Is rugby league on the ropes?

Chairman of the Rugby Football League Sir Rodney Walker is considering seeking government intervention to prevent the loss of league's star players to union.

The move comes on the day that Henry Paul officially announces his move from Bradford to Gloucester.

Is the future of the 13-man game in doubt?

Sir Rodney Walker has accused the Rugby Football Union of misleading him in the growing "poaching" row that is developing between the two codes.

Bradford Bulls' Henry Paul officially announces his move to Gloucester today in a deal thought to be worth around £250,000 a year.

And the latest league star to be on union's shopping list is Wigan centre Chris Radlinski.

The announcement is a further blow to league, already smarting from rumours that top Super League clubs are contemplating a switch to the Zurich Premiership.

The Rugby Football Union denies claims that it is helping their clubs fund moves for some of rugby league's top stars.

But with Jason Robinson already in the union fold and Leeds Rhino's star Iestyn Harris close to joining Cardiff, is league in serious trouble?

Could rugby league be on its deathbed?

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Now union is professional there is no longer the financial incentive to keep players at the league clubs

  Mark CJ, England

As much as the rugby snobs would like to have you believe otherwise, news of rugby league's imminent demise is greatly exaggerated! Rugby League is a far superior spectacle to rugby union. It's players are faster, fitter and more skilful, and the rugby league nursery keeps producing superstars by the bagful. Think of Johns, Barrett, Fittler, Tallis, Webcke, Lockyer etc - the list goes on and on! The Wallabies are regarded as the best rugby team in the world - but they would not come within 30 points of the Kangaroos.

The people of Yorkshire and Lancashire couldn't give a fig about rugby union, nor the people of New South Wales and Queensland. The Australian NRL clubs draw crowds of 15,000 to 30,000 for each club game. No-one watches club rugby in Australia because it is boring. And I bet that the same applies in England.

The defection of a couple of top class rugby league players will not kill rugby league - and rugby union knows it.
Greg , Australia

Firstly, I'd like to welcome Henry Paul to Kingsholm, and I hope that you can pick up the local accent quickly. Secondly, League will not die as it encompasses a very large population base in Yorkshire and Lancashire, and judging by the comments on this page there are a large number of people who won't let it die either. However, isn't it ironic how Henry has come to the most anti-establishment Union club? We probably feel more disdain towards the likes of Quins and co. than the most hardened League fan.
Andy, Gloucester

Will league die? Don't be ridiculous

  Jules, UK

It's surely no surprise that an athlete of the calibre of Henry Paul, who has achieved so much in league, will seek out the greater financial rewards of union in the declining years of his playing career. Anyone who believes the move is prompted by the prospect of fresh challenges on the field is really just kidding themselves.

In the last few years the union establishment has been terrified by the success of league in arguing its case on a national footing. The Union response has been quite predictable - throw money and propaganda at the problem and attempt to cherry-pick the players and coaches. It's evidence of a sad decline in the union game.

Will league die? Don't be ridiculous. League is rooted in people, not privilege. The will of the people will prevail.
Jules, UK

I don't have a problem with out of contract league players going to union if that is what they want to do. What I do have a problem with is the fact the RFU are funding the contracts which means they are making it easy for top talent to be lured away from league.

In fact, why do they need to do it? Is union so bereft of talent or is it an attempt to ruin league? Those who say the boot is on the other foot are very short-sighted. Never in over 100 years did the governing body of league get involved in funding the signing of amateur union players on a systematic basis. The amateurs went to make a living from sport (and were condemned for doing so) and individual league clubs funded it themselves. But more importantly, it was never a systematic attempt to ruin union and nor did it do so.

