I disagree, Conrad.
In my opinion, there are not all that many top level rugby players who would be up to the standards required by the NFL, let alone to be standouts.
The NFL is comparable to Athletics and other Olympic sports in it's focus on pure athletic ability.
Rugby does not share this to anywhere near the level of those sports - if it did, Richie McCaw would not be a standout player.
Players in the NFL get banned for like 2 or 3 games if they get caught using PED's.
And their players have been doing for at least 25 years - Rugby players have only been systematically going to the gym for maybe 15-20 years.
I just do not accept that sort of "steroid culture" where it's seen as acceptable to a certain extent is prevalent in our sport.
When we start getting an entire league with the athletic ability of Eben Etzebeth then we need to be worried.
Although to be frank - and to be clear - I'm not exactly staunchly anti-PED.
Lawrence Okoye...
6'6" 137kg played on the wing for Whitgift (same school team as Daly and Yarde) and Wasps and Irish academies.
Stopped rugby to do the Discus in the Olympics - broke the British record almost instantly.
Now in the NFL with the 49ers.
Dunno how good a player he was (don't think he played any England age grade) but we are talking about a true athletic freak here.
He's just on a completely different level to anyone I can think of in world rugby.
By all accounts he wasn't that great a rugby player. Not sure how reliable that is, but there we go. Doubt he'd be able to maintain that bulk and do 80 minutes of top level rugby anyway, although clearly big.
I don't think he was ever in the England age group set up by the sound of it. Hence why the RFU 'missed' him.
I don't think he was ever in the England age group set up by the sound of it. Hence why the RFU 'missed' him.
This thread reminded that I've been meaning to see this film since it came out - I have now and it's kinda relevant so I'll recommend it.
http://www.imdb.com/***le/tt1151309/
He has a low fat percentage, so he can move with agility. Maybe he can't play like flanker but for him size, he could play at wing like Lomu, remember that Lomu wasn't so good player, he didn't have many skills, he simply was big and fast but lacked the skills of players like: Christian Cullen or Doug Howlett.
For me Lomu wasn't as good, but his size and speed helped him a lot. So I say, he could be the new Lomu, I never said he could be a great rugby player. (For me Lomu wasn't a great rugby player, was rather a great athlete)
Cheers
Pull your head in, Lomu was an awesome rugby player. He had a such good footwork, which you never see from equally big guys in rugby or other sports. He used to beat way more players with his in and away than by running over them. And he had a great ability to get offloads away with about 4 people hanging off him. He had great skill to go with his obvious physical attributes.
You're so ignorant about rugby if you think any big fast strong guy can be the same as Jonah.