Union players who you would like your club to sign?

Are there any union players in the UK who would have the skill set to play Rugby League and who you would like your club to sign?

I don't watch that much league but would Manu Tuilangi be any good, seems like a lot of leaguer players. And the obvious one would be Asthon.

Sonny Bill Williams for Saints if he count's. O'Driscoll would be a great league player imo.

Ive always though Bradley Davies would make a good League Player, or someone mobile like a blindside flanker, perhaps Chris Robshaw

Surely Courtney Lawes would be ideal for league. He is a highly mobile monster of a bloke who seems as comfortable carrying the ball as he is when trying to separate the opposition's fillings from the rest of their teeth.
In his prime Jason White (the former Scottish captain) might have been a good RL signing

Sonny Bill, Kyle Eastmond, Quade Cooper, Gavin Henson. There's a young Aussie lad who's name I can't remember that may move to NRL after RU WC so that would be my 5.

I see this come up a lot and really can't understand why so many people would pick Henson.He's proved in his time in Union to be a flash in the pan,one season wonder.

He is injury prone,has a bad attitude and hasn't done anything of note in 3 or 4 years.

Is there something I'm missing?

That Tuilangi guy the one that bashed Ashton, I reckon he would be a good league player.

BW is that Aussie lad Kurtley Beale by any chance? I heard a roumour he was moving to league after the world cup.

No not Beale, it's a young lad that's only just coming through. He's a Queenslander I think because the owners of the proposed 2nd Brisbane franchise want to sign him.

As for Henson, his defence is SL standard and he has all the attacking skills you need. It's his head that's screwed up not his game; the Times chief RU writer had Henson in his "if there was a Lions tour this year team". If he could get with a team with a phycoligist (apologise for spelling!) that he could talk to I think he'd be a lights out player.

That being said it's only a hypothetical question that will never happen!

BicesterWarrior wrote:No not Beale, it's a young lad that's only just coming through. He's a Queenslander I think because the owners of the proposed 2nd Brisbane franchise want to sign him.

As for Henson, his defence is SL standard and he has all the attacking skills you need. It's his head that's screwed up not his game; the Times chief RU writer had Henson in his "if there was a Lions tour this year team". If he could get with a team with a phycoligist (apologise for spelling!) that he could talk to I think he'd be a lights out player.

That being said it's only a hypothetical question that will never happen!

"the Times chief RU writer " Stephen Jones is a clueless professional WUM though . Otherwise you're probably right.

It's a sad indictment on the standard of current RU inside centres in the NH that people are even thinking about "Henson for the Lions"

Henson has the x factor that most NH union centres lack IMO.

BicesterWarrior wrote:Henson has the x factor that most NH union centres lack IMO.

Careful, the X Factor is a reality show he hasn't tried yet

Henson's a great talent, shame he's wasted so much of it.

Ma'a Nonu's been released by the Hurricanes, he'd be an expensive buy for next season but would be well worth it.

Compared to the best SH centres, Henson lacks X factor and comes off a distant second to any of them.

Kurtley Beale isn’t a QLDer, Bicester I think you are thinking of James O’Connor, he of NZ/SthAfrican heritage who was brought up in Qld and came out of the Brisbane Union factory at Nudgee College. O’Connor played a bit of league in Qld but I think the door will have shut on those two as they have both signed with the Rebels for next season and beyond.

Quade Cooper has also extended to the end of 2012 with the ARU.

Have read recently that David Gallop has put on hold expansion plans until 2015 at least so any raids for union names aren’t going to take place anytime soon.

Anyway, in terms of players well suited to the game it would be Piri Weepu, who came through the famous Wainuiomata Rugby League nursery which produced Piri’s brother Billy, the Lomax brothers, David Faiumu, Paul Whatuira and of course, Tana Umaga

Piri spent his ‘R&R’ time in 2007 with the Newcastle Knights and Andrew Johns, the game is absolutely in his blood. Having come out of the Wellington RL community myself I was surprised to see him running around for the Wellington Lions in 2003!

Yes I knew I wasn't talking about Beale, O'Connor sounds like who I was talking about I assumed he was a Queenslander just because the Brisbane team wanted him.

Was just posting what I'd read on FSA mate, don't follow RU that closely and know very little about SH RU.

I think the which Union player stuff is all hot air for headlines and "fantasy" articles mate.

Have to say, I am glad that 13 replies have been posted here without decending into which Code is better; makes a refreshing change from the old 606. I understand that I may have tempted fate!

As players from Union to league, someone mentioned O'Driscoll above. Spot on, he would be excellent in aalmost any rugby heritage sport, be it Union, League, American Football or Aussie Rules.

I think David Wallace a Munster & Irish flanker would also be pretty handy. And the Aussie Nathan Hines who plays for Scotland I think has a league backround and would fit the bill (or would have a couple of years back) imho.

I'd also fancy Dan Carter & McCaw to make the grade in League too. As for James O'Connor, outrageous talent but if i had one worry in Union and this would be applicable in League too, is that he is a fraction light in the upper body. But he i young and like BOD has plenty of time to develope that power so long as he remains injury free.

Oh and Henson is past it/Stephen Jones (the 'journo') is a complete t wat. How he gets paid to do a job that almost every poster on the Union boards could do better for free is beyond me. In fact most of the League guys who do not like or care about Union would almost certainly do a better job after a weeks reading and watching a few games.

Let's be honest, all the really class RU players would find a way of being successful in League (i.e the likes of Carter, McCaw, O'Driscoll).

Lawes would be an excellent RL forward, as would most top class RU 6s and 8s (and several could make it as RL centres).

Going back a few years, Will Greenwood would have been an excellent stand off.

Danny Care could be an excellent half back or relatively small hooker - he doesn't shirk the physical stuff in RU, and has great pace off the mark, so should be more than capable of playing the dummy half role.

When you look through the profiles of the Aussie and Kiwi union players some people might be surprised how many have Played Rugby League at school and junior Rugby League clubs.