Rugby League or Rugby Union

[StuBlake13]

Originally Posted by Camulus

" Its based on passion not money "

So how come League was the first to become professional?

It allowed Rugby to exist north of the Watford Gap lol If players had to be compensated for lost work then you might as well make the teams professional and allow the sport to carry on existing and get better. Or is the sport reserved for the well to do?

[Camulus]

I played for over 28 years as a member of clubs from Exeter to Dubai and never once played with anyone who didn't also hold down a full time job.

The only time I got paid was in the late eighties when I played for Bath and we would get the ubiquitous brown envelope for 'travelling expenses' or 'consultant groundsman'

There had to be commitment as an amateur, which sadly seems to be lacking amongst some of todays professional gym monkeys.

[StuBlake13]

Originally Posted by Camulus

I played for over 28 years as a member of clubs from Exeter to Dubai and never once played with anyone who didn't also hold down a full time job.

The only time I got paid was in the late eighties when I played for Bath and we would get the ubiquitous brown envelope for 'travelling expenses' or 'consultant groundsman'

There had to be commitment as an amateur, which sadly seems to be lacking amongst some of todays professional gym monkeys.

That goes for every sport. My comments pertain to the original formation of League from the Union code. However if by the eighties clubs had started to proffer brown envelopes it was effectively what northern union clubs were doing by compensation for lost earnings almost a century previous. So if it hadn't taken the Union boys so long to come to terms with it then maybe the schism would never have happened and these arguments wouldn't be occuring.

I would say though that I can't see League scoring more votes on this forum. Its like going to the posh end of town asking people if they'd prefer fine wine or a can of Tenants Super....

[topman]

'Boot money' was knocking about for years, especially in welsh ru. Professionalism just formalised what had been happening for years anyway.

[StuBlake13]

Originally Posted by topman

'Boot money' was knocking about for years, especially in welsh ru. Professionalism just formalised what had been happening for years anyway.

Exactly so if the hoity toity darn sarf had just done right by the northerners way back when. Things could have turned out differently but as will all things north vs south it all came down to class and them wanting to let us know our place. (I use the terms us and our loosely not inferring that it ever affected myself or mine directly)