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Sonny Bill Williams: "Rugby League is tougher than Union"

Having played both, League is tougher fitness wise, but I reckon union is tougher on the body - especially with shoulder charges out of the game now.
Nothing compares to getting crushed at the bottom of a ruck by half your own, and half the opposition, team. Or a collapsed maul.
 
SBW does joke that in RU he plays in the Backs with the "pretty boys; doing their hair" whilst in League he is a forward, in the middle of the action more. His body gets less battered playing as an inside centre or wing in RU compared to as a lock forward in League.
 
Until he plays as a forward in Union and has to routinely compete at the breakdown whilst being cleaned out by 20 stone props then he's not really in a position to compare them.
To be fair though... I think that's pretty much what he's saying.

Having said that, from what I've seen League hit ups are a lot more brutal than the sort of contact most Union outside backs are involved in.
 
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It's all relative. When I play league I play prop - and I'm a prop in union. Between the two I personally find union more physically challenging. You don't really get to rest in union as even during the setplays you're having to work hard and do different kinds of work. In league I find the fitness aspect comes more from retreating. Most of my injuries in unions come from someone doing something in a ruck. I could totally understand why being a centre in rugby union is easier than being a forward in league. At the end of the day I think SBW pointed that out himself.
 
***les a tad sensationalist all SBW really said is that being a forward is tougher than being a back, which seems pretty obvious.
 
lynam1104 said:
***les a tad sensationalist all SBW really said is that being a forward is tougher than being a back, which seems pretty obvious.
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Ok, then Money-Ball Williams said that because he's a forward in Rugby League and he was a back in Rugby Union.

Cheers
 
264.jpg
 
Why does everyone pick on the pretty boys, doing their hair? Can't have everyone on the pitch looking like escaped convicts from La Sante.


das
 
TRF_nickdnz said:
It's all relative. When I play league I play prop - and I'm a prop in union. Between the two I personally find union more physically challenging. You don't really get to rest in union as even during the setplays you're having to work hard and do different kinds of work. In league I find the fitness aspect comes more from retreating. Most of my injuries in unions come from someone doing something in a ruck. I could totally understand why being a centre in rugby union is easier than being a forward in league. At the end of the day I think SBW pointed that out himself.
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Never played league.union I played inside centre,outside centre, or wing school boy rugby.1xv Ardingly college Sussex.Clearly no credentials but Sonny bill I d like to see you play lock against sam white lock and ezbeten.I doubt you will come close to matching their tackle stats, metres gained,first arrivals to the rucks.League only tougher because you are a lock in league and an outside centre in rugby union.
 
I've played both and Rugby League is much more demanding physically. Difference in collision speed is huge. I started out playing Rugby League out side of school and Union in school and the latter was a doddle to be honest fitness wise. I've always said that Rugby League is arguably the most physically demanding sport out there and stand by that.
 
Saint Matt said:
I've played both and Rugby League is much more demanding physically. Difference in collision speed is huge. I started out playing Rugby League out side of school and Union in school and the latter was a doddle to be honest fitness wise.
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What position did you play?
 
The_Blindside said:
SBW does joke that in RU he plays in the Backs with the "pretty boys; doing their hair" whilst in League he is a forward, in the middle of the action more. His body gets less battered playing as an inside centre or wing in RU compared to as a lock forward in League.
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Depends what you class as the 'middle' of the field I guess. The modern second rower in Rugby League is practically an extra centre to a certain extent. He plays the majority of his Rugby down the right edge, inside the centre.

I guess that a prop's answer would be different to mine for example due to the set piece. Rugby League prop forwards generally have a lower percentage of body fat than Union props for example, due to the 10m rule and the lack of intensity at scrum time. That's the main issue for converts I think. Certainly forwards. Both share a similarity in the sense that the higher level, the quicker the game becomes. Take Adam Jones for example, he wouldn't last 10 minutes in Rugby League. Would Mathieu Basteruad last 80 minutes playing centre in League ? I doubt it. Difference is, the rotation policy is different which means teams generally spell their props.

I remember at school we had a Number 8 who was on the 'larger' side but what was awesome at what he did. Won the MOTM in a School's final and was highly rated etc. Anyway, I actually managed to persuade him to come down to my League club, but he just couldn't cut it. He was so far behind in the fitness tests in Pre-Season it was frightning. Decided to pack it in eventually.

Technically I found Union more challenging to start with but you learn as you go along. Physically they are both very different depending on the position you play.
 
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