Now both codes are professional, union is using its financial clout to sign players, coaches and administrators from league and this is justified by some because a few amateur players went north to make a living in the past. I suppose that should not be surprising from a sport that went to the lengths it did to ostracise those amateurs that did turn professional.
David Oddie, UK

League is on the way out. The success of Australia over the Lions has generated huge interest Down Under. I watched some of the recent league World Cup - what a joke! Home nations were created to make up the numbers with predominantly English players. There just isn't the support at grass roots to survive. Also, the game is so repetitive, just like a large game of sevens. However, union has borrowed pluses from league like defence. League is boring, what is the point of the scrum? It's not surprising league clubs want to switch to union - more money, more local and international support. Do we have two codes for soccer? I think not!
Dan, Bham

Now union is professional there is no longer the financial incentive to keep players at the league clubs. Therefore they are transferring to a game that requires skill, thought and flair rather than the bish-bosh predictability of league - a game for people who aren't bright enough to play union!

League is finished - the fact that it switched to summer in order to keep in line with Oz showed how desperate times have become. Good riddance to a dull sport that bored too many people senseless for too long!
Mark CJ, England

League will never die

  Lee Calvert, UK

As a union fan I think it's great to see people like Jason Robinson coming into the game. And from a Welsh perspective I cant wait for Iestyn Harris to switch codes. However, I don't think we'll see the mass influx of league players to union game that everybody is expecting. Firstly league has a big base of supporters base and the game is too strong in the north for it to ever go away. Secondly, I don't think that the vast majority of league players are good enough to play for a top union side. I don¿t know why everyone thinks that league players have better handling skills than union ones, apart from the few exceptions the vast majority only have pretty basic handling abilities. On a final note, league has been pillaging the Welsh union game for years now, its time for union to get its own back!
Tom Henderson, Wales

League will never die because it has a catchment area for players of about 12 million in the north of England. Australia is a country with a population of 12 million and yet they can sustain three world champion teams, so I can't see the worry. Also, if you took rugby league away from Hull and Wigan for example, do you really think that you would get about 6,000 people turning out to watch union in these towns? Do me a favour...
Lee Calvert, UK

Clubs can say no to union clubs to players under contract. They must make a stand. We have lost two players to union and one of them isn't British - we have plenty of talent in our game so why worry at the moment? I am sure it will hurt union more than league with all the money they are throwing at our players.
Louise, UK

Rugby league will play a smaller role on the national sports scene, and union will grow in stature. Whether more players will follow Paul is left to be seen, but I' m sure that league stars will have seen the impact Jason Robinson has made and will want a piece of the action and their time in the limelight.
Dave, UK

League will continue to prosper and produce players of such a standard that they can walk into any union team if they wish to do so

  Simon, UK

How can the needs of the clubs, who need to obtain money through the turnstiles and sponsors needs be met be compatible with reducing the number of games played by the leading players, which most recognise as vital if standards and players welfare are to be maintained?
Robert Lloyd Williams, England

The RFU can't get enough league coaches and players, ever thought why? Probably because they recognise the superior ball skills that all league players are taught from the day they start to play the game. Union have realised that league is a far superior and skilful game and that they have wasted a hundred years sticking to rules that no one can follow and only stifle the running game that league fans are brought up on.
Dave Cooper, England

For any sport to lose a number of its top stars is a massive blow. However, to suggest that this means that the game is on it's deathbed is slightly alarmist and surely written purely to encourage a healthy response of comments. League will continue to prosper and produce players of such a standard that they can walk into any union team if they wish to do so. It would be nice if it could also be reported that many of league's young stars have committed themselves to the game, and now will thankfully get a chance to shine on the big stage in the absence of the older stars who are looking for a fresh challenge that league can yet not provide.
Simon, UK

Players have come and gone between both codes for years, but because one irresponsible union club chairman makes a sweeping statement about league clubs turning to union, the media immediately pounces. League has an endless conveyer belt of stunning rugby talent moving through the ranks, and the defection of a few higher profile players will not make any dent in the progress that league is making. The annoying monopoly that the RFU have over the term 'rugby' is not going to last forever. It may have the power to pay it's most prestigious player contracts, but it doesn't have the youth development, community support or club level success that league has and it never will.

Union clubs operate solely as holding grounds for the international talent, stables if you will, and the only media spotlight occurs on an international level. League has a strong player, supporter and administrative foundation so any forages into the sport by the RFU will have little impact, only to line the pockets of a few players.
Chris Norris, UK

League players can see that they will gain greater recognition playing union.

