian league prospect feel under-coached relative to his union counterparts?
Also, having seen Lote Tuqiri looking cold on the wing for Leicester, I can’t imagine he thinks the gap between backs and forwards is narrower in Union than League but perhaps his experience in Australia was different.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.