There's an interesting piece on the BBC comparing league and union. Giving their opinions are Jonathan Davies (37 Wales union caps, 10 caps for Great Britain and nine for Wales in league), Jeremy Guscott (65 union caps for England and eight for the Lions) Jamie Peacock (26 caps for Great Britain and 21 for England in league, and captained both), and Tulsen Tollett (former NRL and Super League rugby league star, and Premiership rugby union player).

I might be biased, but the conclusion at the end seems to lean towards league, and you can't be surprised



[urlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/25124313[/url

Hopefully the WC has shown neutrals and union fans what league is all about we get more new fans and some converts. Would agree that League may have just clinched it in this article.

I read taht at the weekend, and found it pretty balanced and fair. I think its good that the two sports are being analysed for their merits, and that people from both camps can see the good sides of the other game

Has always been thus particularly in the North, going back to the 1970s a friend of mine was a first team player at Roundhay RU and for Yorkshire too AND he had trials at Leeds RL, one of his team mates was signed by Leeds (but I can't remember who) and a lot of them were supporters of Leeds RL - my brother is now a junior coach at a local RU club and when I don't get freebies for the grand finals

I go to his club to watch the game where its usually packed full of Rhinos supporters, whenever I've been there on a first team training night their coach is forever banging on about running angles "like they do in League" - there has always been respect for the league code in union.

Just on the BBC, I noticed that a couple of days before thew WC final, RL was removed from the top list of sports on their website (at least in the international version). Its now relegated to a line in the "Other Sports" menu.

In UK always a main panel for rugby league, see below:



Home
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Formula 1
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I think its more dynamic than that. Out of season I think F1 drops down the list, as does Cricket, but obviously its an ashes series so that stays higher. I think we are always below RU though

Before the recent Ireland v NZ RU game I was consoled by colleagues who had watched the semi final the day before. Whilst acknowledging I was gutted I said at lease it's good to see a game of rugby won by scoring tries.
At that game I was (surprisingly) supporting Ireland and was gutted at the end that they had failed to achieve a first ever win over NZ after being in such a great position, the game was won a minute after the full 80 minutes by NZ scoring a try to win 24-22. There were 6 tries in the match, it was an extremely enjoyable game, played in the way I think rugby should be played.

The England New Zealand RL game was superb, as was the Wales Australia union game.
The highlight was a master class of passing and running from the Aussie quade cooper. If he had played for Australia against the lions the results may have been entirely different .

You are quite right. In the North the two games have been interlinked with many players turning out for both codes. Although my preference is for League I spent many happy times playing, coaching and managing in Union where the standard of rugby may not always be as good but where the love of rugby is equal and the hospitality and comaraderie are second to none.

Johnny Atkinson played for Roundhay RU but signed for Leeds RL in 1966.

Most union fans will never like league because it's too formulaic - 5 drives and a kick, repeat. Theres much more variety and areas of combat in union.

It depends what you grow up with most of the time. What we see as fast an open, they see as repetitive and predictable. What we see as ugly, slow and boring, they see as fascinating tactical battles and variety.

That was a great game. I don't mind Union, you have to watch it with an open mind rather than the rugby league chip on your shoulder. Obviously brought up with league, i think a great game of league beats a great game of union, and a terrible game of league still beats a terrible game of union. But a great game of union is still bloody enjoyable, it just depends how it's played and how the game unfolds. Plus, we can actually beat the aussies in Union, which is a major plus.

Yea sure loads of fat guys roll about on the floor for ages till the SH passes back to the FB who hoofs it down the pitch. Repeat ad finitum

I agree totally with this.

You need to stand closer to the action and see what really happens...

Union has changed a lot since the last time you watched it by looks of it

Union has changed a lot, in Wales and the Southern Hemisphere.

10-man rugby is still king in England, Scotland and Ireland - particularly when the harsher conditions come around in the middle of the season.

KICK AND CLAP

You and Mclaren Field are looking back through rose tinted glasses. Do you not remember how players could be given lifetime bans from Union for being "tainted" by having played league (union's terminology).

I bet Steve Pilgrim doesn't recall with fluffy nostalgia the days when players were happily allowed to play both codes.

Oh, and the "tainting" was only ever one way.

I know players who, in the 1970s, played for Leeds RL Colts and also Roundhay and Headingley RU in the full knowledge of each club concerned without incurring wrath or sanctions, it happened and many were aware that it happened and turned a blind eye.

Mind, there were a lot of blind eyes in RU at that time - the mate I mentioned on the previous page, the one who would have been signed on RL pro terms if he hadn't been so keen on his career, played under other names on several occasions for RU clubs who were considered the "upper tier", particularly in competitions such as the John Player Trophy - we went with him to a quarter final game at Fylde once and the cash that he found in an envelope in his kitbag afterwards paid for one hell of a p1ssup in Blackpool for three of us that night - and then I drove us home - ah the 1970s, those days will not return

Look at the pace & quality of Super Rugby, great value entertainment

Stop watching England. Watch Union in Southern Hemisphere, fast & quick with lots of line running

Loz, you can't educate those who wish to bury their heads in the sand or carry huge chips and grudges around all day long, they probably still hate the Germans too.

You know where Super Rugby is played, don't you?

Not quite sure what point you're trying to make there?

I've no chip on my shoulder, I've trained at and with two different union clubs this year and am considering a run out with the thirds of one such club.

But if I am to be educated I'd rather it be someone with an accurate recollection of what it was really like when union was a shamatuer sport.