  Strand, Ireland

As a Gloucester fan, it's great that Henry Paul is going to sign, but I don't think for one minute that league could be on its deathbed. After all, did people say the same about union when its players where switching to league? I think not.
Dave Brooks-Smith, England

I think it is on the ropes. Even the Australians are switching codes. The union game is far bigger now internationally and the league players can see that they will gain greater recognition playing union.
Strand, Ireland

Henry Paul's move is not a disaster for league, much as the union establishment would like it to be. It will give at least one talented young British player the opportunity to break into the game at the top level and Bradford have shown that there's no shortage of these.

What it does show however is how difficult it is for league to compete when it is trying to get its house in order financially by putting in place a salary cap, only for RU clubs to come along with the additional financial backing of the RFU, to cherry pick some of the game's biggest names.

Union followers then bleat on about league poaching union players in the past. What they forget is the appalling way league was treated by union during this period with players who had trials with league clubs being banned for life. Many of these were from depressed areas of South Wales with no chance of other employment and in seeking to better themselves were shunned by the short-sighted administrators of rugby union. Similarly forgotten is the banning of rugby league from the forces, only very recently removed.

In closing I'd like to say how laughable it is that the RFU considers that the codes are closer together than ever now. If they are it is because of the wholesale adoption of league rules and playing style by union, certainly not the other way around.
Harry Pinner, England

As an Englishman living in Australia, I would welcome the recruitment of big league players in order to bolster the relatively slight-looking centre partnerships currently trying to compete with the southern hemisphere sides. Although Jason Robinson and Brian O'Driscoll proved that size is not everything, a big skilful player is preferable to a smaller skilful player. Gradually, the codes are merging and that will be demonstrated by the size of players in the union teams. Rather than giraffes and midgets, there will soon be a team in which all the players are somewhere in between. I for one would be happy to see Henry Paul in the back line. I wonder if the November Test is too soon for him to be selected for England.
Christopher Clarke, Australia

It seems like a calculated effort by the RFU to destroy rugby league

  Bob, UK

With its narrow geographical base, albeit encompassing some big cities, rugby league has always suffered from being in the shadow of union. The drain of the cream of league talent to union does not help.

However, in France rugby league is also geographically contained but is fairly well attended, even if crowds tend to be smaller than for the union games. To my knowledge, there has been no talk in France of the potential demise or emasculation of the sport through a drain to the 15-man game.

The biggest problem is the high profile factor associated with the union game and the consequent lure of the big lights for players used to the comparative gloom of league. This is heightened by the huge superiority which Australia in particular and, to a lesser degree, NZ have over Europe in the 13-a-side game, a superiority which is not reflected in union.

This superiority makes any clashes between Australasia and Europe in league a virtual washout. Regrettable, but true. League players may, therefore, be forgiven for believing that their only chance of winning anything aside from the Challenge Cup lies in them playing union and preferably for one of the big boys.
Roche John, Belgium

It's rugby league's comeuppance. After all, how many stars of rugby union has it poached over the years. The shoe's on the other foot now.
R Varsani, England

It seems like a calculated effort by the RFU to destroy rugby league. If they succeed, people shouldn't be too surprised by how league fans respond. We've been fighting the establishment for the last hundred years and it just looks like things are going to get tougher.
Bob, UK

Rugby league has been said to be dying for 106 years now. It's time for a new prognosis. Club crowds are healthy and far in excess of union crowds. Also, the number of amateur teams is growing quickly, particularly in the south, despite a background of declining sporting participation.

Indeed, league is in such good health that the rugby union are desperate to throw money at league clubs to capture some of their seemingly endless supply of talented players. It's interesting that the Lions lost their series to a country where kids are brought up on league and the bright point was the performances of Jason Robinson.

Still, despite dramatically falling player numbers, clubs in financial crisis, poor crowds and an inability to break into the north, I see no reason why union should not become a credible sport in this country in the future.
Bob, UK