Tallis challenges wallabies

[Spewing]

Would had love to seen this .
Let us take on the Wallabies

By GORDEN TALLIS

22 February 01

The Australian

BRING on the Wallabies . . . and bring 'em on soon.
After weeks of listening to Australian rugby union head honcho John O'Neill, and a few others, boasting about how good their game is and what great athletes their players are, I've had enough. I want to play them.
I don't want to talk up my game or talk down theirs.
Talk is cheap and any footballer worth his salt does his talking on the field and that's where I want to take on the Wallabies.
I'll play them anywhere, any time, and I'll play them for nothing.
I'm pretty sure Brad Fittler and everyone else in the Australian league team would do the same – and if the Kangaroos don't, the Broncos will tackle the Wallabies on our own.
We wouldn't want prize money or match fees.
Stopping the cheap shots at league from O'Neill and Co for a while would be reward enough.
I've got nothing against the union players.
It was great when they won their World Cup and I love it whenever they beat the All Blacks – I'm just dirty that their success has sparked an outbreak of league bagging by some of their officials.
By the way, I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of the Wallaby players cringe every time a certain top official opens his mouth to have another go at league.
I get absolutely filthy when rugby people go out of their way to bag the Kangaroos' efforts in winning our World Cup.
We did what we had to do and beat who we had to beat and I can't see what more we could do.
You might think the whole idea of a Kangaroos-Wallabies showdown is Land of the Fairies stuff but I reckon it would be a sensation.
Every supporter of either code would be talking about it for weeks and we'd pack out Stadium Australia a couple of times over.
It shouldn't be too hard to get a major sponsor for the concept.
Then all the proceeds could go to charity – or maybe to junior development in the winning code.
We could play the Wallabies under union rules first and then under league rules a week later.
Or we could play a half a game of each, I really don't mind.
I just want to play them and let the public decide who are the better footballers and athletes.
I realise we might have to tinker with the rules of both codes but I don't see that as a good enough reason to shoot the whole concept down without giving it a go.
Surely with all the smart people in both codes we could come up with a set of rules that didn't make it too hard for either team.
The matches could be played midweek.
I wouldn't have any problem with backing up for a club game a few days later.
We've done it often enough in the past so it wouldn't be an issue.
Some people, especially in union circles, will say the idea of a cross-code showdown could never work, but to them I simply say it's time to put up or shut up.
Let's get it on.

 

[akazie]

I would've loved to see this.

 

[akazie]

They've done it a few times in other countries, but for some reason, they won't have a bar of any RL club out here.

The Raiders wanted to play a game to raise money for the tsunami appeal, but the Brumbies wouldn't play, they wanted to play cricket instead.

I don't see why they wouldn't have, oh yes I do, I wonder if it had anything to do with the fact they the union mob would've looked like a complete bunch of hacks had they lost to the Raiders at the time considering the Raiders were hopeless and the Brumbies were champions.

The Wannabies have played the Kangaroos before, around 95 years ago.

 

[emperor]

HAHAHA I remember this article. Classic stuff from the Raging Bull.

 

[POBT]

IIRC, the games in England when they played League v Union ended up in 2 lopsided victories as you would suspect. But I think that the Union team gave the League team an absolute hiding.

In reality, League is a game based on running, tackling, passing and a little kicking. Union has all of those elements but with an increased emphasis on kicking and the added complexity of rucks, mauls, 8 man contested scrums and line-outs. So, while Union players can perform the basic functions of a Leaguie, Leaguies are totally at sea with some aspects of Union. A fair dinkum Union side would simply kick repeatedly for touch and then scrum or maul its way over the line. Or it would play a game of pick and drive that the Leaguies would not be able to combat. Of course, in charity games, the Union teams would hopefully play a more open style of footy which would allow the League team to compete a little more.

But such are the specialist skills of Union, a League team would get absolutely slaughtered. A Union side would be able to adapt a little better to League because it is a game that is based on the fundamentals of rugby football. It is not to say that one game is better than the other, just that Union is far harder to adapt to.

 

[copa]

So, while Union players can perform the basic functions of a Leaguie, .

and only at a very very basic level compared to a RL player..

 

[POBT]

and only at a very very basic level compared to a RL player..

Definitely, in the context of rugby league.

 

[Ancient and Loyal]

In an RL Context?

Have you seen Mat Rogers, Lote Tuqiri, Wendy Sailor or Jason Robinson in RU Broken play? It's scary.

 

[Spewing]

IIRC, the games in England when they played League v Union ended up in 2 lopsided victories as you would suspect. But I think that the Union team gave the League team an absolute hiding.

Well your thinking is wrong , I remember quiet clearly how Wigan smashed the living daylights out of bath 82 points to 3 .Very close game as a matter a fact.

 

[Le KooK]

Always loved your work Mr. Tallis...

 

[Spewing]

Always loved your work Mr. Tallis...

Have you seen Tallis and tezza doing the lowes commercial looks damn funny lol.How about when they we're in each others face in a SOO game zonks ago .

 

[Ancient and Loyal]

Wigan won 82 to 6 in the RL Form (Last footy I ever saw at Maine Road)
Bath won 44 to 19 in the RU Form

To be fair, RU was barely proffesional back then and hadn't yet integrated RL attacking and defensive patterns into there playbook in any comprehensive fashion.

 

[POBT]

Wigan won 82 to 6 in the RL Form (Last footy I ever saw at Maine Road)
Bath won 44 to 19 in the RU Form

To be fair, RU was barely proffesional back then and hadn't yet integrated RL attacking and defensive patterns into there playbook in any comprehensive fashion.

Oops. I knew they were two massive hidings.

Wasn't there some conjecture about the rules? I think the Union game had uncontested scrums - for obvious reasons.

Wasn't there also another game more recently involving St Helens and an English rugby side.

 

[Ancient and Loyal]

Sale won the Union game 41-0.

St Helens won the RL game 39-0.

It was played deep in the RL offseason. Sean Long missed a kick to level the scores at the death. Knowing him, he probably had a quid or two on the result

 

[Spewing]

Sale won the Union game 41-0.

St Helens won the RL game 39-0.

It was played deep in the RL offseason. Sean Long missed a kick to level the scores at the death. Knowing him, he probably had a quid or two on the result

Would you know anything about the middlesex sevens ? that was the union sevens I'd imagine, is it true wigan won it, then the following year bradford?

 

[POBT]

Would you know anything about the middlesex sevens ? that was the union sevens I'd imagine, is it true wigan won it, then the following year bradford?

League players should be pretty well equipped for Union Sevens. Once they had a crash course in recycling the ball at the breakdown their superior aerobic fitness and running power would mean that they would be more than competitive.

 

[Ancient and Loyal]

Wigan played in the M7's when it's squad was still capable of matching the Kangaroos, so it wasn't really a suprise. New Zea...Sorry 'Bradford' also won one more recently.

 

[akazie]

Was it Bradford or St Helens who played a game of League, got on the grog, hopped on a bus to travel down to a union 7's comp, the bus broke down and they got there late with a big hangover, and still kicked the crap out of every team they played?

Winning every game by a massive margin, no RL team has been invited back since LOL.

 

[Spewing]

Was it Bradford or St Helens who played a game of League, got on the grog, hopped on a bus to travel down to a union 7's comp, the bus broke down and they got there late with a big hangover, and still kicked the crap out of every team they played?

Winning every game by a massive margin, no RL team has been invited back since LOL.

llllllllllollllllllllllll

 

[sydney eagle]

About all the two games in England proved is how different the two games actually are. Maybe someone should come up with a "hybrid" set of rules such as those used between Aussie Rules and Gaelic Football ?