England to sign rugby league Star

[JB1973]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/26064628

Any one watch the rugby league world cup? This guy was one of the stars, he is a monster.

Not sure about him as a centre though, does he have the all round game eg handling and kicking to make it in the backs?

Also how will he cope with having to deal with, rucks, mauls etc.

Bath will now have a centre pairing of eastmond (ex rugby league scrum half) and Burgess (an ex rugby league prop) not sure how their London Irish recruit Joseph and every one's favourite welsh dance Mr Henson will feel about this

interesting times ahead

[Logorrhea]

Hes a monster of a man alright.

You never really know how league players transition as so many of them seem to struggle with the complexities of the union game.

Will see how it goes.

[Morf]

Shontayne Hape.

[flustered]

His league club claiming no deal has been agreed! But if he was to come to Union he could have the same impact for England as SBW did for New Zealand!

[Logorrhea]

But if he was to come to Union he could have the same impact for England as SBW did for New Zealand!

I think comparisons with SBW are a long way off. As the other poster suggested, could easily be another Hape.

[JB1973]

SBW Thorne and Robinson were brilliant

O'onnor, Sailor, Tuquri all had their moments

Carney hape , Lesley vainkolo, paul, iestyn harris, Sullivan Farrell (senior) Tomkins all got caps but none set the world alight

Some have been total flops, price at bath, smith wasps (again)

This is a big gamble, it's generally the back 3 players that have the easiest and best transition to the Union code

Personally I would have gone flat out for Hall the leeds winger and sam Tomkins the ex wigan full back

[flustered]

Maybe the comparison with SBW a good bit off but this guy is a fantastic player, good footballer as well as a good runner and defender. I think the comparison with Hape are a long way off too. Would be good to see him playing Union.

[Donny B.]

To be honest far more England league players have been flops than successes. They're often fast-tracked into the England squad too to justify the investment which causes resentment too.

[Vamos los azules]

The RFU clearly have more money than sense.

Does Andy Farrell not remember what a disaster his transfer to Union was? Mind you I love the fact that the player for whom the RFU paid a fortune to bring him to Union and who never delivered is now convincing the RFU to spend a fortune to bring another league star across.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Sam Tompkins is the guy I'd be looking to get if I was them. I've no doubts at all that he'd be brilliant at union.

[simonokeeffe]

Lancaster and Farrell seem to be retrograde in their vision and ambition

[Morf]

England can't/won't bring through centres/backs with a good skill-set so take the easy option of coopting lads from league which usually fails. Or Brad Barritt.

I'm not criticising the player more the short-term and self-defeating behaviour of the RFU.

[Morf]

So the RFU are going to take a chap that tackles and runs very hard directly at people over and over in an English test 12?

[hugonaut]

Maybe the comparison with SBW a good bit off but this guy is a fantastic player, good footballer as well as a good runner and defender. I think the comparison with Hape are a long way off too. Would be good to see him playing Union.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of his. I think he's a smashing RL player and a hell of an athlete. All those Burgess lads are absolute tanks! Fitting in so well with the Rabbitohs as an Englishman [they went and signed his three brothers after him - http://www.rabbitohs.com.au/playerprofiles ] tells you something about his abilities and his mental toughness. Not everybody can thrive in competitive sports in a foreign environment.

Difficult to tell how he'll transition though. Bar SBW, the most successful RL converts have mostly played wide out [I'm thinking primarily of Robinson and Tuqiri] and the closer you get to the middle of the pitch, the more flops there have been. SBW played for Toulon for two full seasons and a half season with Canterbury in the NPC before he made his All Blacks debut as well, so it's not like he just switched codes and immediately walked into his national side.

Burgess is still young enough [born late 1988] that I'd be very confident he'd be a success if he had time on his side, but he doesn't. He'll probably only have one full season in union before RWC15, and there'll be a huge amount of pressure on him from the moment he lands. He's never played any union at all, so there's going to be a very steep learning curve for him.

I think the main advantage he'll have over Andy Farrell [in terms of transferring a huge RL talent to union] is that Lancaster and Farrell himself will have a definite job for him. When Farrell quit league for union he was 30/31 years old and there was a load of faffing around about where he should play, in the backrow or in the centre. He was also coming back from a big car crash that delayed his union debut and probably took a fairly serious toll on him, so we never saw the best of him at 15-a-side.

[Morf]

I'm yet to be convinced.

I don't think England or it's coaching is the place to make him more than just a boshier version of what they already have.

[Fireworks]

I'm yet to be convinced.

I don't think England or it's coaching is the place to make him more than just a boshier version of what they already have.

Not sure they want to change him. They might be buying in to WG style of play. Let him bash holes and get guys to run angles off him all afternoon and you could have a pretty good return. It might not be pretty but it could be effective.

[Morf]

I'm yet to be convinced.

I don't think England or it's coaching is the place to make him more than just a boshier version of what they already have.

Not sure they want to change him. They might be buying in to WG style of play. Let him bash holes and get guys to run angles off him all afternoon and you could have a pretty good return. It might not be pretty but it could be effective.

I doubt they do either.

I have no doubt he's a great athlete but I'm sceptical.

[leinster4life13]

This guy is a beast, hes the player PSA thinks he has in fat basteraud, guarentee he'll succeed.

[Donny B.]

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2588 ... 88,00.html

[Logorrhea]

So they fancy him as a centre. Interesting.