Best League to Union convert
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584820" data-time="1464863927"><p>
Paul Moriarity who played Lock for Swansea and Wales (Union) and Second Row for Widnes, Great Britain and Wales (League) is about the only dual international tight five player I can think of. He scored the match winner try in the 1987 RWC 3rd/4th place off.<br><br><a class="bbc_url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby</a>)<br><br>
His son Ross is in the current Wales squad and likely to be selected at blindside flanker in the absence of Dan Lydiate for the tests against the All Blacks.</p></blockquote>
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Paul Moriarty was a loose forward , a 6 or 8, to my recollection (even if his wiki profile says second row, obviously written by a leaguie).<br><br>
His brother Richard was a lock. -
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584820" data-time="1464863927">
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<p>Paul Moriarity who played Lock for Swansea and Wales (Union) and Second Row for Widnes, Great Britain and Wales (League) is about the only dual international tight five player I can think of. He scored the match winner try in the 1987 RWC 3rd/4th place off.</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby'>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby</a>)</p>
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<p>His son Ross is in the current Wales squad and likely to be selected at blindside flanker in the absence of Dan Lydiate for the tests against the All Blacks.</p>
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<p>Except that Paul Moriarty was a blindside flanker. His brother Richard played lock.</p>
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<p>Edit: Immenso beat me to it.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MiketheSnow" data-cid="584832" data-time="1464872819">
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<p>John Devereaux. Good in both codes. One of many who led/joined the exodus from Wales in the 80s</p>
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<p>The centre Alan 'The Clamp' Bateman was better IMHO.</p>
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<p>Welsh Union caps at centre, then Wales & GB league caps, before returning to union for more Wales caps and 1 British Lions cap.</p>
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<p>I remember that game all too well. I was on tour and we watched the game after playing earlier on. Your boys cut us apart in the first half hour or so. What was the final score? Oh, had to look it up 60-26 :yes:</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584835" data-time="1464873853">
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<p>Dai Young went Union to League to Union as a prop. He's now Director of Rugby at Wasps.<br><br>
The greatest ever League/ Union dual international was Jon Bentley, at least in the opinion of Bentos.</p>
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<p>Bentos had a deceptive change of pace without being an out and out speedster, but his main skill was self-promotion.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Catogrande" data-cid="585095" data-time="1465030054">
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<p>Bentos had a deceptive change of pace without being an out and out speedster, but his main skill was self-promotion.</p>
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<p>He spoke at our annual rugby dinner last year (Aberdare RFC).</p>
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<p>45 min speech</p>
<p>Drinks break</p>
<p>45 min Q&A</p>
<p>Then a night with the boys drinking and chatting</p>
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<p>If you get the chance to hear him, take it. Pure entertainment.</p>
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<p>He's got some cracking party piece drinking games too.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Catogrande" data-cid="585095" data-time="1465030054"><p>
Bentos had a deceptive change of pace without being an out and out speedster, but his main skill was self-promotion.</p></blockquote>
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Martin Johnson says in his book he overheard him on the phone to his wife during the lions tour saying " you would not believe how famous I am over here". Gold -
<p>Probably said after that try against Umpumalanga (spelling banana skin).</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584793" data-time="1464858664">
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<p>Easy to forget what a good player Jason Robinson was. He was a bit like Milner-Skudder in style but had an impact over a longer period of time than Milner-Skudder so far.</p>
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<p><a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='
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<p>or course he was good, but that highlights reel shows his first 6 tries and 3 are against Uruguay.</p>
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<p>and the others scotland. </p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="584808" data-time="1464862201">
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<p>Two Australians, prop Tony D'Arcy and lock Garrick Morgan were disasters at league. D'Arcy ended up as a reserve for 3rd grade and Morgan was reserve for reserve grade.<br><br>
Back to best code switchers, I recall Trevor Gillmeister once saying that former Wallaby Brett Papworth was the best player he ever saw.</p>
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<p>Brett Papworth made the move from the Mighty Woods to Eastern Suburbs when he was at his very best and immediately fell victim to some serious leg injuries, as I recall, plus a couple of busted jaws. He was quick and skillful as a centre and his place with the Wallabies ('85 to '87) was pretty well assured at the time but the money was too good to pass up for a bloke in his mid twenties.</p>
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<p>He returned to the Great Club as President a decade ago and has proven to be so good at it he is not permitted to resign - a faithful servant to rugby and unafraid to take it right up to the ARU for their horrible mismanagement of club rugby.</p>
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<p>He followed his coach John Ballesty's move to Eastern Suburbs twenty years earlier, when he too was in his first two years of Wallaby selection - an opportunity which came about when Wallaby first five Phil Hawthorne joined St George in league in 1968. At about the same time Wallaby centre John Brass moved to Eastern Suburbs league. With Ballesty, Brass and Hawthorne league gained the best hands and passing skill one could wish to see. All three went on to play for the Kangaroos.</p>
