Speculation around Sam Burgess’ future in Rugby League occupies the headlines in Australia and with it comes the recurring debate about what this sport must do to retain our stars and halt the flow of high profile players across the divide to Rugby.

The argument around the current salary cap and potential exceptions or increases is now a familiar one among the Rugby League community, but one angle which isn’t as prominently discussed is the responsibility of Rugby Union as a sport in all of this.


Personally I am a keen follower of both codes of Rugby and throughout the year I will take in a lot of live games from both domestic and representative competitions across both codes, across both hemispheres. My preference is Rugby League but I can honestly say that I don’t possess any dismissive or bitter attitude towards Rugby Union, it is a fantastic sport and regularly produces highly entertaining spectacles.

From following both sports intently over recent years there is one difference between the two which I believe to be absolutely true, and that is a stark gulf in the level of both contact and handling skills, as well as key decision making at the top levels of each code. I agree that scrummaging, line-outs, rucking and mauling are key parts of Rugby Union and difficult skills to master, and good play in these areas can often go unappreciated by the casual viewer. What I cannot agree with however is that this is somehow a justified substitute for basic handling, passing, tackling and decision-making skills within the game.

My suggestion that both attacking and defensive plays are regularly executed to a much greater standard of accuracy and creative flair in League than Union is, I believe, continually verified year after year. My point here isn’t that either is a better sport or which should be more popular, receive more media coverage etc. My point is that as a sport, I think that at grassroots level, Rugby Union is failing to develop these core skills amongst players from a young age. For me this is the key reason why the Rugby Union are continuing to court Rugby League players with the goal of bringing them into their sport on a central contract. In my opinion, they look at the top Rugby League players as something of a ‘finished article’, players who have learned and improved a skill set which unfortunately is rare even amongst a player pool at the pinnacle of Rugby Union.

With Sam Burgess, it is reported that the RFU will offer him a contract involving assurance that he will be part of England’s World Cup squad for the 2015 tournament. Given that it seems he will complete this season with the Rabbitohs, that means he will have about 12 months in a new sport before being a key part of a World Cup squad. Given the money rumoured to be involved with this, it is fair to assume that he isn’t being targeted as a back-up or squad player, he is seen as someone to improve the starting XV and help England win a World Cup. For those seeking a debate about which sport conveys the greatest talent and most skilled players, it would appear that the key decision makers within the RFU have been presented with a convincing case that it will only take 12 months for a current Rugby League player to learn how to become an integral part of a World Cup winning Rugby team. I’ll leave it up to you to decide what that says about how highly the people running the sport rate the current selection of players occupying the centres of International teams across the world.

Rugby League fans don’t want to see their best players moving away to play Rugby Union, but for the foreseeable future I’m afraid this doesn’t look like changing. We can talk about increases or exceptions in the salary cap in this country, but if the RFU do get their man and you consider the extent of the current financial deal Sam Burgess will be walking away from, it’s hard to see how much of a difference this would make. The financial clout of the Rugby Union will heavily outweigh that of League as long as things continue as they are. The only way I see this sort of move becoming a thing of the past is if we start to see more similarities in the skill sets of young players across both codes. For this to happen you feel that the required shift away from defensive, territorial play towards free flowing, attacking Rugby in Union is a little too dramatic to ever realistically materialise. Unfortunately for Rugby League, the loss of its superstars could be something it remains powerless to prevent.