The ten best league-to-union converts

Rugby league was born out of the struggles of the working man to get compensation if he were injured and not able to attend work.

While the Huddersfield Hotel in the north of England hosted the meetings that would see the birth of the new code, it was in Sydney in 1908 that an organised rugby league competition started.

After 100 years as an amateur game, rugby turned professional and big money washed over the sport. It’s hard to imagine now in this COVID-19 crisis, but rugby was paying league players more to switch codes.

While this is not a definitive list, it highlights ten outstanding players to represent at international level.

Israel Folau
Say what you like about Israel Folau, and many do, but has there ever been a more talented athlete with the oval-shaped ball? Rugby league superstar, AFL mercenary, the nation’s most reliable ball runner in rugby. While he was a teenage superstar in Brisbane he went to the Storm and flourished. The AFL needed a name player to generate interest for the Greater Western Sydney Giants and they got that in Folau. His natural home was then the 15-a-side game, where he could run the ball and leap higher than he did in attempting to take a specky in front of the big sticks.

(AAP Image/Joe Castro)

Mat Rogers
A State of Origin star for the Maroons, Mat Rogers is the son of Sharks great Steve and ran the ball just as freely. A mainstay at both the Waratahs and the Wallabies, Rogers was a 45-Test veteran when his rugby career petered out and he was released to join the Gold Coast Titans.

Brad Thorn
There is no more highly decorated dual international than Brad Thorn. Starting his career at the Broncos, where he stayed for ten years in two stints, he won numerous premierships, State of Origins and Tests for the Kangaroos. Born in New Zealand, he switched to the Crusaders in 2001, where he won Super Rugby titles, and represented the All Blacks, where he became a World Cup winner. He is now the coach of the Queensland Reds.

Sonny Bill Williams
Like Thorn, Sonny Bill Williams came and went from both codes goes with ease. A teenage superstar, he walked out on the Bulldogs to chase the big rugby money in France. A rugby league grand final winner, Super Rugby champion, international in both codes and Rugby World Cup winner, SBW has won every title available. At one time he was also the heavyweight boxing champion of New Zealand. He’s currently the highest-paid player in rugby league history as the star signing for the Toronto Wolfpack in the English Super League.

(Anthony Au-Yeung/Getty Images)

Lote Tuqiri
Like Thorn and Folau, Lote Tuqiri got his start under the coaching of Wayne Bennett in Brisbane. Playing 167 games for three clubs, he represented Queensland, Fiji and Australia. He was a devastating runner who could break a tackle at wing and centre. He was a Wallaby for 67 matches, scoring 30 tries. Poor off-field decisions led to his premature exit from Australian rugby.

Wendell Sailor
Wendell Sailor was a larger-than-life entertainer who followed a trend when he started his rugby league career at the Brisbane Broncos. Having won everything in the game, he took the plunge (and the money) and came across to rugby. Starting in Leeds, he then represented both the Reds and the Waratahs as well as scoring 13 tries in his 37 international appearances.

Jason Robinson
The speedy Jason Robinson was a Wigan try-scorning machine. Highly decorated, having won all available trophies in the UK, he represented England and the British and Irish Lions in a ten-year rugby career. No. 6 on the all-time list of England international try-scorers, he was also awarded an MBE and OBE by the Queen.

Andy Farrell
Ireland coach Andy Farrell made only eight international appearances for England but rose through the coaching ranks in retirement. A hard-running forward in the glamour Wigan rugby league sides of the 1980s, he made 370 appearances for the club and is regarded as one of their greatest players. He is the father of current England rugby star Owen Farrell.

Semi Radradra
Fijian superstar Semi Radradra made his name at the Parramatta Eels as the hardest-running winger since Eric Growthe Senior. Since changing codes, he has established himself in Europe as a devastating ball runner who has gone onto international honours with the island nation-state.

Henry Paul
New Zealander Henry Paul was another player from the southern hemisphere who had a successful career in the UK. Best known at Wigan and the Bradford Bulls, he represented his nations team in 24 Test matches and six Tests for his adopted England in rugby union.