Noble wants more union poaching

[Bullitt]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE ("http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_league/super_league/wigan/7892287.stm")</div>

Wigan head coach Brian Noble believes Super League clubs should be buying up rugby union's big stars.

The former GB coach is advocating the scheme in order to bring more British and Irish talent into the sport.

"Every club should be given a remit to sign one union home nations player," Noble told The Super League Show.

"Just imagine the national headlines our game would generate for bringing the likes of a Jonny Wilkinson or a Brian O'Driscoll across."

Union clubs have been plucking league's biggest names since their game turned professional in 1995.

Many have switched codes but later returned to league, though the likes of Andy Farrell, Lesley Vainikolo and Shontayne Hape continue to ply their trade in the 15-man game.

Noble added: "The idea would involve signing those union players outside of the salary cap, but there would be a limit to say £50,000.

"A club could then find a sponsor or some other way of funding that player.

"I think there should be a limit to one player per club due to the financial aspect of it."

Union players have not always been able to adapt to the league game, and vice versa, but Noble does not think bringing union stars across to the 13-a-side game would be a gamble.

"We are talking about numbers at the end of the day," he said.

"So if only one player is good enough to make it, that's one extra player.

"This is where my safety net limit of £50,000 comes into play too, because then there is an element of development.

"It would just be like when all the Welsh players came across, like Scott Gibbs and Jonathan Davies.

"It took them a while to get up to speed and it would be the same in this case.

"I've been saying this since 2006, as have other people. We are an innovative sport and this is something we could do."[/b]

Interesting that the coach of a club who've never stayed inside the salary cap and have only ever had success by poaching the entire Welsh national side should come up with such a theorey.

Now the real question is this... Which big stars does the gurning idiot think would cut their wage into a quarter, while effectively ending their international careers, to follow through this concept?

Noble may want Brian O'Driscoll, but he's more likely to end up with Semus Mallon.

Idiot.

 

[St Helens RLFC]

I had a go at Warren Gatland last week, so I'll do the same. It's none of his business. However, there wasn't anything like as much criticism for Warren Gatland on here as there should have been.

 

[Prestwick]

Warren Gatland is a hero..

 

[Bullitt]

Noble has a rep for talking ******** about Union. Much like those famous comments along the lines of "Farrell will be the greatest union player ever".

 

[St Helens RLFC]

I don't mind him, but he has history of talking ******** full stop.

 

[getofmeland]

Could be interesting to see what happens especially with the wasps situation?

 

[St Helens RLFC]

A salary cap is a salary cap - no exceptions. And besides, having "a union player" would be too easy to fiddle because some clubs can pay more wages than others.

 

[gingergenius]

haven't we learnt that in order for a cross-code switch to be a success, it must have been done 1) at a young age so the player has time to learn his new sport or 2) the player must have played the other code in his youth.

Very few recent cross-code switches have been successful. I love both codes, but union more, and I'd love it if the likes of Inglis and Lockyer played Union. But then you see RL superstars like Gasnier and SBW who haven't really made an impact.

Farrell was another one... why on earth would a 30 year old be a good investment? The use of having 30 year olds is for their experience, and he had none of that either.

So Noble's stupid if he thinks elderly Union stars will come over and make a positive impact on league. Apart from anything else, at this point in time NH skill levels seem to have gone down the pan so I can't see them breaking up League defences too easily.

I know this will be heinous to many league fans but here's what I'd like: the top League youngsters go to Union (like that 17 year old mixed race guy at Leeds who looks immense; Kyle Eastmond, Kevin Penny etc.) and the Union guys who haven't quite made it go to League to fill the vacancies. Because, purely selfishly, I live in the South and even though I'm going to Quins vs Manly on sunday, I get much more oppurtunity to watch Union; it's on TV more and it's more popular. And who wouldn't prefer someone like Kyle Eastmond to be creating havoc from the back 3 instead of David Doherty just looking boring?

 

[St Helens RLFC]

You've clearly lost your marbles if you want to see Kevin Penny cross over!

 

[Vambo]

Noble's comments have been roundly derided on all League message boards and rightly so. The man is clearly deluded.

As a Wigan fan though what I find unbef***inlievable is that he'll happily thow/waste money at union players but won't play the talented youth at his disposal.Twat.

 

[Vambo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Feb 17 2009, 11:32 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Interesting that the coach of a club who've never stayed inside the salary cap and have only ever had success by poaching the entire Welsh national side should come up with such a theorey.[/b]

I think you're getting us mixed up with Widnes

 

[Bullitt]

I've just had a look at a Wigan board after this. All it appears to havedone is rubbed salt into a lot of chipped shoulders - especially from many who've never made an effort to watch both codes.

Well done Noble, way to **** everybody off.

 

[Vambo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Teh Mite @ Feb 17 2009, 03:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

I've just had a look at a Wigan board after this. All it appears to havedone is rubbed salt into a lot of chipped shoulders - especially from many who've never made an effort to watch both codes.

Well done Noble, way to **** everybody off.[/b]

Safe to say that Noble isn't exactly making friends amongst Wigan fans at the moment.
He did a good job of stabilising the ship when he came in and he is capable of producing wins come playoff time but some of the rugby we've seen under him as been woeful. I gave up my ST a couple of seasons back due to a variety of reasons but I haven't missed dragging my arse over to Wigan on Friday nights and watching a crap team play crap rugby.

 

[St Helens RLFC]

Loss of youth promotion will bring about his downfall.

 

[Vambo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (getofmeland @ Feb 17 2009, 01:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Could be interesting to see what happens especially with the wasps situation?[/b]

There is only one person Wigan would want from Wasps.

 

[dundeesmiffy]

There are a few guys that I'd like to see switch over.
I don't see why both Harlequins clubs aren't cross promoting, I'm sure there are a few wily backrow forwards/outside backs that could really learn a lot about the physicality of rugby (as a whole sport, both codes) and other things like better ways to run onto the ball, breaking the line, putting other players in space and holding up tackles by switching to rugby league.

I'm talking about guys who are in the development stages, maybe even just a season or two. James Haskell, it would have been interesting if he'd been sent to London Broncos (I assume that's what they would have been called when he was that age) for a season, he'd maybe be more useful in broken play...well even more useful, and he'd be able to use his physicality properly...as opposed to resorting to tripping etc.

In short, I think Union players could learn a lot from playing League, and League players could learn a lot from playing Union.

 

[St Helens RLFC]

A few Harlequins RU have come to Harelquins RL. The most high profile player being Lous McCarthy-Scarisbrook.

 

[Vambo]

Just had a look over at the rlfans Wigan board and it makes depressive reading in many ways...

 

[St Helens RLFC]

Not a view I share!

 

[Vambo]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (St Helens RLFC @ Feb 17 2009, 04:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>

Not a view I share! [/b]

Nor would I expect you to