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<p>Now - going back in the other direction the Brisbane Broncos' Peter Ryan was a central plank in the successful couple of years the ACT Brumbies enjoyed under wily Eddie at the turn of the century, before most of you young sprogs were born :i_am_so_happy:, in the Super7¾ epoch. He played lock and back row and was in pretty much the same mould as the exceptional BBBT (a notch or two lower) - honest toiler, never missed a game with injury, never missed a tackle, always on the ball, mature, reliable and so on.</p>
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<p>He was a Downlands College student (like Tim Horan) and played rugby for the Australian Schoolboys before turning out in league for a decade. With Brumbies captain Brett Robinson (also ex Downlands) he was the glue that made the joint great, before the egos and their factions took control.</p>
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<p>Ryan has since gone on to appointment as defensive coach with the Broncos, Cowboys, Reds and now the Brumbies.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Chris B." data-cid="584891" data-time="1464915309">
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<p>I don't know the answer to that, but it does lead into a thought I had the other day - that quite a few RWC 2003 ABs made it to RWC 2015, but we're already shorn of all RWC 2007 ABs. </p>
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<p>Probably because 2003 was a very young team. They had booted a lot of the experienced guys out.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="sparky" data-cid="584820" data-time="1464863927"><p>
Paul Moriarity who played Lock for Swansea and Wales (Union) and Second Row for Widnes, Great Britain and Wales (League) is about the only dual international tight five player I can think of. He scored the match winner try in the 1987 RWC 3rd/4th place off.<br><br><a class="bbc_url" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Moriarty_(rugby</a>)<br><br>
His son Ross is in the current Wales squad and likely to be selected at blindside flanker in the absence of Dan Lydiate for the tests against the All Blacks.</p></blockquote>
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Sorry ... pedantry ... but didn't Adrian Hadley score that try? -
Appears it was Hadley. And he was a code switcher too.
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Anyone following the NRL should be familiar with the name Marika Koroibete...considered one of the fastest players in the NRL and finished last season as the clubs highest try scorer with 16 tries.<br><br>He has signed a contract with the Melbourne Rebels for the 2017 season...<br><br>...here's a You tube montage for a taste of what the flying Fijian is capable of...i can see him on the wing at the next RWC for the Wallabies as he has already qualified under the 4-year residency rule...<br><br>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="barbarian" data-cid="584448" data-time="1464740670">
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<p>Folau is easily the best convert in Australia. <strong>Tuqiri, Sailor and Rogers had their moments</strong>, but haven't come close to achieving the dominance Folau has over multiple seasons.</p>
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<p>It's a shame he was injured through the RWC as he missed a chance to prove his greatness in front of a global audience. </p>
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<p>He has now won back-to-back John Eales medals and for me it's between him, BBBT and Robinson as best convert.</p>
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<p>Tuqiri had the talent but suffered a long unprofitable patch in his second half and that affected his demeanor and his play, as I recall (and was easily distracted at other times by a little bit of this and a little bit of that on the side). Rogers was talented squared (being well bred 'n all) but was prone to injury. Further, the selectors couldn't work out where they wanted him to play for a lot of the time.</p>
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<p>I reckon Wendell Sailor had difficulty pretty much throughout his time in union with positioning, however I was impressed right from the jump with his enthusiasm, commitment and preparedness to "muck in" and do the hard stuff in rucks and mauls, regularly. On the odd occasion when he had missed his man he would tear off after him and make sure he got him on the second attempt. He was the consummate competitor and very good at bringing the fans in to enjoy his fun. A family member encounters him regularly in a sports comments role and tells me that he is pleasant and affable and marvelously thoughtful and patient with fans, which pleases me.</p> -
Folau is in another league to the rest of the converts but it sorta feels cheap including him because it feels like he could do a lot better. A try-hungry, exuberant Folau would be unstoppable no?<br><br>
Apart from him I'd say Mat Rogers was brilliant. Waratahs were lost whenever he was injured. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Ruthless1" data-cid="585137" data-time="1465075806">
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<p>Anyone following the NRL should be familiar with the name Marika Koroibete...considered one of the fastest players in the NRL and finished last season as the clubs highest try scorer with 16 tries.<br><br>
He has signed a contract with the Melbourne Rebels for the 2017 season...<br><br>
...here's a You tube montage for a taste of what the flying Fijian is capable of...i can see him on the wing at the next RWC for the Wallabies as he has already qualified under the 4-year residency rule...<br><br>
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<p>Read this Canes4Life, THIS is how you ridiculously hype up a bloke who is basically unknown.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Tim" data-cid="584436" data-time="1464739422"><p>Craig Innes was pretty good too, wasn't he?<br><br>
How was Mark Brooke-Cowden at league?<br><br>
Kurt Sherlock?<br><br>
Who was the halfback from Auckland circa 1987 who left?</p></blockquote>
Innes was probably the best player never to play for the kiwis. He was awesome.<br><br>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Don Frye" data-cid="584445" data-time="1464740095"><p>Ricky Stuart would probably be the best Aussie rugby to league convert.</p></blockquote>
Michael O'Connor was pretty handy. <br><br>
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Anybody mention Ray Price?
