I agree.
It's not that the players are different, it's just that the games are different and allow players to show their skills or give benefit for a particular skill (like being tall in line outs).....however, he did pick a particularly big monster to run at and to be fair, he wouldn't normally run staright at a No.8 in Union.

I have to say (as a neutral Wakefield fan) I was gutted for Thomas when he took that tackle and then tried to play the ball. He didn't hide from any work after that either and I'm sure he will be a very good player in future, but I knew there would be a lot of innane "he's not tough enough etc" which is just plainly not true.
It was a tough game to start in and at least he stuck to it.
Seen plenty of RL players get their head in the wrong place in a trackle and get knocked out. It's just a technique thing.

The other converts of the past have had an off season or even reserve games to get used to the game before being thrown in. Thomas is being thrown in at the deep end. The coach obviously thinks he can. I hope he can too. (Not just taking it in as an extra forward)

I hope he plays next week and gets the running chances. One thing I do know as Wakefield fan is that Tony Martin will give him good ball and guide him if needed. He's a good decision making centre. Our wingers always benefited from playing with him rather than the other wing.

Dual coders are just League fans who are trying to keep their friends happy. Im not saying RL players are genetically harder humans! Just harder because they play a far more intense and physically demanding sport than RU players.

If you want to argue that RU players are more mentally astute, or play a more technical game Ill agree with you. Tell me any RU players are tougher than RL players and Ill laugh at you. A lot.

Dont play the inferirority complex card, it makes you sound like John Inverdale.

Nope im a dual coder and prefer union to rl.

And yes there just as tough players in union ..... just to name a few that are based in wales alone tiatia(one hard git there would mix it with any of the RL lot even if he is 38.!), xavier rush, ian evans, ian gough, jamie roberts, andy powell, mike phillips, gethin jenkins and jerry collins.... dont go telling me these are not hard/tough/robust men.>!!

would all get found out playing league....

I would agree with you about ian evans, ian gough and jerry collins getting found out in RL, the point was they are hard/tough players.!!

The rest could easily make it.

But the sport has no chance of getting the calibre of player such as mike phillips, jamie roberts and gethin jenkins who could easily make excellent RL players.... but no way shall they convert the money they are on and the ambitions to win Euro cups, world cups and grand slams.!

World cups? Pmsl what you intend to get past that world 15 a side superpower of Fiji this time? behave yourself the day Wales win a world cup I'll give all my kids welsh names

I agree we have been very poor at world cups due to politics and imploding on ourselves getting new coaches in etc. Lets hope it doesnt happen this time. WAles have a very tough schedule ahead that should but them in good shape for the WC even if they dont win many of them have SA x 2, NZ x 3, Oz x 1, 6 nations tournament and england x 2. you cant say we are not testing ourselves against the best there.!

The problem with us is that we never seem to peak at the right time. If we can peak at the world cup for a change and go on one of these runs like we do when we win a grand slam then i see no reason why wales cant win a world cup with a favourable draw. You give the drwa england had when they won it in 2003 and wales would be quietly confident ie england in QFS, france in semis and Oz in final.... wales are more than capable of beating all of them and as i said when we get on one of these roles when we win grand slams we seem unstoppable. I doubt very much we could beat 2 southern hemisphere teams in the same tournament but if we had a draw like above i see no reason why wales couldnt win it.

This is a non arguement. Different people in different sports. End of.

I'm a RL man through and through but I've played RU at a decent level and I'd challenge any rugby league foward to stick his head in a rugby union front row and say they are not tough. It is just a different sort of pain.
They don't have to run full out at a group of tacklers like in RL (which requires mental and physical toughness - and technique) but the pain caused in a RU scrum is easily comparable in terms of mental and physical toughness - and certainly in technique.

They are just different.

The whole RU vs RL is pointless. Die hard RL fans will never accept anything you say against their sport. There are tough union players. Anyone who diss-regards that is an idiot. There are also talented union players that become the best of the best in league. Does Jonathan Davies ring a bell, Scott Gibbs, Scott Quinell, John Deveraux, Paul morrierty(sp). Look face facts. Players from RU can quite easily switch to league.

Don't get me wrong, players from league sometimes make it in union. But not as often. Jason Robinson strikes me as a good union convert. The best league player in britain at one point completly failed at union. Iestyn Harris. There were other factors but it happens

Totally agree with both above posts.!