SBW: "I want to play against the best"

What's all this nonsense on here??? If Sonny Bill wants to test himself against the best then he better go back to playing rugby, against the best athletes and rugby players from around the world, and not just the best that Australia offers in the NRL, you even said that Sam fella plays in Australia. And where SBW is not even guaranteed a starting spot in the teams he plays in. He's a good player, and a reasonably big boy too but he'd get smashed if he tried to mix it with a lot of the real hard, big forwards in rugby. Hence why he plays at centre. I understand that rugby league is quite big in Australia, but many other people who follow rugby don't even know that another version of the game they love even exists. I didn't even know there was a World Cup going on until Spiro Zavos mentioned something in his article this last Monday. I know South Africans who even think that Aussie Rules and League are one in the same thing. It might be odd to you and I'm not trying to belittle the game because it probably is a heck of a fun game to play, but that's simply the truth. I love 6 Touch and League is like a tackle version of that. I'm not sold on being a spectator or fan yet, I've tried watching the odd game when in Aus but the 6 bash ups then turnover just gets a little monotonous for me. And there's no contest in the scrums which is odd too. Where's the challenge and what's the point in scrumming? And it's not like a game of chess where there are so many different factors that can influence the game and change it and where possession can be challenged continuously and you play for territory a lot of the time. Well I guess it's just different. Many Aussies love it, so that's alright. Americans love their Football or Grid Iron. Anyway I see Australia won so congratulations to them. Excellent news, I'm married to an Aussie :-)

Was he playing today?? I didn't see him.

could try rules do better than folau

OH and finally they all made their money betting exotics pari mutuel not playing with bookmakers!They got banned long before they started to win real money!

My final word on this is in thirty years in wagering game I have Known of about half a dozen people who actually beat the game long term and made seirous money - enough to attract interest form the Taxation office. All of them had a Tertiary education in mathematics and or physics and were ace computer programmers so that is the skill set you are gonna need.

As the great Damon Runyon said all horse players die broke and you can extend that to whatever you like - the mathematics are against you it is a rigged game the forces of the universe ie mathematics will crush you eventually( unless you have an incredible work etHic and a massive bank and some good luck ) and when it happens it will be painful and your friendly betting agency will hound you to the grave for the money you owe them - I have seen the tragedy unfold so many times. Blokes who have a lucky run and think they now it all - A FEW MONTHS OR VERY OCCASIONALLY YEARS LATER AND SUDDENLY THEIR WHOLE WORLD IS COLLAPSING AROUND THEM.

Or better still do what Scott does and sell your ratings on whatever - but it will take you many years to get them up to scratch if you can ever manage it - and then find people who are willing to pay for them!

The fact roarers should be informed of ( for moral reasons as much as anything else) if you are betting big with any betting agency over a fair length of time and they are still willing to let you on for big amounts at the advertised price YOU ARE A LOSING FULLl F###N STOP! Don't get sucked in by the myths! Remember you can bank on 2-3% inflation every year so you have to make lets say 3%POT just to break even - if you really want have a go at it your best chance is in the Trifecta polls on the nags but you will need to know the sport very well and be prepared to eat breath and shit the game almost 24 - 7!

Still waiting Scott - I think we may have been telling porkies - I know the wagering industry pretty well I have worked in it most of my life.altough I have been retired for four years (and rarely bet because it is simply not worth the effort) So things might have changed but I very much doubt it.Betting agencies don't exist to lose money it is not their raison de etre the emphasis is very much on "recreational punters" Of course there is always betfair but good luck getting a combination of overs and liquidity!

so much to read about one of the most talked about athletes at the moment, with great respect to SBW. this guy can do amazing things on the league field, if you have played both codes you would know that the games are similar and at the same time both worlds apart. the best way to sum them up in short is league is best described as a 1 dimension shape and union 3 dimension. so much talk about what he will be doing in the future, as we all know he'll be sticking around for another season with the rosters 2014. this time next year he'll have his hand up for another season with the AB's to defend another world cup. as good as he is in league with no disrespect to SBW but playing out of position at 12 or 22 as a reserve is not your position, I would of always played you at 6 for tight work, tackling, line out jumping or 7 for the link man, covering and hovering around the paddock. I have read so much about SBW but there seems to be no mention of the next OLYMPICS. SBW will be their to stand on the podium holding the first gold medal for RUGBY 7's. you heard it first. just informing all those who have much to say. ScottWoodward.me enjoy your knowledge about it all. OLYMPIC GOLD.. just putting it out there.

Mate, the backs in Rugby make as many hit ups in one season as an RL back makes in one game.

he wants to play 7s in the olympics so he'll have at least one more year after the rwc

Backs are generally hitting the ball up with pace, so the collisions are the same as league.,

Scott- please give me the names of the agencies that are prepared to let these people who make a living wagering on Rugby have a decent bet with them. My experience with modern bookmakers is if you are winning bet peanuts and take unders or f###k off.Indeed my old boss was banned world wide - still kept winning though via the various totes at about 4% pot (with the help of being able to manipulate them via the size of his turnover even to the point of introducing new forms of exotic betting) -not worth the effort if your bank doesn't stretch to tens of millions.

Scott, you are welcome, I enjoyed your article which by the number of posts a lot more did as well...... No, if (and that is a big IF) he, meaning SBW goes back to rugby, and IF he could win the IRB award for the best RU player internationally, wouldn't that be something!

Pot Stirrer, the reason for that (the feeding team wins the ball 99% of the time) is due to the positioning of the hooker relative to the halfback who feeds the ball into the channel. You might have heard of the term 'loose head and tight head props", the feed on the loose head has an advantage (and so they should as the scrum was awarded for a minor infringement from the opposing team) and the hookers of the attacking scrum has a geographic advantage in where he is packed down relative to the halfback how puts the ball in - similar to RL however is is a penalty to feed the ball into the second row in RU, and believe it or not, it IS a contest. WOW, that did not come out easy, no wonder many do not understand rugby rules!!

I'm sick to death of this SBW myth. He is not the greatest forward of all time. Most skilful? Perhaps. Certainly the most skilful of the modern era. But there is so much more to being a rugby league forward than skill. Making 40+ tackles or 150+ meters (or both in one game) for example. SBW doesn't do either of those things with any great level of consistency. He has shied away from the engine room his entire career (hence his 5 year holiday as a rugby union centre where he got paid $100000 per tackle). You discount my Cameron Smith argument by saying "we're talking about big go forward men". Well if we're talking about big go forward men then SBW doesn't come close to the likes of Ben Kennedy, Petero, Webcke, Lazarus, Menzies, Hindmarsh, Gallen, Bird, Watmough, Lewis etc. And by the way: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rugby_league#Forwards Cameron Smith is the greatest forward of all time. And re Hindmarsh: Hindy's immense popularity has nothing to do with the fact that people who play 23 tests and 17 Origins are not "borderline rep players". Hindmarsh at his peak was an automatic selection for the Blues and Australia. That's not an opinion either. It's a fact. Between 2004 and 2007 (his peak where he won Dally M second rower of the year twice - although you will probably dismiss the award as having no credibility because it doesn't suit your argument) he didn't miss any rep games except through injury.

It's actually embarrassing for Rugby League, Union fans will be thinking "your best player has player Union for the past 5 years". It's not true and most Rugby League fans don't believe it, but Union fans will.